Applicability of Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) for Three-Dimensional Printing of Tissue-Equivalent Samples

Several crucial and impactful three-dimensional (3D) printing applications have been developed within a broad range of fields. Among these, revolutionary changes in health care are highly anticipated. The use of 3D printing in medical applications indicates significant promise in terms of medical device personalization, drug delivery, and economical efficiency. However, despite recent significant advances in medicine inspired by 3D printing, scientific challenges and regulatory subtleties remain. This study considers additive technology application in radiotherapy. One of the main requirements for 3D-printed samples' use in radiotherapy is the tissue equivalence of the sample material. In this study, selected parameters of 3D-printed samples made of poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (SBS plastic) are obtained, that is, effective atomic number, mass and electron density, and Hounsfield units. The obtained parameters are compared with corresponding values for human tissue and organs. Experimental results demonstrate the tissue equivalency of the considered samples, which can be used in different applications in medical physics and radiotherapy. The obtained results have significant importance for the development, design, and production of samples for medical applications using 3D printing.