3D printing for Phantom design

Imaging phantoms are indispensable tools for the development, validation and quality assurance of medical imaging systems and image processing methods. Advances in additive manufacturing (3D printing) are opening up new possibilities for the production of customisable phantoms with complex geometries, anatomically realistic structures and application-specific features that are difficult to achieve using conventional manufacturing methods. These possibilities are particularly significant for the evaluation of modern computed tomography (CT) systems and AI-based image reconstruction and image enhancement techniques.

The research focuses on the design, development and manufacture of 3D-printed phantoms for medical imaging applications. This includes the conversion of digital anatomical models into physical test objects, the selection and characterisation of suitable printing materials, and the optimisation of printing parameters with regard to the required geometric accuracy and imaging-relevant material properties. Particular attention is paid to replicating tissue-specific X-ray attenuation properties, anatomical structures and relevant pathological features, in order to enable a systematic assessment of image quality.

A key objective is the development of customisable phantoms with known ground truth, which can be used to investigate the performance and limitations of various imaging systems and reconstruction algorithms. These phantoms can be used to evaluate, amongst other things, spatial resolution, noise characteristics, contrast detectability and the preservation of anatomical details. This is particularly relevant for the investigation of subtle structures that may be altered, obscured or artificially enhanced by AI-based image processing.

The phantoms developed are evaluated through imaging experiments and by comparing the digital design models with the manufactured geometries and the resulting CT images. The aim is to investigate the accuracy, reproducibility and suitability of various 3D printing processes for medical imaging and quality assurance. In the long term, the research aims to develop flexible, cost-effective and realistic phantom solutions that enable a more reliable assessment of image quality, support the validation of new imaging technologies and strengthen confidence in their safe clinical use.