Carrageenan powder

A TMM wall-less phantom of the CCA was prepared with a lumen diameter of 8.0 mm, as described by Ammar et al.^{(24 )}. The TMM composition was made up of 84% w/w distilled water, 0.53% w/w of silicon carbide (Logitec, Glasgow, UK), 0.96% w/w of aluminum oxide, 3.0 μm size (Sigma Aldrich, Germany), 0.89% w/w of aluminum oxide, 0.3 μm size (Sigma Aldrich, Germany), 0.92% w/w of gelatin (gel strength 300, Type A, Sigma Aldrich, Germany), 1.5% w/w of konjac powder (dietary supplement, NOVA Nutritions, Scotch Plains, New Jersey USA), 1.5% w/w of carrageenan powder (Sigma Aldrich, Germany), 0.7% w/w of potassium chloride (Sigma Aldrich, Germany), and 9.0% w/w of glycerol (Vetec^TM reagent grade, Sigma Aldrich, Germany). About 5 cm³ of benzalkonium chloride solution was added to 2 liters of the TMM as an anti-fungal agent. The prepared TMM was cast inside a plastic (acrylic) rectangular box with a straight metal rod placed horizontally inside at a depth of 15 mm. When the TMM had cooled to about 40°C, the metal rod was removed gradually to provide a lumen which was attached to rubber tubes for connection to a pump.