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Development of MRI phantom equivalent to human tissues for 3.0‐T MRI

2013; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1118/1.4790023

2473-4209

Kengo Hattori, Yusuke Ikemoto, Wataru Takao, Seiichiro Ohno, Takashi Harimoto, Susumu Kanazawa, Masataka Oita, Koichi Shibuya, Masahiro Kuroda, Hirokazu Kato,

Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography

Purpose: A 3.0‐T MRI phantom (called the CAGN‐3.0T phantom) having human‐equivalent relaxation times and human‐equivalent conductivity was developed. Methods: The ingredients of the phantom are carrageenan (as a gelatinizer), agarose (as a T 2 ‐relaxation modifier), GdCl 3 (as a T 1 ‐relaxation modifier), NaCl (as a conductivity modifier), and NaN 3 (as an antiseptic). Numerous samples with varying concentrations of agarose, GdCl 3 , and NaCl were prepared, and T 1 and T 2 values were measured using 3.0‐T MRI. Results: The T 1 values of the CAGN‐3.0T phantom were unaffected by NaCl, while the T 2 values were only slightly affected. Based on the measured data, empirical formulae were devised to express the relationships between the concentrations of agarose, GdCl 3 , and NaCl and the relaxation times. The formula for expressing the conductivity of the CAGN‐3.0T phantom was obtained. Conclusions: By adjustments to the concentrations of agarose, GdCl 3 , and NaCl, the relaxation times and conductivity of almost all types of human tissues can be simulated by CAGN‐3.0T phantoms. The phantoms have T 1 values of 395–2601 ms, T 2 values of 29–334 ms, and conductivity of 0.27–1.26 S/m when concentrations of agarose, GdCl 3 , and NaCl are varied from 0 to 2.0 w/w%, 0 to 180 μ mol/kg, and 0 to 0.7 w/w%, respectively. The CAGN‐3.0T phantom has sufficient strength to replicate the torso without using reinforcing agents, and can be cut with a knife into any shape.