Development and usability evaluation of solid type ultrasound transmission medium

The transmission medium of solid balm was manufactured by mixing ultrasonic gel, and its usefulness was evaluated and compared with that of gel, which is the conventional ultrasonic water-soluble transmission medium. The mixing ratio of ultrasonic gel and candelilla wax was divided by six and then solidified to measure the ideal hardness. A multipurpose ultrasound phantom was used to induce solidification 30 times in each case of ultrasonic gel, balm, and no transmission medium. Each average gray level was measured using the acquired images with the ImageJ program. Moreover, a 5-point Likert scale survey was conducted regarding the degrees of convenience and discomfort caused by ultrasound gel and ultrasound balm. The result showed that the ideal mixture ratio of ultrasonic gel and candelilla wax was 10 : 1. The mean satisfaction with ultrasound balm was statistically significant and slightly higher (3.66) than that with ultrasound gel (2.50). The results of the convenience evaluation were 2.62 and 3.66 for ultrasound balm and ultrasound gel, respectively, which showed that the convenience of ultrasound balm was slightly higher and statistically signifcant. In terms of the replaceability of ultrasonic balm, the mean value was 3.90, implying that it is worth consideration and is statistically significant. As a new solid ultrasonic transmission medium, the solid balm is considered to be a new effective formula that can substitute the disadvantaged conventional water-soluble gel