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A 3D printed phantom to assess MRI geometric distortion
Prabhakar Ramachandran1,2, Christopher Noble1, Christian Langton3,4
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland, 4102, Australia.
Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express
|March 3, 2021
Summary
A custom 3D printed MRI phantom was developed to accurately assess geometric distortions in magnetic resonance imaging. This novel phantom ensures quality assurance for applications like radiotherapy planning, with minimal deviations from its design.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Quality Assurance
- 3D Printing Technology
Background:
- Geometric distortions in MRI introduce uncertainties in critical applications like radiotherapy planning.
- Comprehensive quality assurance programs are essential for MRI accuracy.
- Customized phantoms are needed to precisely evaluate these distortions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, fabricate, and image a custom 3D printed unibody MRI distortion phantom.
- To quantitatively analyze geometric distortions using the developed phantom.
- To assess the feasibility of 3D printed phantoms for MRI quality assurance.
Main Methods:
- A 3D lattice phantom was designed with precise rod spacing and dimensions.
- The phantom was 3D printed using Nylon-12 via selective laser sintering (SLS).
- CT scanning verified print integrity, followed by MRI scanning (3T PET-MR) with NiSO4 solution for distortion vector analysis using Python software.
Main Results:
- Fabrication deviations were minimal, with all node position deviations less than 1 mm (average 0.228 mm).
- Most deviations were smaller than the MRI pixel size (0.692 mm).
- The custom phantom successfully enabled quantitative assessment of MRI geometric distortions.
Conclusions:
- A custom 3D printed MRI phantom was successfully created and validated for assessing geometric distortions.
- 3D printed phantoms offer a viable solution for clinics needing to evaluate MRI geometric accuracy.
- Implementation requires dedicated resources for design, fabrication, commissioning, and verification.
