Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025
3D Printing of Preclinical X-ray Computed Tomographic Data Sets
Published on: March 22, 2013
Comparative study of flexible 3D printing materials for clinical application as boluses in radiotherapy
M Lizondo1, Á Lorenzo1, N Adell-Gómez2
1Physics Unit, Consorci Sanitari Terrassa, Ctra. de Torrebonica s/n, 08227 Terrassa, Spain.
Purpose:
3D-printing is increasingly used in radiotherapy for precise bolus fabrication. While materials like ABS and PLA are common, flexible 3D-printing materials may better adapt to anatomical variations. However, a comprehensive evaluation of these flexible materials remains limited.
Methods:
A breast silicone phantom (Phantom) was designed based on a small-breast model and printed. To simulate treatment-related swelling, a second phantom with a 3 mm expansion (PhantomExp) was also created. A virtual bolus (0.5 mm thick) was designed and 3D-printed using twelve materials, including direct printing (ABS, PLA, TPU, MED610, Biomed Flex 80, Biomed Elastic 50, Elastic 50, Flexible 80, ElasticClear, AmSil silicone) and casting (Dragon-Skin 30 and Silbione silicones). Three tests were conducted: 1. Bolus Characterization: Printing cost and time, CT image analysis, and print fidelity were evaluated. 2. Adaptability Test: Air volume between the bolus and Phantom was measured using CT images, and compared to the air volume between the bolus and PhantomExp to assess adaptability. 3. Dosimetric Test: Film dosimetry was used to compare the planned and measured surface doses on the Phantom with each bolus.
Results:
Most of the materials achieve high printing accuracy (<0.3 mm). Air volume was greater with PhantomExp due to expansion, but silicone materials and BiomedElastic50 adapted well to the shape changes. Dosimetric differences were under 3 %, confirming that the bolus effect was achieved.
Conclusions:
Silicone-based options produced through casting are the most favourable when time constraints are not critical.
