A patient-specific multi-modality abdominal aortic aneurysm imaging phantom.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Little, Callum D. Mackle, Eleanor C. Maneas, Efthymios Chong, Debra Nikitichev, Daniil Constantinou, Jason Tsui, Janice Hamilton, George Rakhit, Roby D. Mastracci, Tara M. Desjardins, Adrien E.
Abstract	PurposeMultimodality imaging of the vascular system is a rapidly growing area of innovation and research, which is increasing with awareness of the dangers of ionizing radiation. Phantom models that are applicable across multiple imaging modalities facilitate testing and comparisons in pre-clinical studies of new devices. Additionally, phantom models are of benefit to surgical trainees for gaining experience with new techniques. We propose a temperature-stable, high-fidelity method for creating complex abdominal aortic aneurysm phantoms that are compatible with both radiation-based, and ultrasound-based imaging modalities, using low cost materials.MethodsVolumetric CT data of an abdominal aortic aneurysm were acquired. Regions of interest were segmented to form a model compatible with 3D printing. The novel phantom fabrication method comprised a hybrid approach of using 3D printing of water-soluble materials to create wall-less, patient-derived vascular structures embedded within tailored tissue-mimicking materials to create realistic surrounding tissues. A non-soluble 3-D printed spine was included to provide a radiological landmark.ResultsThe phantom was found to provide realistic appearances with intravascular ultrasound, computed tomography and transcutaneous ultrasound. Furthermore, the utility of this phantom as a training model was demonstrated during a simulated endovascular aneurysm repair procedure with image fusion.ConclusionWith the hybrid fabrication method demonstrated here, complex multimodality imaging patient-derived vascular phantoms can be successfully fabricated. These have potential roles in the benchtop development of emerging imaging technologies, refinement of novel minimally invasive surgical techniques and as clinical training tools.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC9463301&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	18616410
Journal	International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery [Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg]
Volume Number	17
DOI	10.1007/s11548-022-02612-4
PubMed Central reference number	PMC9463301
Issue Number	9
PubMed reference number	35397710
e-ISSN	18616429
Language	English
Publisher	Springer International Publishing
Publisher Date	2022-04-10
Publisher Place	Gewerbestrasse 11, Cham, Ch 6330, Switzerland
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2022
Subject Keyword	Ultrasound Imaging phantoms Tissue-mimicking material Vascular Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging Surgery Health Informatics Biomedical Engineering Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Computer Science Applications