Development of a flexible liver phantom for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment planning: a useful tool for training & education.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of liver cancer that could potentially be surrounded by healthy arteries or veins that a surgeon would have to avoid during treatment. A realistic 3D liver model is an unmet need for HCC preoperative planning.

Methods: This paper presents a method to create a soft phantom model of the human liver with the help of a 3D-printed mold, silicone, ballistic gel, and a blender.