Reliability of attenuation measurements in CT of the lumbar spine: evaluation with an anthropomorphic phantom.

A phantom was constructed with the intention of simulating the clinical situation at examination of the spine. Artifacts from bony vertebral structures were analyzed and the uniformity in a body-shaped object was studied. Tests were carried out on eight CT scanners. A considerable variation in uniformity was found between the tested scanner models. The CT numbers within the spinal canal and in a region anterior to the spine were elevated for most of the scanners. The deviation varied considerably, however, between models.