3D Digital Breast Phantoms For Multimodality Research

描述（由申请人提供）：乳腺成像是一个重要的研究领域，正在研究许多新技术，以通过早期检测进一步降低乳腺癌的发病率和死亡率。计算机化的体模可以提供一个重要的工具，定量比较新的成像系统和技术。当前用于乳房成像研究的体模在描绘乳房的复杂三维（3D）解剖结构方面缺乏足够的真实感。此外，它们通常限于单一应用，通常是乳房X线摄影，并且不具有应用于其他新兴模态（诸如断层合成或CT）的灵活性。基于NURBS的四维心脏躯干体模（NCAT）提供了一种逼真、灵活的人体解剖和生理模型，广泛应用于成像研究。以前仅限于男性解剖，NCAT最近扩展到包括男性和女性受试者的详细全身解剖。尽管有这种进步，目前对体模的限制是，女性乳房仅使用简单的外表面建模，不包括任何解剖细节。因此，NCAT在乳腺成像研究中的应用受到严重限制，而NCAT可能会产生深远的影响。这项工作的目标是创建一系列详细的3D计算乳房体模，能够逼真地模拟各种健康和疾病的解剖变化，并灵活地模拟各种成像方式的乳房的不同压缩状态，并将其无缝地纳入4D NCAT体模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，已经获得了一百多个正常受试者以及疾病患者的高分辨率乳腺CT数据集。将使用基于该独特数据的最先进计算机图形技术构建体模的正常背景解剖结构。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）。将开发并验证有限元方法，以模拟乳房的不同压缩状态，使体模适用于各种成像模式。这项工作将提供必要的基础，定量评估和比较现有的和新兴的乳腺成像设备和技术。与当前的简化乳腺模型不同，所提出的体模能够模拟来自解剖学上不同受试者的逼真的预测性患者成像数据，使用不同的采集方法，将提供更完整的成像技术评估，不仅在简化的物理特性方面，而且在临床相关性能方面。因此，体模将为乳腺成像研究提供独特而重要的工具。 公共卫生相关性：这项工作的目标是创建一系列详细的3D计算乳房体模，具有灵活性，可以模拟各种解剖变化（正常和异常）和不同水平的压缩，并将它们无缝地整合到4D NCAT体模中，用于多模态乳房成像研究。

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. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this work is to create a series of detailed 3D computational breast phantoms with the flexibility to simulate a wide range of anatomical variations (normal and abnormal) and different levels of compression and to incorporate them seamlessly into the 4D NCAT phantom for multimodality breast imaging research.