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Biomedical subjects

G R Frank

Publications and source records attributed to G R Frank.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
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Ultrasound focal lesion detectability phantoms.

Two phantoms for assessing the performance of ultrasound scanners regarding detectability of small focal lesions are described. The spherical simulated lesions in the phantoms have diameters of 2.4, 3.0, and 4.0 mm and backscatter coefficients which are 16, 9, and 6 dB below that of the surrounding tissue-mimicking material, the latter simulating normal tissue such as liver. Random positioning and relatively large numbers of lesions deal with the statistical problem related to mistaking a normal textural fluctuation, characteristic of ultrasound images of parenchymal tissue, to be a small lesion. All lesions have ultrasonic properties that are the same as those of the surrounding material except for the backscatter coefficient; therefore, artifacts resulting from attenuation, reverberation, and/or refraction are absent, and detectability of deeper lesions is not influenced by the presence of more proximal ones. A method is outlined for using the phantoms to determine bounding proximal and distal depths of resolution, or detectability, of focal lesions of a given object contrast and size. Tests for observer dependence involving five subjects resulted in standard deviations in the distal and proximal depths of less than 0.5 cm. A repeat of the observer dependence tests 18 months later showed little change in the results. In addition, results obtained by two experienced observers are also given for a variety of specific scanners, scanning heads, and scanning parameters.

Models, Structural↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low-contrast focal lesion detectability phantom for 1H MR imaging.

A phantom made from tissue-mimicking materials is reported for testing 1H MRI systems regarding their ability to detect small low-contrast focal lesions and to delineate the boundaries of larger lesions. Two sets of seven spherical simulated lesions with diameters of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.3, 7.9, and 9.5 mm have T1 and T2 values somewhat higher than the corresponding values in the surrounding simulated normal tissue. Relaxometer determinations of T1 and T2 for the simulated normal tissue yielded 955 and 106 ms, respectively, at 22 degrees C and 1 T. The corresponding values in set #1 of the simulated lesions were 1017 and 175 ms and in set #2 were 1002 and 127 ms. These T1 and T2 values are similar to those for brain and brain lesions but are too high to represent soft tissue such as liver and muscle. The centers of the 14 lesions are coplanar, and eight alignment devices surround them facilitating superposition of the scan plane and the plane containing the centers of the lesions. Illustrative images made with a 1.5-T system are shown. All simulated lesions are detectable in T2-weighted head coil images. Corresponding T1-weighted images are also shown, the 2- and 3-mm lesions of set #2 and the 2-mm lesion of set #1 not being detectable. The phantoms could be useful for performance or acceptance testing and perhaps for quality assurance testing.

Brain Neoplasms↗