Purpose or Case Report: There is no standardized evidence-based neonatal head ultrasound (HUS) training guidelines within the literature. Simulation models have previously shown to improve resident proficiency in performing ultrasound-guided procedures. We developed an ultrasound-compatible neonatal brain phantom from polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (Figure 1) with the relevant cross-sectional anatomy.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether resident performance in HUS improves with the use of this novel brain phantom training model.
Methods & Materials: In this retrospective blinded study, 10 junior diagnostic imaging residents, with at least one-year of general radiology training, performed HUS at the beginning of their pediatric radiology rotation. Each resident received a detailed protocol sheet and then passively observed an ultrasound technologist perform a complete HUS on a neonatal patient. All residents also receive routine teaching with our brain phantom model. There were two different groups. In Group A, five residents independently performed one HUS exam, subsequently received training using the phantom-simulation model, and then performed a post-training HUS exam. In Group B, five residents received phantom-simulation model training prior to their first HUS exam. Three experienced pediatric radiologists reviewed the ultrasound images of each HUS exam for proficiency of image-acquisition, using a validated scoring system, and blinded to each other’s results. Statistical analysis was performed using a paired two-way repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: Residents who initially trained with the phantom training model performed significantly better than those residents who did not (p=0.012). There was also a statistically significant improvement in performance when comparing the same residents pre and post-phantom training (p=0.004).
Conclusions: Our novel HUS phantom training model significantly improves radiology resident performance and appears to be beneficial in the radiology residency-training curriculum.