A novel phantom for teaching and learning ultrasound-guided needle manipulation

Training in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia can be acquired by attending peripheral nerve block courses. The most common novice error is "advancement of needle when tip was not visualized." The use of simulation has shown improvement in the skill and success of ultrasound-guided procedures. Phantoms provide a simple tool that aid in the improvement of such skills. We describe a gelatin-based phantom that can be easily constructed and used to identify novice errors and facilitate in learning relevant skills. The phantom can be transilluminated to identify the target and is helpful in providing real-time, immediate feedback to novices as they practice probe-needle-target orientation.