Development of a 3D-printed pelvic CT phantom combined with fresh pathological tissues of bone tumor

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) imaging is the most important and common means of detecting and diagnosing pelvic bone tumors. While phantoms with sufficient flexibility and anatomical realism are useful in CT research, using phantoms has been difficult for pelvic bone tumors because of the tumors’ relatively large size and highly variable shape. By combining medical 3D printing technology and fresh tumor specimens, this study aimed to design such a hybrid phantom, test its imaging properties, and demonstrate its usefulness in optimizing the CT protocols. METHODS: Two phantoms were designed for 2 patients with pelvic bone tumors who underwent surgical resection. One phantom was scanned with a routine pelvic CT protocol and compared against the patient image to test the imaging properties. We optimized the imaging protocol by assessing a series of varied settings on tube voltage (80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp), tube current (80, 120, and 160 to 200 mAs), and pitch factor (0.5, 0.8, 1.1, and 1.4) using the other phantom. These were assessed in comparison to the clinical reference of 140 kVp, 240 mAs, and 1.0 pitch, respectively. Image quality was quantified in terms of CT value, image noise, signal to noise ratio (SNR), and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) in various regions of interest. RESULTS: With the routine protocol, the phantom image showed no significant difference in CT values of the bone and soft tissues and image noise compared to the patient image (all P values >0.05). With a lower tube voltage (80, 100, and 120 kVp) than the reference protocol, the CT value of bone tissue showed significant differences (all P values <0.001). No significant difference was found when applying a reduced tube current (all P values >0.05). With an increased helical pitch, pitches of 0.5, 0.8 and 1.1 were found to be comparable to those using the reference protocol (all P values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The 3D-printed phantom can simulate the radiological properties of tumors in the pelvis and was successfully used in imaging studies of pelvic bone tumors. According to our preliminary findings, a low-dose pelvic CT protocol with acceptable image quality is achievable using reduced tube current or increased pitch.