• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.595-602
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• 2018

Quality control (QC) of Computed Tomography (CT) devices is based on image quality measurement on AAPM CT phantom which is a standard phantom. Although it is possible to control the accuracy of the CT apparatus, it is expensive and has a disadvantage of low penetration rate. Therefore, in this study, we make image quality measurement phantom at low cost using FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) type three-dimensional printer and try to analyze the usefulness, compare it with existing standard phantom. To print a phantom, We used three-dimensional printer of the FFF system and PLA (Poly Lactic Acid, density: $1.24g/cm^3$) filament, and the CT device of 64 MDCT (Aquilion CX, Toshiba, Japan). In addition, we printed a phantom using three-dimensional printer after design using various tool based on existing standard phantom. For image quality evaluation, AAPM CT phantom and self-generated phantom were measured 10 times for each block. The measured data were analyzed for significance using the Mannwhiteney U-test of SPSS (Version 22.0, SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). As a result of the analysis, phantom fabricated with three-dimensional printer and standard phantom showed no significant difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, we confirmed that image quality measurement performance of a phantom using three-dimensional printer is similar to the existing standard phantom. In conclusion, we confirmed the possibility of low cost phantom fabrication using three dimensional printer.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2015

The egg white phantom is a thermal lesion visualization phantom able to illustrate a thermal lesion. It is often used to evaluate the performance of HIFU and is less expensive than the BSA phantom. This study determined the optimal phantom composition for evaluated therapeutic ultrasound machines by varying the egg white concentration in the egg white phantom and demonstrated its utility as a therapeutic ultrasound phantom. The egg white phantom at varying egg white concentrations (10-40% in 10% intervals) was fabricated, and its thermal properties and acoustic properties were assessed. In addition, the size and shape of the formed lesion were compared between the egg white phantom and bovine liver tissue according to the electrical power. The results showed that 30% egg white phantom was optimal for the performance evaluation due to its thermal and acoustic properties. The generated thermal lesions formed sequentially as a cigar, ellipse, tadpole, and cone shapes according to the electrical power; a similar tendency was observed in the liver tissue. Hence, we conclude that the egg white phantom will prove useful in quantitatively evaluating the thermal effects of therapeutic ultrasound.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2004

In-phantom neutron flux distribution is measured at the HANARO BNCT irradiation facility. The measurements are performed with Au foil and wires. The thermal neutron flux and Cd ratio obtained at the HANARO BNCT facility are $1.19{\times}10^9\;n/cm^{2}s$ and 152, respectively, at 24 MW reactor power. The measured in-phantom neutron flux has a maximum value at a depth of 3 mm in the phantom and then decreases rapidly. The maximum flux is about $25\%$ larger than that of the phantom surface, and the measured value at a depth of 22 mm in the phantom is about a half of the maximum value. In addition, the neutron beam is limited well within the aperture of the neutron collimator. The two-dimensional in-phantom neutron flux distribution is determined. Significant neutron irradiation is observed within 20 mm from the phantom surface. The measured neutron flux distribution can be utilized in irradiation planning for a patient.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2021

3D printing technology is an additive manufacturing technology produced through 3D scanning or modeling method. This technology can be produced in a short time without mold, which has recently been applied in earnest in various fields. In the medical field, 3D printing technology is used in various fields of radiology and radiation therapy, but related research is insufficient in the field of nuclear medicine. In this study, we compare the characteristics of traditional nuclear medicine phantom with 3D printing technology and evaluate its applicability in clinical trials. We manufactured the same size phantom of poly methyl meta acrylate(PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) based on the aluminum step wedge. We used BrightView XCT(Philips Health Care, Cleveland, USA) SPECT/CT. We acquired 60 min list mode for Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantoms using Rectangular Flood Phantom (Biodex, New York, USA) ^99mTcO₄ 3 mCi(111 MBq), 6 mCi (222MBq) and ⁵⁷Co Flood phantom(adq, New Hampshire, USA). For the analysis of acquired images, the region of interest(ROI) were drawn and evaluated step by step for each phantom. Depending on the type of radioisotope and radiation dose, the counts of the ABS phantom was similar to that of the PMMA phantom. And as the step thickness increased, the counts decreased linearly. When comparing the linear attenuation coefficient of Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantom, the linear attenuation coefficient of the aluminium phantom was higher than that of the others, and the PMMA and ABS phantom had similar the linear attenuation coefficient. Based on ABS phantom manufactured by 3D printing technology, as the thickness of the PMMA phantom increased, the counts and linear attenuation coefficient decreased linearly. It has been confirmed that ABS phantom is applicable in the clinical field of nuclear medicine. If the calibration factor is applied through further research, it is believed that practical application will be possible.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2007

