Investigating the Suitable Materials for the Creation of Breast Lesions: A Simulation Study

Medical phantoms play a crucial role in the testing and development of innovative imaging techniques for screening and diagnostic purposes. The choice of appropriate materials is essential for their fabrication. While several technologies now enable rapid, cost-effective, and accurate manufacturing of anthropomorphic phantoms, challenges persist, particularly concerning materials used for simulating lesions. This study aims to address these challenges by simulating the x-ray performance of lesions using various materials and evaluating their performance. A computational breast lesion, characterised by an irregular shape, is introduced into a breast phantom, which is available in versions mimicking both dense and fatty compressed breast tissues. The mammography imaging process is simulated within a dedicated computational framework. The ELPIDA’s radiologist assessed the performance of different materials, revealing polylactic acid's suitability for dense breasts and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene for fatty breasts. These simulation results serve as an input for an upcoming experimental study, where all phantoms will be reproduced and subjected to empirical evaluation. The outcomes of this experimental phase, in turn, contribute to valuable insights of ELPIDA research group and the development of a new prototype system.