title: Mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom for performance tests in diffuse imaging and spectroscopy.
abstract: A mechanically switchable solid inhomogeneous phantom simulating localized absorption changes was developed and characterized. The homogeneous host phantom was made of epoxy resin with black toner and titanium dioxide particles added as absorbing and scattering components, respectively. A cylindrical rod, movable along a hole in the block and made of the same material, has a black polyvinyl chloride cylinder embedded in its center. By varying the volume and position of the black inclusion, absorption perturbations can be generated over a large range of magnitudes. The phantom has been characterized by various time-domain diffuse optics instruments in terms of absorption and scattering spectra, transmittance images, and reflectance contrast. Addressing a major application of the phantom for performance characterization for functional near-infrared spectroscopy of the brain, the contrast was measured in reflectance mode while black cylinders of volumes from ≈20  mm3 to ≈270  mm3 were moved in lateral and depth directions, respectively. The new type of solid inhomogeneous phantom is expected to become a useful tool for routine quality check of clinical instruments or implementation of industrial standards provided an experimental characterization of the phantom is performed in advance.
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pifferi
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torricelli
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, ItalybIstituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cubeddu
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quarto
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Re
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Sanathana K V
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sekar
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Via G. Sansone 1, Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martelli
authors.affiliation: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2-12, Berlin 10587, Germany.
authors.forename: Heidrun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wabnitz
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*