TITLE:
Fabricating Pediatrics Bone Tissue Equivalent Materials for CT Quality Control Evaluation
AUTHORS:
Esra J. Elameen, Mona A. Mohamed, Mohammed K. Saeed, Suhaib Alameen, Hala J. Alamin
KEYWORDS:
Bone Equivalent Material, Calcium Carbonate CaCO3, Computed Tomography, Hounsfield Unit, Silicone Rubber RTV (683), Phantom, Pediatric
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Medical Physics, Clinical Engineering and Radiation Oncology,
Vol.14 No.3,
July
3,
2025
ABSTRACT: Computed tomography (CT) imaging plays a critical role in diagnostic radiology, so they require pediatric or adult phantoms with high tissue equivalent material for accurate imaging, radiation dose optimization and radiation safety purposes and to assess and verify performance in CT quality control program. Yet the high cost of commercial alternatives limits their accessibility. The aim of this study was to fabricate skeletal bone equivalent materials useful in construction of pediatric phantom where low-cost bone equivalent materials were used. It provides a new composition and simple methodology for skeletal construction. The characteristics of developed bone equivalent material were evaluated by its physical density and Hounsfield unit (HU) of material. where Silicone rubber RTV (683) was used with CaCO3 to fabricate bone equivalent material, which involves weighing of 50 g of silicon rubber RTV (683), then mixed with 17 g of CaCo3 and 2 ml of the catalyst. This ratio was chosen based on prior research and the mixed quantity was improved after excessive experimental testing to fit the environmental condition and give better results. The production procedures have also been streamlined to create molds for each bone of the skeleton. Information regarding the new tissue‐equivalent materials, as well as images of the construction process and completed skeletal was done. The average density measurements of samples manufactured from silicone rubber RTV with CaCo3 fall within the range of human bone tissue concentration, which is (1.2 - 1.8) g/cm3, indicating that the density values are comparable to those of human bone. The attenuation coefficients (HU) value on various computed tomography images of bone-equivalent materials (silicone rubber RTV with CaCO3) also show findings that are within the range seen for human bone tissue. The human bone’s HU calibration standard falls between 400 and 1000 HU. Therefore, silicone rubber RTV (683) with CaCO3 can be used in construction of skeletal. This material can be applied to different diagnostic radiology quality applications and has produced great image quality. The majority of conventional phantoms used in quality control testing were constructed using CT slices, which may have made it difficult to see the skeletal vertebrae and all of their intricacies. Nonetheless, the suggested model provides a clear image of the spine’s vertebrae and every skeletal component, including all of its intricacies, which can aid in the computation of dosages inside the human body.