Abu Dhabi Intervention Practice (ADIP)-Agar: A Low-Cost Agar-Based Phantom for Ultrasound-Guided Intervention Training

Abstract

Ultrasound (US)-guided interventions are a core skill for radiologists and trainees; however, access to affordable, durable, and realistic training models remains limited. Animal tissue phantoms such as chicken breast are messy, perishable, and culturally unacceptable to many learners. Commercial phantoms are expensive and often inaccessible in low-resource regions. We describe the ADIP–Agar (Abu Dhabi Intervention Practice Agar) phantom—a low-cost, reproducible, vegetarian-friendly model prepared from agar–agar. As the agar–agar model was developed, refined, and repeatedly tested over several years in Abu Dhabi, we designated it the ADIP–Agar. Over 6 years of hands-on interventional US workshops in Abu Dhabi, trainees consistently expressed overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 97% preferring agar-based phantoms over chicken breast models. ADIP–Agar enables layered construction, stable embedded targets, realistic echotexture, and excellent durability when refrigerated. Its simplicity, reusability, and trainee endorsement make it a practical training tool for basic and intermediate US-guided procedures.

Keywords

ultrasound - interventional - radiology - phantoms - imaging - models - educational - training

Data Availability Statement

Data are available to share on request.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 February 2026

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