Mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom for performance tests in diffuse imaging and spectroscopy

Antonio Pifferi; Alessandro Torricelli; Rinaldo Cubeddu; Giovanna Quarto; Rebecca Re; Sanathana K. V. Sekar; Lorenzo Spinelli; Andrea Farina; Fabrizio Martelli; Heidrun Wabnitz

doi:10.1117/1.JBO.20.12.121304

28 July 2015 Mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom for performance tests in diffuse imaging and spectroscopy

Antonio Pifferi, Alessandro Torricelli, Rinaldo Cubeddu, Giovanna Quarto, Rebecca Re, Sanathana K. V. Sekar, Lorenzo Spinelli, Andrea Farina, Fabrizio Martelli, Heidrun Wabnitz

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Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 20, Issue 12, 121304 (July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.20.12.121304

Abstract

A mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom simulating localized absorption changes was developed and characterized. The homogeneous host phantom was made of epoxy resin with black toner and titanium dioxide particles added as absorbing and scattering components, respectively. A cylindrical rod, movable along a hole in the block and made of the same material, has a black polyvinyl chloride cylinder embedded in its center. By varying the volume and position of the black inclusion, absorption perturbations can be generated over a large range of magnitudes. The phantom has been characterized by various time-domain diffuse optics instruments in terms of absorption and scattering spectra, transmittance images, and reflectance contrast. Addressing a major application of the phantom for performance characterization for functional near-infrared spectroscopy of the brain, the contrast was measured in reflectance mode while black cylinders of volumes from ≈20 mm³ to ≈270 mm³ were moved in lateral and depth directions, respectively. The new type of solid inhomogeneous phantom is expected to become a useful tool for routine quality check of clinical instruments or implementation of industrial standards provided an experimental characterization of the phantom is performed in advance.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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Antonio Pifferi, Alessandro Torricelli, Rinaldo Cubeddu, Giovanna Quarto, Rebecca Re, Sanathana K. V. Sekar, Lorenzo Spinelli, Andrea Farina, Fabrizio Martelli, and Heidrun Wabnitz "Mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom for performance tests in diffuse imaging and spectroscopy," Journal of Biomedical Optics 20(12), 121304 (28 July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.20.12.121304

Published: 28 July 2015

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