Evaluation of image quality and recovery coefficient of corn starch-bonded Rhizophora spp. particleboards as phantom for SPECT/CT imaging

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of corn starch-bonded Rhizophora spp. particleboards as phantom for SPECT/CT including the image contrast, source dimension ratio and recovery coefficient values. Phantom set made of the Rhizophora spp. particleboards was constructed according to the Jaszczak phantom commonly used in SPECT/CT with external dimension of 22 and 18 cm diameter and length respectively. Cylindrical vials with different diameter sizes filled with 99mTc unsealed source were inserted in drilled holes of the constructed particleboards phantom. The particleboards phantom was scanned by using SPECT/CT scanning mode and the SPECT images were reconstructed using clinical protocol. The results showed that the contrast value, source dimension ratio and recovery coefficient of Rhizophora spp. particleboards in good agreement with Jaszczak phantom. The overall results showed an excellent agreement of performance between corn starch-bonded Rhizophora spp. particleboards to the Jaszczak (water) as standard phantom material. The overall results indicated that the corn starch-bonded Rhizophora spp. can be highly recommended to be used as tissue-equivalent phantom material for Quality Assurance and dosimetry works in SPECT/CT imaging.