Figure 2

Stable stand. The tissue-mimicking phantom (a) was mounted in a stable stand (b) between the top (lid) and bottom of the mold in which it was cast (after removing the two sides). The lid was fixed to a horizontal bar by two metal pegs (b). The bottom was connected to a variable exciter (c) through a linking device. An ultrasound probe (d) was held in place by an adjustable clamp and good acoustic contact was assured by applying ultrasound gel at the contact area.