3D Digital Breast Phantoms For Multimodality Research

描述(申请人提供)：乳房成像是一个重要的研究领域，许多新技术正在研究中，以通过早期发现进一步降低乳腺癌的发病率和死亡率。计算机化的模体可以提供一个必要的工具来定量比较新的成像系统和技术。目前用于乳房成像研究的模型在描述乳房复杂的三维(3D)解剖结构方面缺乏足够的真实感。此外，它们通常局限于单一的应用，通常是乳房X光检查，并且没有灵活性应用于其他新兴的方式，如断层合成或CT。基于四维NURBS(4D NURBS)的心脏躯干模型(NCAT)提供了逼真和灵活的人体解剖和生理模型，在影像研究中得到了广泛的应用。NCAT以前仅限于男性解剖，最近扩展到包括男性和女性受试者的详细全身解剖。尽管有了这一进步，但目前该体模的一个局限性是，女性乳房仅使用简单的外表面建模，并且不包括任何解剖细节。因此，NCAT在可能产生深远影响的乳房成像研究中的应用受到严重限制。这项工作的目标是创建一系列详细的3D计算乳房模型，能够逼真地模拟健康和疾病中的各种解剖变化，并能够灵活地为各种成像方式建模不同的乳房压缩状态，并将它们无缝地整合到4D NCAT模型中进行乳房成像研究。加州大学戴维斯分校拥有世界上仅有的几个实验室之一，获得了100多个正常受试者和疾病患者的高分辨率乳腺CT数据集。模特儿的正常背景解剖将基于这一独特的数据，使用最先进的计算机图形技术来构建。通过对异常3D成像数据的分析，将开发建模技术来模拟一系列指示乳腺癌的典型异常(微钙化和肿块)。将开发和验证有限元方法来模拟乳房的不同压缩状态，使模型能够适用于各种成像方式。这项工作将为定量评估和比较现有和新兴的乳房成像设备和技术提供必要的基础。与目前简化的乳房模型不同，拟议的幻影能够使用不同的采集方法模拟来自不同解剖对象的真实、可预测的患者成像数据，将提供更完整的成像技术评估，不仅在简化的物理特征方面，而且在临床相关性能方面。因此，这些模型将为乳房成像研究提供一个独特而重要的工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Breast imaging is an important area of research with many new techniques being investigated to further reduce the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer through early detection. Computerized phantoms can provide an essential tool to quantitatively compare new imaging systems and techniques. Current phantoms used in breast imaging research lack sufficient realism in depicting the complex three-dimensional (3D) anatomy of the breast. Also, they are frequently limited to a single application, typically mammography, and do not have the flexibility to be applied to other emerging modalities such as tomosynthesis or CT. The four-dimensional (4D) NURBS-based cardiac-torso (NCAT) phantom, which provides a realistic and flexible model of the human anatomy and physiology, is widely used in imaging research. Previously limited to only a male anatomy, the NCAT was recently extended to include a detailed, whole-body anatomy for both a male and female subject. Despite this advancement, a current limitation to the phantom is that the female breast is modeled using only a simple outer surface and does not include any anatomical detail. As a result, the NCAT is severely limited in its application to breast imaging research where it may have a profound impact. The goal of this work is to create a series of detailed 3D computational breast phantoms capable of realistically simulating a wide range of anatomical variations in health and disease and with the flexibility to model different compression states of the breast for various imaging modalities and to incorporate them seamlessly into the 4D NCAT phantom for breast imaging research. UC Davis has one of the only laboratories in the world which has acquired over a hundred high-resolution breast CT datasets of normal subjects as well those with disease. The normal background anatomy of the phantoms will be constructed using state-of-the-art computer graphics techniques based on this unique data. Through an analysis of abnormal 3D imaging data, modeling techniques will be developed to simulate a range of typical abnormalities (microcalcifications and masses) indicative of breast cancer. Finite element methods will be developed and validated to simulate different compression states of the breast, enabling the phantoms to be applicable to various imaging modalities. This work will provide the necessary foundation to quantitatively evaluate and compare existing and emerging breast imaging devices and techniques. Unlike current, simplified breast models, the proposed phantoms, with the ability to simulate realistic, predictive patient imaging data from anatomically diverse subjects using different acquisition methods, would provide a more complete assessment of imaging techniques, not just in terms of simplified physical characteristics, but in terms of clinically relevant performance. As such, the phantoms will provide a unique and vital tool for breast imaging research.