Comparison of Different Materials for Test Phantoms in Diagnostic Radiology

The use of test phantoms in diagnostic radiology is a well established practice in image quality control. Here Monte Carlo methods are used for comparing different phantom materials (water, Lucite, polystyrene, paraffin wax, Mylar, Mix-D, M3, Alderson muscle B and A-150) relative to soft tissue with regard to different physical quantities such as contrast and mean absorbed dose in the phantom. The results for each material are derived as the equivalent thicknesses resulting in the same value of the quantity of interest as a soft tissue phantom of a given thickness, this being varied between 5 and 25 cm. The phantom material yielding the smallest spread of equivalent thicknesses is regarded as the most soft tissue equivalent one. Water, Mix-D and M3 are the materials most equivalent to soft tissue of the phantom materials tested. Paraffin wax, polystyrene and Lucite show a larger spread in equivalent thicknesses.