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A novel MRI-compatible brain ventricle phantom for validation of segmentation and volumetry methods
Amanda F Khan1, John J Drozd, Robert K Moreland
1Medical Biophysics, Medical Sciences Building, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Purpose:
To create a standardized, MRI-compatible, life-sized phantom of the brain ventricles to evaluate ventricle segmentation methods using T(1) -weighted MRI. An objective phantom is needed to test the many different segmentation programs currently used to measure ventricle volumes in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Materials And Methods:
A ventricle model was constructed from polycarbonate using a digital mesh of the ventricles created from the 3 Tesla (T) MRI of a subject with Alzheimer's disease. The ventricle was placed in a brain mold and surrounded with material composed of 2% agar in water, 0.01% NaCl and 0.0375 mM gadopentetate dimeglumine to match the signal intensity properties of brain tissue in 3T T(1) -weighted MRI. The 3T T(1) -weighted images of the phantom were acquired and ventricle segmentation software was used to measure ventricle volume.
Results:
The images acquired of the phantom successfully replicated in vivo signal intensity differences between the ventricle and surrounding tissue in T(1) -weighted images and were robust to segmentation. The ventricle volume was quantified to 99% accuracy at 1-mm voxel size.
Conclusion:
The phantom represents a simple, realistic and objective method to test the accuracy of lateral ventricle segmentation methods and we project it can be extended to other anatomical structures.
