Determination of total mass attenuation coefficients and half-value layer, for low energies, of five fotopolymers designed for high-quality 3D printing for the manufacture of an anthropomorphic breast phantom specific for the tomosynthesis technique

L. A. Castelo e Silva; C. R. E. Silva; M. S. Nogueira

doi:10.1117/12.2564351

22 May 2020 Determination of total mass attenuation coefficients and half-value layer, for low energies, of five fotopolymers designed for high-quality 3D printing for the manufacture of an anthropomorphic breast phantom specific for the tomosynthesis technique

L. A. Castelo e Silva, C. R. E. Silva, M. S. Nogueira

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11513, 15th International Workshop on Breast Imaging (IWBI2020); 115131O (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2564351
Event: Fifteenth International Workshop on Breast Imaging, 2020, Leuven, Belgium

Abstract

The use of phantoms is the most appropriate way to guarantee a control and quality assurance program for images formed from the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter. However, the existence of anthropomorphic phantoms for the evaluation of images obtained through the breast tomosynthesis technique are scarce, do not meet all the needs of a quality control program and are difficult to obtain, mainly due to the way they should be made and the availability of materials capable of simulating structures typical of human tissues. This paper analyzes the possibility of using commercially available photopolymers to be used in high-quality 3D printers for the production of an anthropomorphic breast phantom, with structures similar to the skin, blood, adipose tissue, and gland tissue that meet the peculiarities of tomosynthesis exams. We investigated five photopolymers already printed in the form of solid parallelepipeds, each with four different thicknesses, concerning their mass attenuation coefficients and their half-value layer. Two of the five samples interacted with x-rays in the same way as x-rays interact with adipose and glandular tissues, suggesting that they are apt to be readily used to simulate such tissues. We suggest investigating other photopolymers, printing a full-scale phantom, and partnering with researchers and developers of 3D printing supplies as a way to achieve a new and improved class of anthropomorphic phantoms.

Citation Download Citation

L. A. Castelo e Silva, C. R. E. Silva, and M. S. Nogueira "Determination of total mass attenuation coefficients and half-value layer, for low energies, of five fotopolymers designed for high-quality 3D printing for the manufacture of an anthropomorphic breast phantom specific for the tomosynthesis technique", Proc. SPIE 11513, 15th International Workshop on Breast Imaging (IWBI2020), 115131O (22 May 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2564351

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available