Low-Cost homemade Agar-Based phantoms for Ultrasound-Guided procedure Training: A randomized educational trial
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To assess the non-inferiority of low-cost homemade agar-based phantoms compared to commercial models regarding students' self-reported confidence and performance in basic ultrasound-guided procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized controlled study was conducted at a single university in June 2025, during interventional radiology (IR) resident training sessions. Participants were all consecutive students randomized 2:1 to either agar-based or commercial phantoms. Phantoms were designed to simulate deep collection puncture and vascular access. Participants completed technical assessments and questionnaires before and after the training. RESULTS: Twenty-three residents (8 male [35%]; median residency semester [IQR], 2 [2-4]) were included and randomized to the agar-based group (n = 15) or the commercial phantom group (n = 8). Students increased their self-reported confidence in basic procedures from 3.7 ± 2.4 to 6.2 ± 1.7 out of 10 (+ 2.5 points; p < 0.01), with non-inferiority of agar-based models confirmed (p = 0.04). Procedure time improved by 135 ± 174 s (p < 0.01), with non-inferiority demonstrated for deep collection puncture test (p = 0.04). The number of punctures decreased by 0.6 ± 0.7 (p = 0.04) for this test, again with non-inferiority confirmed for agar phantoms (p = 0.02). Overall interest in IR was high (7.1 ± 2.2 /10), particularly for Level-1 procedures (8.6 ± 1.3/10). Students trained with agar models expressed high satisfaction, rating their support for using such models in educational settings at 8.9 ± 1.3/10. CONCLUSION: Low-cost homemade agar-based phantoms appeared to be non-inferior to commercial models for confidence improvement, but not for all performance outcomes in this small sample. However, they significantly improved trainees' performance during ultrasound-guided intervention training.
Source: European Journal of Radiology
Authors: Manuel Gargiulo, Cécile Di-Rocco, Julien Doche, Laure Boyer, Jérôme Soussan, Julien Frandon, Pauline Brige, Vincent Vidal, Farouk Tradi
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Interventionnelle Expérimentale, Centre Européen de Recherche en Imagerie Médicale, École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Université de Toulouse, Fédération de recherche ONERA – ENAC – ISAE-SUPAERO, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital Nord, Université de Montpellier, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes, Initial MAnagement and prevention of acute orGan failures IN critically ill patiEnts, Hôpital de la Timone
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,440
OpenAlex ID: W7161118593