Anthropomorphic optical phantom of the neonatal thorax: a key tool for pulmonary studies in preterm infants

Gas in scattering media absorption spectroscopy (GASMAS) is a technique for gas sensing in cavities surrounded by scattering materials. GASMAS could be translated to the clinic to monitor lung function continuously and noninvasively in neonates. Accurate tissue phantoms are essential to assess the strengths and limitations of gas spectroscopy in gas-containing cavities in the human body.

The aim is to develop a detailed protocol to produce a long-lasting, multistructure tissue phantom of the thorax of a neonate. The phantom mimics the geometry and the optical properties of the main organs of the thorax and has an empty pulmonary cavity that facilitates GASMAS monitoring of gas content.

The anatomic geometry of heart, lungs, bones, muscle, fat, and skin was obtained from a neonatal computed tomography scan. Once segmented, organs were 3D printed and used to create negative rubber molds. The entire thorax was built in phantom material (silicone as matrix, black ink as absorber, and silica microspheres as scatters) by placing all phantom organs inside the muscle structure. Our phantom recipe was customized by mixing specific ratios of ink and spheres to match the optical properties of the different organs that were consider to be homogeneous.

An anthropomorphic thorax phantom with the desired optical properties (μa and μs') at 760 nm was built and used to obtain "transdermal" GASMAS measurements of oxygen content within the lung cavity.

A protocol to build a robust optical phantom of the thorax of a neonate was used to conduct benchtop studies. This recipe can be implemented to reproduce the geometry and optical properties of any human or animal tissue.