Rapid Generation of Structured Physical Phantoms for Mammography and Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Nonuniform phantoms are needed in order to fully characterize the impact of anatomical structures on system performance in mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis DBT. In this work, a new type of textured physical phantom is presented, compatible for use in both 2D and 3D applications. The breast phantom was first modeled analytically, and then fabricated using inkjet printing onto parchment paper and slide transparencies. A radiographic ink solution was synthesized with 350i¾?mg/mL iohexol and pigmented ink. The effective linear attenuation coefficient µeff of the parchment paper alone 0.078i¾?±i¾?0.003i¾?mm-1 was found to be very close to that of a 70i¾?% adipose, 30i¾?% fibroglandular tissue mixture 0.078i¾?±i¾?0.004i¾?mm-1. The µeff of the parchment paper with iodine 0.010i¾?±i¾?0.005i¾?mm-1 was close to that of 100i¾?% fibroglandular tissue 0.11i¾?±i¾?0.004i¾?mm-1. This new parchment and iodine phantom has strong potential for use in imaging studies.