• Austin R Faulkner, Austin C Bourgeois, Yong C Bradley, and Alexander S Pasciak.
• From the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, TN.
• Simul Healthc. 2015 Feb 1;10(1):54-8.

IntroductionThis report describes the creation process for an inexpensive, durable, lumbar spine phantom for use in fluoroscopically guided lumbar puncture (LP) training.MethodsThe LP phantom prototype was made from a polyvinyl chloride lumbar spine model embedded in a translucent rectangular block of commercially available thermoplastic polymer gel. Radiology residents with limited previous experience performing LP used the phantom for 20 simulated procedures to gain confidence before starting patient procedures. The residents completed surveys detailing their experiences with the phantom.ResultsQuantitative evaluation of the phantom using fluoroscopy and computed tomography suggested good physical agreement with human anatomy. Six board-certified radiologists viewed the phantom under live fluoroscopy and indicated that the phantom represented human anatomy with sufficient accuracy. Furthermore, surveys from resident trainees indicated that the thermoplastic tissue substitute simulated the texture and resistance of human soft tissue reasonably well for the purposes of clinical training. The total material cost of the LP phantom prototype was approximately US $148.00.ConclusionsThis novel spine phantom can be produced with relatively low cost when compared with similar commercially available products. The phantom offers reasonable visual and tactile agreement to human anatomy and may be useful for improving the confidence of physician trainees. The LP phantom is durable and can easily be repaired by reheating the polymer tissue substitute.

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