Development of Improved Liver Steatosis Phantoms for Accurate Histopathologic Representation and Multimodal Imaging

Stable oil microparticles with diameters matching hepatocyte lipid vacuoles (20-50 µm) were successfully encapsulated within alginate particles (1-2 mm) and embedded in an agar-based matrix, yielding lobule-like liver phantoms that replicate both microscopic and macroscopic tissue heterogeneity in macrovesicular steatosis. Phantoms prepared with and without lipid inclusions (0% and 20% fat) demonstrated liver-like appearance on B-mode ultrasound imaging. Perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB) microparticles was incorporated into both the alginate capsules and the surrounding agar matrix to achieve desired acoustic impedance and MR and CT properties, enhancing the multimodal imaging realism of the models. In the future, the resulting phantoms simulating the structural and compositional variability of hepatic tissue will enable controlled investigation of how lipid distribution and particle size influence ultrasound imaging biomarkers, MRI fat quantification and CT.