USE OF A MODIFIED POLYSACCHARIDE GEL IN DEVELOPING A REALISTIC BREASTPHANTOM FOR MRI

A polysaccharide material, TX-151, has been used together with water, Nacl, and Al powder to create a tissue equivalent gel to make a realis tic, inexpensive, conveniently moldable, temporally stable tissue equi valent MRT phantom, Various phantom compositions were studied for vari ations in gelling time and relaxation times, Gd-DTPA added as a T-1 (a nd T-2) modifier and aluminum powder added to decrease T-2 permitted p hantoms to be made with a range of relaxation times comparable to huma n tissues. We have used this polysaccharide gel to create breast phant oms for testing breast coils and evaluating different MRI imaging sequ ences available for diagnosis. The breast phantoms consisted of a laye r of Crisco, a good model for adipose tissue, surrounding the TX-151 g el, Some of these phantoms were created with a silicone implant encaps ulated in the gel to simulate an augmented breast, More sophisticated phantoms can easily be developed by additions of other materials to th is polysaccharide gel.