BACKGROUND: Ultrasonography use is increasing in emergency departments, and ultrasound education is now recommended in resident training. Ultrasound phantoms are used in many institutions for training purposes. The purpose of this study is to describe an inexpensive and simple method to create ultrasound-imaging models for the purpose of education and practice using clear ballistic gel. METHODS: Clear ballistic gel is used to simulate tissue for firing practice and other military evaluations. RESULTS: The transparent and durable ultrasound phantom we produced was clear and contained four vessel lumens. The images obtained using the phantom were of high quality and compared well to normal sonographic anatomy. CONCLUSIONS: The clear ballistic brand gel is unique because it is inexpensive, does not dry out, does not decay, is odorless, and is reusable. The ultrasound images obtained using the phantom are realistic and useful for ultrasound education.

Inguinal hernias affect 5% of children and are usually defined as a protrusion of intestine or omentum through abdominal wall or inguinal canal defects.[1] Inguinal hernias may contain structures other than bowel and unique cases have been documented since the early 1900's.[2–10] Ultrasound has been demonstrated to differentiate superficial swellings and has been used by radiologists to evaluate inguinal masses for decades.[1–5,11–13] Although the use of radiology-performed ultrasound for the diagnosis of congeni tal inguinal hernias containing ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes has been documented; the use of point-of-care ultrasound for the evaluation of the acute inguinal mass prior to reduction has not been demonstrated. Accurate identification by the emergency physician of the herniated structures may lead to earlier diagnosis, faster consultation, improve patient management, and superior patient outcomes.