DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A FLOW PHANTOM

Rationale and Objectives. We constructed a near-anatomically correct l arge-vessel phantom to perform repeatable flow dynamics research exami nations by angiography, magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, and compu ted tomography (CT) angiography. Methods. An internal carotid artery w as constructed within a head phantom. The internal carotid artery bran ches into a middle and an anterior cerebral artery; the former trifurc ates and ends in the superior sagittal sinus, and the latter ends in t he inferior sagittal sinus. A transverse and sigmoid sinus drains the model. All four vessels connecting the arterial and venous vessels hav e variable flow-constricting ligatures placed around them. These ligat ures are accessible on the skull surface. The skull cavity is filled w ith a silicone polymer that is isodense to brain on CT scans and isoin tense on most MR images. Results. The flow in the phantom's vessels ma y be varied in a repeatable manner. Multiple scan sequences may be per formed without the image degradation caused by patient motion. The hom ogeneity of the filler polymer allows visualization of flow-related ar tifacts that may be hidden by complex human anatomy. Conclusion. Preli minary images of each modality show promise for use of the phantom in imaging research on large-vessel flow dynamics.