Speaker
Description
Background:
Total Body PET (TB-PET) and PET/SPECT combined with MR (PSMR) systems, and Fast Timing in Medical Imaging (FTMI) have changed the field of molecular imaging. The technical improvements conveyed by these next-generation systems offer a unique opportunity to develop new scanning protocols, enabling earlier diagnosis and more precise, low-dose whole-body imaging through dramatically improved sensitivity, multimodal integration, and temporal resolution. However, their translation into clinical practice requires the development of advanced, dedicated phantoms and quality control (QC) protocols capable of addressing key performance limitations, including uniformity across extended fields-of-view (FOV), ultra-fast timing resolution, and multimodality compatibility without compromising quantitative and image quality accuracy.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables the fabrication of phantoms with anatomies and structural patterns precisely tailored to specific requirements, constituting a significant advancement for the optimization of QC procedures. This work proposes advanced QC approaches based on 3D-printed multimodality phantoms to quantitatively evaluate TB-PET, PSMR, and FTMI performance, with particular focus on extended FOV response, timing resolution, and cross-modality consistency.
Materials and methods:
A 3D-printing workflow was implemented. STL model optimization procedures were specifically tailored according to the phantom type, distinguishing between image segmentation in anatomical phantoms and pattern design for geometrical phantoms. Phantom fabrication combined Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and VAT-photopolymerization techniques.
Phantom imaging was performed in GE SIGNA PET/MR with 3 T magnetic field, Philips Gemini TF64 PET/CT, Philips Vereos PET/CT and Siemens 3T TimTrio MR with a BrainPET insert to prove the QC procedure vaibility.
Results:
3D-printed geometrical phantom was fabricated for QC procedures on PET hybrid systems (Figure1.a), assesing co-registration, uniformity and distortion along 38 cm superior-inferior direction, resolution and distortion across a 28 cm FOV and concetration accuracy in the presence of human-tissue densities. Multimodality realistic brain, head-and-neck, thorax and prostate phantom was fabricated (Figure1.b), allowing more specific QC post-processing tools, such us motion compensation (respiratory for lung and bulk for brain) and segmentation models. Brain–cerebrovascular phantom (vessel diameters 2–5 mm) with and infusion–perfusion pump (10 to 80 ml/min) was fabricated for QC of PET dynamic protocolos (Figure 1.c). Preliminary results with the different imaging equipments proved the viability of the proposed QC protocols.
Conclusions:
The 3D-printed phantoms presented are available upon request and represent a valuable resource for developers of medical imaging systems and post-processing tools, enabling the quantitative assessment of image quality prior to clinical implementation.
| Track | PSMR |
|---|---|
| Presentation type | Oral |