Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology and 3D Innovation Lab, VU University Medical Center, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Med Phys. 2018 Jan;45(1):92-100. doi: 10.1002/mp.12644. Epub 2017 Nov 19.
Imaging phantoms are widely used for testing and optimization of imaging devices without the need to expose humans to irradiation. However, commercially available phantoms are commonly manufactured in simple, generic forms and sizes and therefore do not resemble the clinical situation for many patients.
Using 3D printing techniques, we created a life-size phantom based on a clinical CT scan of the thorax from a patient with lung cancer. It was assembled from bony structures printed in gypsum, lung structures consisting of airways, blood vessels >1 mm, and outer lung surface, three lung tumors printed in nylon, and soft tissues represented by silicone (poured into a 3D-printed mold).
Kilovoltage x-ray and CT images of the phantom closely resemble those of the real patient in terms of size, shapes, and structures. Surface comparison using 3D models obtained from the phantom and the 3D models used for printing showed mean differences <1 mm for all structures. Tensile tests of the materials used for the phantom show that the phantom is able to endure radiation doses over 24,000 Gy.
It is feasible to create an anthropomorphic thorax phantom using 3D printing and molding techniques. The phantom closely resembles a real patient in terms of spatial accuracy and is currently being used to evaluate x-ray-based imaging quality and positional verification techniques for radiotherapy.
成像体模广泛用于测试和优化成像设备，而无需将人体暴露于辐射下。然而，市售的体模通常以简单、通用的形式和尺寸制造，因此不适合许多患者的临床情况。
我们使用 3D 打印技术，根据一位肺癌患者的临床胸部 CT 扫描创建了一个真人大小的体模。它由石膏打印的骨骼结构、气道、>1 毫米的血管和外肺表面组成的肺结构、三个用尼龙打印的肺肿瘤以及用硅酮（倒入 3D 打印模具）表示的软组织组成。
体模的千伏 X 射线和 CT 图像在大小、形状和结构方面与真实患者非常相似。使用体模和用于打印的 3D 模型获得的表面比较显示，所有结构的平均差异<1 毫米。对体模所用材料的拉伸测试表明，体模能够承受超过 24000Gy 的辐射剂量。
使用 3D 打印和成型技术创建拟人化的胸部体模是可行的。体模在空间准确性方面与真实患者非常相似，目前正在用于评估基于 X 射线的成像质量和放射治疗的位置验证技术。
