Liquid living body phantom and method of making the same
View Patent ↗A living body phantom according to the present invention, which is used as a testing sample in a prepared slide in estimating the performance of a microscope objective lens with the image of the testing sample in the prepared slide acquired by an imaging means via the microscope objective lens and with optical characteristics obtained from the image of the testing sample, includes a non-gel-like solution at least including: a solvent which at least includes water, a refractive index adjustment agent, and a scattering body or which at least includes a refractive index adjustment agent and a scattering body; and a thickener.
1. A liquid living body phantom, which is used as a testing sample in a prepared slide in estimating performance of a microscope objective lens with an image of the testing sample in the prepared slide acquired by an imaging means via the microscope objective lens and with optical characteristics obtained from the image of the testing sample, comprising a non-gel solution having a viscosity,
the non-gel solution at least including:
a solvent that at least includes water, a refractive index adjustment agent, and scattering bodies or a solvent that at least includes a refractive index adjustment agent and scattering bodies; and
a thickener,
wherein an added amount of the thickener is a predetermined amount such that a proportion of a mass of the thickener to a mass of the solvent is in a range from 0.5% to 3%.
2. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the non-gel solution is in a ranqe from 40 mPa·s to 300 mPa·s at a temperature of 20° C.
3. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the non-gel solution is in a ranqe from 50 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s at a temperature of 20° C.
4. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid living body phantom further includes a fluorescent substance.
5. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 4 , wherein the fluorescent substance includes fluorescent microspheres.
6. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 5 , wherein each of the fluorescent microspheres has the same particle diameter and the same shape as each of the scattering bodies does.
7. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein, with respect to at least one of optical characteristics that include a refractive index, a scattering coefficient, an absorption coefficient, and an anisotropic scattering parameter, an optical characteristic quantity of the living body phantom is equivalent to an optical characteristic quantity of a living body.
8. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein the scattering bodies are sphere-shaped particles.
9. The liquid living body phantom according to claim 1 , wherein a particle diameter of each of the scattering bodies is in a range of 100 nm to 10 μm.
10. A method of making a liquid living body phantom comprising:
a first step of making a solvent by uniformly mixing water, a refractive index adjustment agent, and scattering bodies with one another or by uniformly mixing a refractive index adjustment agent and scattering bodies with each other, and
a second step of making a non-gel solution that has a viscosity in a range from 40 mPa·s to 300 mPa·s at a temperature of 20° C., by adding a predetermined amount of a thickener to the solvent made in the first step in such a way that a proportion of a mass of the thickener to a mass of the solvent is in a range from 0.5% to 3%.
11. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 10 , wherein the non-gel solution is made to have a viscosity in a range from 50 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s at a temperature of 20° C. in the second step.
12. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein a fluorescent substance is uniformly mixed with the water, the refractive index adjustment agent, and the scattering bodies or with the refractive index adjustment agent and the scattering bodies in the first step.
13. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 12 , wherein the fluorescent substance includes fluorescent microspheres.
14. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 13 , wherein each of the fluorescent microspheres has the same particle diameter and the same shape as each of the scattering bodies does.
15. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 10 , wherein the scattering bodies are sphere-shaped particles.
16. The method of making a liquid living body phantom according to claim 10 , wherein a particle diameter of each of the scattering bodies is in a range from 100 nm to 10 μm.