Feasibility of a 3D-printed anthropomorphic patient-specific head phantom for patient-specific quality assurance of intensity-modulated radiotherapy

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 7; p. e0181560
• Main Authors: Yea, Ji Woon, Park, Jae Won, Kim, Sung Kyu, Kim, Dong Youn, Kim, Jae Gu, Seo, Chan Young, Jeong, Won Hyo, Jeong, Man Youl, Oh, Se An
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 20.07.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: 3-D printers; Accuracy; Analysis; Anthropometry; Anthropomorphism; Biology and Life Sciences; Cancer therapies; Dosimetry; Drug dosages; Engineering and technology; Feasibility Studies; Fused deposition modeling; Gamma Rays - therapeutic use; Head; Head & neck cancer; Head - anatomy & histology; Head - diagnostic imaging; Head - radiation effects; Humans; Larynx; Medical care quality; Medical innovations; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Models, Anatomic; Oncology; Patient-Specific Modeling; Phantoms, Imaging; Precision Medicine - instrumentation; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Quality assurance; Quality Assurance, Health Care; Quality control; Radiation therapy; Radiometry; Radiotherapy; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated - instrumentation; Research and Analysis Methods; Scanners; Science; Technology application; Three dimensional printing; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181560

This study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing a 3D-printed anthropomorphic patient-specific head phantom for patient-specific quality assurance (QA) in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Contoured left and right head phantoms were converted from DICOM to STL format. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) was used to construct an anthropomorphic patient-specific head phantom with a 3D printer. An established QA technique and the patient-specific head phantom were used to compare the calculated and measured doses. When the established technique was used to compare the calculated and measured doses, the gamma passing rate for γ ≤ 1 was 97.28%, while the gamma failure rate for γ > 1 was 2.72%. When the 3D-printed patient-specific head phantom was used, the gamma passing rate for γ ≤ 1 was 95.97%, and the gamma failure rate for γ > 1 was 4.03%. The 3D printed patient-specific head phantom was concluded to be highly feasible for patient-specific QA prior to complicated radiotherapy procedures such as IMRT.