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. 2025 Jun;48(2):675-683.
doi: 10.1007/s13246-025-01533-1. Epub 2025 Mar 18.

Analysis of material composition and attenuation characteristics of anthropomorphic torso phantoms for dosimetry using dual energy CT technology

Koji Ono  1   2 , Yasuki Asada  3
Affiliations

Analysis of material composition and attenuation characteristics of anthropomorphic torso phantoms for dosimetry using dual energy CT technology

Koji Ono et al. Phys Eng Sci Med. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Anthropomorphic phantoms are often used to estimate organ absorbed doses. However, the material composition of these phantoms is not identical to that of the human body, which may cause errors in the measurement results. The purpose of this study was to analyze the material composition of several anthropomorphic torso phantoms using dual energy computed tomography (DECT), and to clarify the differences in attenuation characteristics among the phantoms. Anthropomorphic torso phantoms (ATOM, RANDO, and PBU-60) from different manufacturers were scanned with DECT. The target organs were lung, soft tissue, liver, bone, and bone surface, and a spectral Hounsfield unit curve (HU curve) was created from the relationship between energy and CT values. Ideal CT values were estimated from the mass attenuation coefficient and density proposed by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements report 44 (ideal value) and compared with the values of each phantom. There were large differences in attenuation characteristics among the phantoms for soft tissue, liver, and bone. The respective ideal, ATOM, RANDO, and PBU-60 CT values of soft tissue were 59.82, 14.17, 34.22, and - 70.11 at 45 keV; and 53.13, 24.41, 3.97, and - 5.75 at 70 keV. The phantom closest to the ideal value may differ depending on the energy. Differences in HU curve and CT values indicate that some organs in the phantom have different material composition and attenuation characteristics to human tissues. When the phantoms available for dosimetry are limited, it is important to understand the attenuation characteristics of each phantom used.

Keywords: Anthropomorphic phantom; Dosimetry; Dual energy computed tomography; Human body equivalent phantom; Radiological protection; Spectral hounsfield unit curve.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. Ethical approval: This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors. Informed consent: No informed consent was required as this phantom study used no patient data.

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