Wichelmann Sonja, Weiler Florian, Friedrich Thomas, Barkhausen Joerg, Kloeckner Roman, Wegner Franz, Sieren Malte Maria
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Lübeck, Germany.
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, Germany.
Eur Radiol. 2025 Aug 4. doi: 10.1007/s00330-025-11887-5.
Phantoms are essential for minimizing radiation-intensive experiments on humans and enhancing patient safety through model-based teaching and experimentation. While many phantoms are commercially available, their widespread use is limited by manufacturing complexity and high costs. This study aims to demonstrate a dough-based method to create customizable, realistic CT phantoms using affordable, readily available ingredients.
For this study, various doughs composed of flour, salt, water, and oil were created, scanned, and evaluated to assess their suitability for CT applications. Additionally, the effects of storage conditions, preservation, and temperature variations were analyzed. As an example, a liver was segmented from a 3D CT scan, scaled to 1:2, and a negative mold was 3D printed. The mold was subsequently filled with the most suitable dough composition to replicate the organ's anatomy and density.
The evaluation of the scanned ingredients and doughs demonstrated that Hounsfield unit (HU) values ranging from below -200 HU to above 1200 HU can be achieved, enabling the simulation of various human tissue densities. Based on the analysis, simple recipes are proposed to replicate radiodensities of different anatomical structures. Additionally, the results from the liver phantom confirm the feasibility of mimicking liver tissue and morphology.
CT phantoms with specific radiodensities, mimicking human tissues, can be created using simple dough recipes, as demonstrated with our liver CT phantom. Refrigeration or freezing extends usability for a longer time, but temperature effects must be considered to ensure accurate HU values in CT scans.
Question CT phantoms are costly and complex, limiting accessibility for customized imaging studies. Can common ingredients from the kitchen be used to create tissue-mimicking phantoms? Findings The dough-based phantoms simulated radiodensities from -200 to 1200+ HU, enabling the simulation of various human tissue densities. Clinical relevance Affordable, anatomically accurate CT phantoms can be made from kitchen ingredients for training and research, as demonstrated with our liver CT phantom.
体模对于最大限度减少对人体进行的辐射密集型实验以及通过基于模型的教学与实验提高患者安全性至关重要。虽然有许多体模可供商业购买，但其广泛应用受到制造复杂性和高成本的限制。本研究旨在展示一种基于面团的方法，使用价格实惠、易于获得的食材制作可定制的、逼真的CT体模。
在本研究中，制作了由面粉、盐、水和油组成的各种面团，进行扫描并评估其是否适合CT应用。此外，还分析了储存条件、保存方式和温度变化的影响。例如，从三维CT扫描中分割出肝脏，按1:2比例缩放，然后3D打印出阴模。随后用最合适的面团组合物填充模具，以复制器官的解剖结构和密度。
对扫描的食材和面团的评估表明，可以实现从低于-200 HU到高于1200 HU的亨氏单位（HU）值，从而能够模拟各种人体组织密度。基于该分析，提出了简单的配方来复制不同解剖结构的放射密度。此外，肝脏体模的结果证实了模拟肝脏组织和形态的可行性。
如我们的肝脏CT体模所示，使用简单的面团配方可以制作出模拟人体组织、具有特定放射密度的CT体模。冷藏或冷冻可延长其使用时间，但必须考虑温度影响，以确保CT扫描中HU值的准确性。
问题CT体模成本高且复杂，限制了定制成像研究的可及性。能否使用厨房常见食材制作模拟组织的体模？发现基于面团的体模模拟的放射密度为-200至1200 + HU，能够模拟各种人体组织密度。临床意义如我们的肝脏CT体模所示，可使用厨房食材制作价格实惠、解剖结构准确的CT体模用于培训和研究。
