Anthropomorphic breast phantoms for radiology imaging: a review

Abstract

Phantoms are used to validate diagnostic imaging methods or develop skills of medical professionals. For instance, they allow conducting an unlimited number of imaging studies during medical training, assessing the image quality, optimizing the radiation dose, and testing novel techniques and equipment. Researchers in breast imaging utilize anthropomorphic models to validate, assess, and optimize new methods for diagnosing breast diseases. Such models also facilitate control over the quality of diagnostic systems, help to optimize clinical protocols and improve image reconstruction algorithms. Realistic simulation of organ tissue is essential for addressing these challenges in breast phantoms.
 The goal of this review is to describe what breast phantoms for diagnostic imaging are currently available on the market and how they are fabricated.Building an accurate breast model with X-ray imaging requires detailed knowledge of its anatomy and radiological features. The breast has a heterogeneous structure composed of glandular and adipose tissues, skin, and appendages, as well as other structures such as vessels and ligaments.
 In this literature review, we screened PubMed and Google Scholar for the relevant articles. 72 articles and 13 conference papers were included.There are two major types of breast phantoms: computational and physical. Specifically, the computational phantoms are classified into sub-groups depending on what data they use. These include mathematical models, tissue samples, and medical images of the breast. The physical phantoms, on the other hand, are classified based on their composition: molds, 3D printed, or paper-based with contrast inclusions. The main advantage of computational phantoms is the ability to generate large amounts of virtual data, while physical phantoms allow to perform an unlimited number of radiological studies.