Low-cost and easily fabricated ultrasound-guided breast phantom for breast biopsy training

Abstract Background: We developed an inexpensive and easy-to-fabricate gelatin-based breast biopsy training phantom and evaluated its effectiveness in improving the biopsy skill level and confidence level of residents.Methods: Six residents were requested to evaluate the effectiveness of the double-layered breast phantom, which contained a malignant tumor, two benign tumors, and a cyst. The Young’s modulus and acoustic properties of the gelatin tissue phantom and simulated tumors were investigated.Results: The result showed that 83% (n=5) of the participants agreed that the ultrasound image quality produced by the breast phantom was excellent or good. However, only 17% (n=1) of the participants claimed that there was room of improvement for the haptic feedback they received during the placement of core needle into the breast phantom. The mean pre-instructional score was 17% (SD 33%) for all participants. The mean post-instructional score was 83% (SD 33%), giving an overall improvement of 1.32/2 mean scores. The mean needle biopsy skill and confidence levels of the participants substantially increased through simulation training on our breast phantom.Conclusions: The proposed breast phantom can be easily fabricated by a resident for breast biopsy training. Simulation training using our breast phantom can improve a resident's confidence when performing challenging ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. According to the participants’ feedback, our breast phantom is sufficiently realistic in terms of ultrasound imaging and haptic feedback during needle insertion; thus, the training outcome can be linked to the performance of residents when they perform a live biopsy.