Phantoms are very necessary for quality assurance of radio nuclides imaging systems to maintain standards and to ensure reproducibility of test. General quality assurance and instrument quality control are essential in every hospital. The human tissue equivalent materials are aluminum, areryl, water and epoxy..etc. It is very important to select optimum equivalant materials for a phantoms in QC. Especially, paraffin is very similar with human soft tissue in X or Gamma-ray physical characteristics and easy to buy with economically. We made a paraffin thyroid phantom and compare with thyroid areryl phantom, also used commercially in practice. Two small size cold spots(3 and 6 mm diameter) and a hot spot(3 mm diameter) embeded in paraffin phantom. And imaged with $^{99m}TcO_4$ by camera for analysis about spatial resolution and noise at the hot and cold spots. We got some results as below : 1. No difference in counting rate and noise between both arcryl and paraffin thyroid phantoms. 2. The best spatial resolution can be seen 6 cm distance between pinhole collimator and thyroid phantoms(arcryl and paraffin). 3. More optimal spatial resolution could acquired in paraffin thyroid phantom. Paraffin is very similar with human soft tissue in atomic number, density and relative absorbtion function, and can be shaped easily what we wanted. So we can recommendation paraffin as quality assurance phantom because its usefulness, economical benefit and purchasability.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.224-231
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• 2016

The usefulness of Gel Bolus phantom was investigated by comparing the temperature distribution characteristic of the agar phantom produced to investigate the dose distribution characteristic of radiofrequency hyperthermia device with that of the Gel Bolus phantom under conditions similar to those of an agar phantom that can continuously carry out temperature measurement. The temperatures of the agar phantom and the Gel Bolus phantom were raised to $36.5{\pm}3^{\circ}C$ and a temperature sensing was inserted at depths of 5, 10, and 15 cm from the phantom central axis. The temperature increase rate and the coefficient of determination were analyzed while applying output powers of 100 W and 150 W, respectively, at intervals of 1 min for 60 min under conditions where the indoor temperature was in the range $24.5{\sim}27.5^{\circ}C$, humidity was 35~40%, internal cooling temperature of the electrode was $20^{\circ}C$, size of the upper electrode was 250 mm, and the size of the lower electrode was 250 mm. The coefficients of determination of 150 W output power at the depth point of 5 cm from the central axis of the phantom were analyzed to be 0.9946 and 0.9926 in the agar and Gel Bolus phantoms, respectively; moreover, the temperature change equation of the agar and Gel Bolus phantoms with time can be expressed as follows in the state the phantom temperature is raised to $36^{\circ}C:Y(G)$ is equation of Gel Bolus phantoms (in 5 cm depth) applying output power of 150 W. Y(G)=0.157X+36. It can be seen that if the temperature is measured in this case, the Gel Bolus phantom value can be converted to the measured value of the agar phantom. As a result of comparing the temperature distribution characteristics of the agar phantom of a human-body-equivalent material with those of the Gel Bolus phantom that can be continuously used, the usefulness of Gel Bolus phantom was exhibited.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2935-2940
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• 2023

A polystyrene phantom was developed following the guidance of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) for gamma knife (GK) quality assurance. Its performance was assessed by measuring the absorbed dose rate to water and dose distributions. The phantom was made of polystyrene, which has an electron density (1.0156) similar to that of water. The phantom included one outer phantom and four inner phantoms. Two inner phantoms held PTW T31010 and Exradin A16 ion chambers. One inner phantom held a film in the XY plane of the Leksell coordinate system, and another inner phantom held a film in the YZ or ZX planes. The absorbed dose rate to water and beam profiles of the machine-specific reference (msr) field, namely, the 16 mm collimator field of a GK Perfexion^TM or Icon^TM, were measured at seven GK sites. The measured results were compared to those of an IAEA-recommended solid water (SW) phantom. The radius of the polystyrene phantom was determined to be 7.88 cm by converting the electron density of the plastic, considering a water depth of 8 g/cm². The absorbed dose rates to water measured in both phantoms differed from the treatment planning program by less than 1.1%. Before msr correction, the PTW T31010 dose rates (PTW Freiberg GmbH, New York, NY, USA) in the polystyrene phantom were 0.70 (0.29)% higher on average than those in the SW phantom. The Exradin A16 (Standard Imaging, Middleton, WI, USA) dose rates were 0.76 (0.32)% higher in the polystyrene phantom. After msr correction factors were applied, there were no statistically significant differences in the A16 dose rates measured in the two phantoms; however, the T31010 dose rates were 0.72 (0.29)% higher in the polystyrene phantom. When the full widths at half maximum and penumbras of the msr field were compared, no significant differences between the two phantoms were observed, except for the penumbra in the Y-axis. However, the difference in the penumbra was smaller than variations among different sites. A polystyrene phantom developed for gamma knife dosimetry showed dosimetric performance comparable to that of a commercial SW phantom. In addition to its cost effectiveness, the polystyrene phantom removes air space around the detector. Additional simulations of the msr correction factors of the polystyrene phantom should be performed.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2019

