Assessment of attenuation properties for SLA and SLS 3D-printing materials in X-ray imaging and nuclear medicine

Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved..

In recent years, access to 3D printers has become increasingly affordable. Alongside industrial and private applications, the significance of 3D printing in the clinical context is also growing. For instance, 3D printing processes enable the production of individual anatomical models that can be used to support patient communication or aid in surgical planning. While filament 3D printing is common, stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) printing processes offer higher precision. For the use of 3D printing materials in radiology, understanding their attenuation properties concerning ionizing radiation is crucial. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) serves as an important reference material for radiological applications in this regard. In this research, linear- and mass attenuation coefficients of 38 SLA-/SLS-materials from Formlabs (Somerville, Massachusetts, USA) and PMMA will be determined through intensity measurements in nuclear medicine for the radionuclides technetium-99 m and iodine-131, as well as for X-ray imaging in the range of 60 kVp - 110 kVp tube voltage. Based on the mass attenuation coefficients, correction factors in respect to PMMA will be calculated for each material. A significant number of materials exhibit a deviance within approximately ±5% in respect to PMMA regardless of radiation energy. However, certain materials from the dental and industrial application show deviances up to +500% at the lower end of radiation energy spectrum. In conclusion, most materials can be considered equivalent to PMMA with only minor adjustments required. Materials with high deviances can be utilized as high-contrast materials in custom X-ray phantoms.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - year:2024

Enthalten in:

Zeitschrift fur medizinische Physik - (2024) vom: 12. März

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Weber, Stefan [VerfasserIn]
Block, Andreas [VerfasserIn]
Bärenfänger, Felix [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

3D-Printing
Correction factors
Formlabs
Journal Article
Mass-attenuation
Nuclear medicine
X-ray

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 13.03.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status Publisher

doi:

10.1016/j.zemedi.2024.02.003

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369697715