Development of Phantoms using 3D Printing for Imaging
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3D printing has been increasingly used for a multitude of applications in cardiovascular medicine, ranging from creation of physical models, imaging phantoms, mock flow loops, surgical guides, and most recently as a training tool for clinicians and surgeons. In such instances, there is a lot of interest in using materials with mechanical properties that match or mimic those of native tissue. However, many of these applications are limited by the type and quality of material that can be manufactured via 3D printing. This chapter focuses on describing the current state of the art in 3D printed materials with an emphasis on material systems and properties that are relevant to cardiovascular application.
3D printing has been increasingly used for a multitude of applications in cardiovascular medicine, ranging from creation of physical models, imaging phantoms, mock flow loops, surgical guides, and most recently as a training tool for clinicians and surgeons. In such instances, there is a lot of interest in using materials with mechanical properties that match or mimic those of native tissue. However, many of these applications are limited by the type and quality of material that can be manufactured via 3D printing. This chapter focuses on describing the current state of the art in 3D printed materials with an emphasis on material systems and properties that are relevant to cardiovascular application. Imaging technology is traditionally used as a noninvasive tool to map the anatomy and/or the function of the human body, as well as to detect and localize the process of a disease. Nowadays, several new medical imaging methods and techniques have been developed to offer information about the function, physiology, and metabolism of an organ. Medical images offer accurate diagnoses, enhanced visualization and effective individual treatments for a range of diseases.
Imaging phantom, or simply phantom, is a specially designed object that is scanned or imaged in the field of medical imaging to evaluate, analyze, and tune the performance of various imaging devices. A phantom is more readily available and provides more consistent results than the use of a living subject or cadaver, and likewise avoids subjecting a living subject to direct risk. Phantoms were originally employed for use in 2D x-ray based imaging techniques such as radiography or fluoroscopy, though more recently phantoms with desired imaging characteristics have been developed for 3D techniques such as SPECT, MRI, CT, Ultrasound, PET, and other imaging methods or modalities.
A phantom used to evaluate an imaging device should respond in a similar manner to how human tissues and organs would act in that specific imaging modality. For instance, phantoms made for 2D radiography may hold various quantities of x-ray contrast agents with similar x-ray absorbing properties to normal tissue to tune the contrast of the imaging device or modulate the patients exposure to radiation. In such a case, the radiography phantom would not necessarily need to have similar textures and mechanical properties since these are not relevant in x-ray imaging modalities. However, in the case of ultrasonography, a phantom with similar rheological and ultrasound scattering properties to real tissue would be essential, but x-ray absorbing properties would not be needed
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