Evaluation of in-house phantoms for mammography accreditation with various 3D printer filaments

One of the routine activities in the mammography modality is image quality testing using the American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation phantom, approved by the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). ACR has approved the CIRS Model 015 for use in the Mammography Accreditation Program. However, because the price of this phantom can be reasonably high, not all hospitals have it. This study aims to fabricate the ACR CIRS model 015 phantom with various 3D printer filaments and compare it with the ACR phantom standard. Phantom was designed by depicting small structures similar to those found clinically to test the capabilities of quantitatively evaluated mammographic imaging systems. The designed in-house phantom consists of fibers, microcalcifications or specks, and masses to simulate tumors. Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) were used to fabricate in-house phantoms. Meanwhile, the fibers and specks were filled with nylon fiber and Al2CO3. The phantom was designed using the CATIA 3D design based on the CIRS phantom mammography accreditation model 015. The diameter of the specks was printed with the 3D printer in various sizes of 1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, and 0.6 mm, respectively. The fabricated phantom was irradiated three times to maintain accuracy using mammography type Siemens Mammomat Inspiration with serial number control 11238. The assessment was conducted with manual irradiation mode at a voltage of 28 kV, 100 mAs, target/filter W/Rh, and a compression rate of 50 N. The all-fabricated phantoms met the ACR standard phantom for fiber, and mass detection with the best result was achieved for the second material with six fibers, four specks, and five masses. The fabricated phantom can potentially be used for image quality control for mammography systems in determining the early detection of breast cancer.