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Published on: September 11, 2011
The development of a population of 4D pediatric XCAT phantoms for imaging research and optimization
W P Segars1, Hannah Norris1, Gregory M Sturgeon1
1Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705.
Insights
This study created 64 detailed 4D pediatric extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantoms, representing diverse ages and body types. These advanced computational models enhance pediatric imaging protocol optimization and dose reduction.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Computational Anatomy
- Radiological Physics
Background:
- Previous development of detailed 4D pediatric extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantoms at specific ages.
- Need for a broader range of pediatric phantoms representing diverse populations for imaging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend the existing reference set of pediatric XCAT phantoms to include 64 models of varying age, height, and body mass.
- To create a comprehensive library of pediatric phantoms for optimizing imaging protocols.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution PET-CT data, reviewed for anatomical accuracy by a radiologist.
- Employed manual and semi-automatic segmentation with NURBS surfaces to create target models.
- Applied large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping to adapt reference phantoms to patient-specific data, incorporating cardiac and respiratory motion.
Main Results:
- Generated 64 new pediatric phantoms with high anatomical detail and parameterized cardiac/respiratory motion models.
- Included dual reproductive organ sets for phantoms aged 10 years and younger, enabling simulation of both male and female anatomy.
- Observed significant anatomical variation in organ shape and size across phantoms, even for those of the same age and sex.
Conclusions:
- Developed a large cohort of highly detailed 4D pediatric phantoms with variations in age, height, and body mass.
- These phantoms serve as a crucial tool for optimizing 3D and 4D pediatric imaging devices and techniques.
- The phantoms aid in improving image quality and reducing radiation-absorbed dose in pediatric imaging.
Purpose:
We previously developed a set of highly detailed 4D reference pediatric extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantoms at ages of newborn, 1, 5, 10, and 15 yr with organ and tissue masses matched to ICRP Publication 89 values. In this work, we extended this reference set to a series of 64 pediatric phantoms of varying age and height and body mass percentiles representative of the public at large. The models will provide a library of pediatric phantoms for optimizing pediatric imaging protocols.
Methods:
High resolution positron emission tomography-computed tomography data obtained from the Duke University database were reviewed by a practicing experienced radiologist for anatomic regularity. The CT portion of the data was then segmented with manual and semiautomatic methods to form a target model defined using nonuniform rational B-spline surfaces. A multichannel large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping algorithm was used to calculate the transform from the best age matching pediatric XCAT reference phantom to the patient target. The transform was used to complete the target, filling in the nonsegmented structures and defining models for the cardiac and respiratory motions. The complete phantoms, consisting of thousands of structures, were then manually inspected for anatomical accuracy. The mass for each major tissue was calculated and compared to linearly interpolated ICRP values for different ages.
Results:
Sixty four new pediatric phantoms were created in this manner. Each model contains the same level of detail as the original XCAT reference phantoms and also includes parameterized models for the cardiac and respiratory motions. For the phantoms that were 10 yr old and younger, we included both sets of reproductive organs. This gave them the capability to simulate both male and female anatomy. With this, the population can be expanded to 92. Wide anatomical variation was clearly seen amongst the phantom models, both in organ shape and size, even for models of the same age and sex. The phantoms can be combined with existing simulation packages to generate realistic pediatric imaging data from different modalities.
Conclusions:
This work provides a large cohort of highly detailed pediatric phantoms with 4D capabilities of varying age, height, and body mass. The population of phantoms will provide a vital tool with which to optimize 3D and 4D pediatric imaging devices and techniques in terms of image quality and radiation-absorbed dose.
