Bliznakova Kristina, Kolev Iliyan, Dukov Nikolay, Dimova Tanya, Bliznakov Zhivko
Department of Medical Equipment Electronic and Information Technologies in Healthcare, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria.
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria.
Materials (Basel). 2024 Apr 27;17(9):2059. doi: 10.3390/ma17092059.
Contrast-enhanced mammography is one of the new emerging imaging techniques used for detecting breast tissue lesions. Optimization of imaging protocols and reconstruction techniques for this modality, however, requires the involvement of physical phantoms. Their development is related to the use of radiocontrast agents. This study assesses the X-ray properties of a novel contrast material in clinical settings. This material is intended for experimental use with physical phantoms, offering an alternative to commonly available radiocontrast agents.
The water-soluble sodium salt of the newly synthesized diiodine-substituted natural eudesmic acid, Sodium 2,6-DiIodo-3,4,5-TriMethoxyBenzoate [NaDITMB], has been investigated with respect to one of the most commonly applied radiocontrast medium in medical practice-Omnipaque. For this purpose, simulation and experimental studies were carried out with a computational phantom and a physical counterpart, respectively. Synthetic and experimental X-ray images were subsequently produced under varying beam kilovoltage peaks (kVps), and the proposed contrast material was evaluated.
Simulation results revealed equivalent absorptions between the two simulated radiocontrast agents. Experimental findings supported these simulations, showing a maximum deviation of 3.7% between the image gray values of contrast materials for NaDITMB and Omnipaque solutions for a 46 kVp X-ray beam. Higher kVp X-ray beams show even smaller deviations in the mean grey values of the imaged contrast agents, with the NaDITMB solution demonstrating less than a 2% deviation compared to Omnipaque.
The proposed contrast agent is a suitable candidate for use in experimental work related to contrast-enhanced imaging by utilizing phantoms. It boasts the advantages of easy synthesis and is recognized for its safety, ensuring a secure environment for both the experimenter and the environment.
对比增强乳腺摄影是用于检测乳腺组织病变的新兴成像技术之一。然而，这种成像方式的成像协议和重建技术的优化需要物理模型的参与。它们的开发与放射性对比剂的使用有关。本研究评估了一种新型对比材料在临床环境中的X射线特性。这种材料旨在用于物理模型的实验，为常用的放射性对比剂提供了一种替代方案。
对新合成的二碘取代天然桉叶酸的水溶性钠盐2,6 - 二碘 - 3,4,5 - 三甲氧基苯甲酸钠[NaDITMB]进行了研究，将其与医学实践中最常用的放射性对比剂之一欧乃派克进行比较。为此，分别使用计算模型和物理模型进行了模拟和实验研究。随后在不同的束流千伏峰值（kVp）下生成合成和实验X射线图像，并对所提出的对比材料进行了评估。
模拟结果显示两种模拟放射性对比剂之间的吸收等效。实验结果支持了这些模拟，对于46 kVp的X射线束，NaDITMB和欧乃派克溶液的对比材料图像灰度值之间的最大偏差为3.7%。更高kVp的X射线束在成像对比剂的平均灰度值上显示出更小的偏差，与欧乃派克相比，NaDITMB溶液的偏差小于2%。
所提出的对比剂是用于与利用模型进行对比增强成像相关实验工作的合适候选材料。它具有易于合成的优点，并且因其安全性而得到认可，为实验者和环境都提供了安全保障。
