Dynamic Hepatocellular Carcinoma Model Within a Liver Phantom for Multimodality Imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Oncology

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent global cancer.
• Early detection is crucial for effective HCC treatment.
• Current imaging techniques require advanced models for evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a dynamic liver phantom mimicking HCC.
• To evaluate multimodality imaging techniques for HCC detection.
• To enhance early-stage HCC diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• A liver phantom was constructed using agarose and wax for parenchyma, and polyurethane with glycerol for HCC inserts.
• Three HCC samples were embedded within the liver parenchyma.
• The phantom was imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound, with contrast material injection.

Main Results:

• All three imaging modalities (MRI, CT, ultrasound) clearly distinguished HCC samples from liver parenchyma.
• Doppler ultrasound successfully visualized blood flow patterns within the HCC samples.
• The fabricated phantom demonstrated the potential for dynamic HCC simulation.

Conclusions:

• A multimodal dynamic liver phantom incorporating HCC models was successfully fabricated.
• This phantom serves as a valuable tool for developing and refining HCC detection methods.
• The study highlights the phantom's utility in improving early-stage cancer diagnosis.