Development of a new phantom simulating extracellular space of tumor cell growth and cell edema for diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: A phantom for diffusion-weighted imaging is required to standardize quantitative evaluation. The objectives were to develop a phantom simulating various cell densities and to evaluate repeatability. Materials and methods: The acrylic fine particles with three different diameters were used to simulate human cells. Four-degree cell density components were developed by adjusting the volume of 10-μm particles (5, 20, 35, and 50% volume, respectively). Two-degree components to simulate cell edema were also developed by adjusting the diameter without changing number (17% and 40% volume, respectively). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to find a significant correlation between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and particle density. Coefficient of variation (CV) for ADC was calculated for each component for 6 months. A p value < 0.05 represented a statistically significance. Results: Each component (particle ratio of 5, 17, 20, 35, 40, and 50% volume, respectively) presented ADC values of 1.42, 1.30, 1.30, 1.12, 1.09, and 0.89 (× 10⁻³ mm²/s), respectively. A negative correlation (r = − 0.986, p < 0.05) was observed between ADC values and particle ratio. CV for ADC was less than 5%. Discussion: A phantom simulating the diffusion restriction correlating with cell density and size could be developed.