Creating thoracic phantoms for diagnostic and procedural ultrasound training.

The use of pleural and lung ultrasound is being performed increasingly by respiratory and critical care clinicians around the world. This article describes how to create cheap and reliable lung and pleural phantoms for teaching. The phantoms described replicate the appearance of normal ventilating lung, pneumothorax (including the contact or lung point), pulmonary oedema, pleural effusion and empyema. The pleural effusion phantom can be used to teach procedural ultrasound (pleurocentesis).