Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39808287›Full record

ArticleActa neurochirurgica2025

A method for mimicking tumour tissue in brain ex-vivo ultrasound for research application and clinical training.

Alistair Weld, Luke Dixon, Giulio Anichini, Giovanni Faoro, Arianna Menciassi, Sophie Camp, Stamatia Giannarou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta neurochirurgica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Alistair WeldHamlyn Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK. a.weld20@imperial.ac.uk.
Luke DixonDepartment of Imaging, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.
Giulio AnichiniDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.
Giovanni FaoroBioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, IT, Italy.
Arianna MenciassiBioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, IT, Italy.
Sophie CampDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.
Stamatia GiannarouHamlyn Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIntraoperative ultrasound is becoming a common tool in neurosurgery. However, effective simulation methods are limited. Current, commercial, and homemade phantoms lack replication of anatomical correctness and texture complexity of brain and tumour tissue in ultrasound images.

methodsWe utilise ex-vivo brain tissue, as opposed to synthetic materials, to achieve realistic echogenic complexity and anatomical correctness. Agar, at 10-20% concentrate, is injected into brain tissue to simulate the tumour mass. A commercially available phantom was purchased for benchmarking.

resultsQualitative analysis is performed by experienced professionals, measuring the impact of the addition of agar and comparing it to the commercial phantom. Overall, the use of ex vivo tissue was deemed more accurate and representative, compared to the synthetic materials-based phantom, as it provided good visualisation of real brain anatomy and good contrast within tissue. The agar tumour correctly produced a region of higher echogenicity with slight diffusion along the margin and expected interaction with the neighbouring anatomy.

conclusionThe proposed method for creating tumour-mimicking tissue in brain tissue is inexpensive, accurate, and simple. Beneficial for both the trainee clinician and the researcher. A total of 576 annotated images are made publicly available upon request.

Indexed as

BrainBrain NeoplasmsNeurosurgical ProceduresPhantoms, ImagingHumansUltrasonographyBrain tumourHomemade phantomInexpensiveUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID39808287
PMCPMC11732946

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.