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Construction and validation of an infant chest phantom for paediatric computed tomography
Seonaid Rodgers1,2, Janette Atkinson3, David Cryer3
1Department of Medical Technology and Physics, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia. Seonaid.rodgers@health.wa.gov.au.
Insights
Optimizing pediatric CT scans requires balancing image quality and radiation dose. A new infant chest phantom aids in achieving this balance for better pediatric imaging protocols.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiological Physics
- Pediatric Radiology
Background:
- Optimizing pediatric imaging protocols is crucial for balancing image quality and patient radiation dose.
- Minimizing radiation exposure in infants undergoing computed tomography (CT) is a significant concern in pediatric radiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, construct, and evaluate a pediatric chest phantom for optimizing infant chest CT examinations.
- To enable accurate dosimetry and image quality measurements within an anthropomorphic structure for infants aged 0-6 months.
Main Methods:
- Developed a pediatric chest phantom using tissue-equivalent materials mimicking infant thoracic structures.
- Validated phantom materials by comparing CT numbers across diagnostic tube voltages against clinical pediatric chest studies.
- Utilized the phantom to measure radiation dose and assess image quality parameters for pediatric-specific CT protocols.
Main Results:
- Phantom materials demonstrated equivalence to pediatric tissues across a range of diagnostic tube voltages.
- The phantom successfully facilitated radiation dose measurements and image quality evaluations for infant chest CT.
- Validated protocols can now be optimized for reduced radiation dose while maintaining diagnostic image quality.
Conclusions:
- The developed pediatric chest phantom is a valuable tool for optimizing radiation dose and image quality in infant CT examinations.
- This phantom enables precise measurements essential for establishing safer and more effective pediatric imaging protocols.
- Further research can utilize this phantom to refine protocols for various pediatric imaging applications.
Abstract:
Paediatric imaging protocols should be carefully optimised to maintain the desired image quality while minimising the delivered patient dose. A paediatric chest phantom was designed, constructed and evaluated to optimise chest CT examinations for infants. The phantom was designed to enable dosimetry and image quality measurements within the anthropomorphic structure. It was constructed using tissue equivalent materials to mimic thoracic structures of infants, aged 0-6 months. The phantom materials were validated across a range of diagnostic tube voltages with resulting CT numbers found equivalent to paediatric tissues observed via a survey of clinical paediatric chest studies. The phantom has been successfully used to measure radiation dose and evaluate various image quality parameters for paediatric specific protocols.
