Ass.-Prof. Dr. Sepideh Hatamikia wrote a new paper in the Physica Medica journal
- Christof Lerner
- Jan 11, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 2, 2023
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Sepideh Hatamikia wrote a new paper in the Physica Medica journal (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/physica-medica) with the title ‘Realistic 3D printed CT imaging tumor phantoms for validation of image processing algorithms’.
Medical imaging phantoms are widely used for validation and verification of imaging systems and algorithms in surgical guidance and radiation oncology procedures. Especially, for the performance evaluation of new algorithms in the field of medical imaging, manufactured phantoms need to replicate specific properties of the human body, e.g., tissue morphology and radiological properties. Additive manufacturing (AM) technology provides an inexpensive opportunity for accurate anatomical replication with customization capabilities. In this research project, we proposed a simple and cheap protocol using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to manufacture realistic tumor phantoms based on the filament 3D printing technology. Tumor phantoms with both homogenous and heterogeneous radiodensity were fabricated. The radiodensity similarity between the printed tumor models and real tumor data from CT images of lung cancer patients was evaluated. A radiodensity range between −217 to 226 HUs was achieved for 3D printed phantoms using different filament materials; this range of radiation attenuation is also observed in the human lung tumor tissue. The 3D printed tumor phantoms also precisely replicated real lung tumor patient data regarding morphology and could also include life-like heterogeneity of the radiodensity inside the tumor models.