The solution to the scattering of an incident pressure wave by an arrangement of eccentric cylinders embedded inside a pair of concentric cylinders is derived here using a combination of T -matrix and mode-matching approaches. This method allows the generation of synthetic data from relatively complex structures to be used for the validation of acoustic tomography methods. An application of the solution derived here is illustrated by reconstructing sound speed and density profiles from a complex phantom using inverse scattering. © 2010 Acoustical Society of America.