Novel pore size-controlled, susceptibility matched, 3D-printed MRI phantoms

PurposeWe report the design concept and fabrication of MRI phantoms, containing blocks of aligned microcapillaires that can be stacked into larger arrays to construct diameter distribution phantoms or fractured, to create a "powder-averaged" emulsion of randomly oriented blocks for vetting or calibrating advanced MRI methods, that is, diffusion tensor imaging, AxCaliber MRI, MAP-MRI, and multiple pulsed field gradient or double diffusion-encoded microstructure imaging methods. The goal was to create a susceptibility-matched microscopically anisotropic but macroscopically isotropic phantom with a ground truth diameter that could be used to vet advanced diffusion methods for diameter determination in fibrous tissues.MethodsTwo-photon polymerization, a novel three-dimensional printing method is used to fabricate blocks of capillaries. Double diffusion encoding methods were employed and analyzed to estimate the expected MRI diameter.ResultsSusceptibility-matched microcapillary blocks or modules that can be assembled into large-scale MRI phantoms have been fabricated and measured using advanced diffusion methods, resulting in microscopic anisotropy and random orientation.ConclusionThis phantom can vet and calibrate various advanced MRI methods and multiple pulsed field gradient or diffusion-encoded microstructure imaging methods. We demonstrated that two double diffusion encoding methods underestimated the ground truth diameter.