Modular breast and tumor perfusion phantoms for 4D dynamic contrast-enhanced dedicated breast CT

IF 3.2 2区医学 Q1 RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING

Medical physics Pub Date : 2025-09-19 DOI:10.1002/mp.70004

Liselot C. Goris, Sanne Gouma, Juan J. Pautasso, Koen Michielsen, Ioannis Sechopoulos

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Abstract

Background

Tumor heterogeneity presents significant challenges in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Four-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced dedicated breast CT (4D DCE-bCT) is a novel imaging technique designed to capture contrast agent kinetics with high spatial and temporal resolution, enabling detailed assessment of tumor perfusion and heterogeneity.

Purpose

To develop modular breast tumor phantoms capable of simulating a range of physiologically relevant perfusion patterns and structural heterogeneities for validation of 4D DCE-bCT.

Methods

Tumor phantoms (1.5 cm diameter) were 3D-printed using clear resin in several designs: small-channel phantoms (0.8 and 1.0 mm diameter), a leaking vessel model with permeable outer walls, gyroid structures (1.3 and 1.5 mm pores) mimicking microvascularization, and a dual-input/output model to replicate heterogeneous perfusion. The phantoms were integrated into a programmable flow system, enabling iodinated contrast (up to 5 mg I/mL) delivery with custom profiles: full wash-in/wash-out, persistent, plateau, and partial wash-out. 4D DCE-bCT acquisitions with a 65 kV + 0.25 mm Cu filter involved 1 pre-contrast scan (360 pulses over a 10-second revolution at 80 mA) followed by three post-contrast phases (400 pulses over 10 revolutions at 32 mA). Images were reconstructed using 40 projections at 5-second intervals using prior image constrained compressed sensing (PICCS). Time–intensity curves (TICs) were analyzed in volumes of interest in various sections of the tumor phantoms. A gamma variate function was fitted to each TIC, and the corresponding fit parameters and coefficients of determination (R²) were extracted.

Results

Dynamic imaging demonstrated successful capture of expected contrast kinetics. Larger channels (1.0 mm) produced 2.5 times greater enhancement compared to smaller ones (0.8 mm). The R² values for the 0.8 mm and leaking channel were lower, 0.54 and 0.67 versus 0.85 in the 1 mm channel, due to a higher noise level in the signal. The leaking vessel phantom exhibited delayed wash-out by ∼30 s. Distinct flow patterns were evident in the dual-input/output model. The gamma variate parameters showed the expected trends due to the programmed flow patterns.

Conclusion

The developed 3D-printed tumor phantoms effectively simulate key perfusion features and point towards the feasibility of using 4D DCE-bCT to image detailed perfusion patterns.

Abstract Image

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4D动态增强专用乳腺CT模组化乳腺及肿瘤灌注影。

背景：肿瘤异质性对乳腺癌的诊断和治疗提出了重大挑战。四维动态对比增强专用乳腺CT （4D DCE-bCT）是一种新型成像技术，旨在以高空间和时间分辨率捕获造影剂动力学，从而能够详细评估肿瘤灌注和异质性。目的：开发能够模拟一系列生理相关灌注模式和结构异质性的模块化乳腺肿瘤幻象，用于验证4D DCE-bCT。方法：采用透明树脂3d打印肿瘤模型（直径1.5 cm），设计如下：小通道模型（直径0.8 mm和1.0 mm），具有渗透性外壁的泄漏血管模型，模拟微血管化的旋转结构（1.3 mm和1.5 mm孔隙），双输入/输出模型以复制非均匀灌注。幻影被集成到一个可编程的流动系统中，实现碘造影剂（高达5mg I/mL）的输送，具有定制的配置文件：完全冲洗/冲洗，持续，平稳和部分冲洗。使用65 kV + 0.25 mm Cu滤波器进行4D DCE-bCT采集，包括1次对比前扫描（360个脉冲，10秒旋转，80 mA），然后是3次对比后扫描（400个脉冲，10圈旋转，32 mA）。利用先验图像约束压缩感知（PICCS），每隔5秒进行40次投影重建图像。时间-强度曲线（tic）在肿瘤幻影各部分的感兴趣体积中进行分析。对每个TIC拟合一个伽马变量函数，提取相应的拟合参数和决定系数（R2）。结果：动态成像显示成功捕获预期的对比动力学。较大的通道（1.0 mm）的增强效果是较小的通道（0.8 mm）的2.5倍。由于信号中的噪声水平较高，0.8 mm通道和泄漏通道的R2值较低，分别为0.54和0.67，而1 mm通道的R2值为0.85。渗漏血管幻影表现为延迟冲洗~ 30 s。在双输入/输出模型中，明显的流动模式。伽马变量参数显示了由于程序流模式的预期趋势。结论：所建立的3d打印肿瘤幻象能有效模拟关键灌注特征，为利用4D DCE-bCT成像详细灌注模式提供了可行性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Medical physics 医学-核医学

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

15.80%

发文量

660

审稿时长

1.7 months

期刊介绍： Medical Physics publishes original, high impact physics, imaging science, and engineering research that advances patient diagnosis and therapy through contributions in 1) Basic science developments with high potential for clinical translation 2) Clinical applications of cutting edge engineering and physics innovations 3) Broadly applicable and innovative clinical physics developments Medical Physics is a journal of global scope and reach. By publishing in Medical Physics your research will reach an international, multidisciplinary audience including practicing medical physicists as well as physics- and engineering based translational scientists. We work closely with authors of promising articles to improve their quality.