In the field of nuclear medicine, the various static phantoms of international standards are used to assess the performance of the nuclear medicine equipment. However, we only reproduced a fixed situation in spite of the movement of the cardiac, and the demands for dynamic situations have been continuously raised. More research is necessary to address these challenges. This study used flexible materials to design the dynamic cardiac phantom, taking into account the various clinical situations. It also intended to reproduce the images through dynamic cardiac flow to confirm the usefulness of the proposed technique. The frame of dynamic cardiac phantom was produced based on the international standard phantom. A nuclear medicine dynamic cardiac phantom was produced rubber material and silicone implemented by 3D printing technique to reproduce endocardium and epicardium movement. Therefore we compared and evaluated the image of a cardiac phantom made of rubber material and a cardiac phantom made of silicone material by 3D printing technique. According to the results of this study, the analysis of the Summed Rest Score(SRS) showed abnormalities in the image of a cardiac phantom made of rubber material at 10, 20, and 30 stroke rates, but the image of a cardiac phantom made of silicone material by 3D printing technique showed normal levels. And the analysis of the Total Perfusion Deficit(TPD) showed that TPD in the image of a cardiac phantom made of rubber material was higher than that of the image of a cardiac phantom made of silicone material by 3D printing technique at 10, 20, and 30 stroke rates. The potential for clinical application of the proposed method was confirmed in the dynamic cardiac phantom implemented with 3D printing technique. It is believed that the objective information secures the reliability of inspection equipment and it contributes to improve the diagnostic value of nuclear medicine.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2015

This research was study the accuracy of three-dimensional stereotactic breast biopsy, using a core Needle Biopsy and to assess the accuracy of Stereotactic biopsy and Sono guided biopsy. Using Stereotactic QC phantom to measure the accuracy of the 3D sterotactic machine. CT Scan and equipment obtained in the measured X, Y, Z and compares the accuracy of the length. Using Agar power phantom compare the accuracy of the 3D sterotactic machine and 2D ultrasound machine. Z axis measured by the equipment to compare the accuracy and reliability. Check the accuracy by using visual inspection and Specimen Medical application phantom. The accuracy of the 3D sterotactic machine measured by Stereotactic QC phantom was 100%. Accuracy as compared to CT, all of X, Y, Z axis is p > 0.05. The accuracy of the two devices was 100% as measured by Agar powder phantom. There was no difference between t he t wo d evices as C T and p > 0.05. 3D sterotactic machine of the ICC was 0.954, 2D ultrasound machine was 0.785. 2D ultrasound machine was different according to the inspector. Medical application phantom experiments in 3D sterotactic machine could not find the Sliced boneless ham. 2D ultrasound machine has not been able to find a small chalk powder group. The reproducibility of the three-dimensional stereotactic breast biopsy was better than effect of Sono guided biopsy.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.607-614
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• 2016

The study investigates the necessity of 3 dimensional dose distribution evaluation instead of point dose and 2 dimensional dose distribution evaluation. Treatment plans were generated on the RANDO phantom to measure the precise dose distribution of the treatment site 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 cm with the prescribed dose; 1,200 cGy, 5 fractions. Gamma analysis (3%/3 mm, 2%/2 mm) of dose distribution was evaluated with gafchromic EBT2 film and ArcCHECK phantom. The average error of absolute dose was measured at $0.76{\pm}0.59%$ and $1.37{\pm}0.76%$ in cheese phantom and ArcCHECK phantom respectively. The average passing ratio for 3%/3 mm were $97.72{\pm}0.02%$ and $99.26{\pm}0.01%$ in gafchromic EBT2 film and ArcCHECK phantom respectively. The average passing ratio for 2%/2 mm were $94.21{\pm}0.02%$ and $93.02{\pm}0.01%$ in gafchromic EBT2 film and ArcCHECK phantom respectively. There was a more accurate dose distribution of 3D volume phantom than cheese phantom in patients DQA using tomotherapy. Therefor it should be evaluated simultaneously 3 dimensional dose evaluation on target and peripheral area in rotational radiotherapy such as tomotherapy.