title: Generation of anatomically realistic numerical phantoms for photoacoustic and ultrasonic breast imaging.
abstract: Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) and ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) are emerging modalities for breast imaging. As in all emerging imaging technologies, computer-simulation studies play a critically important role in developing and optimizing the designs of hardware and image reconstruction methods for PACT and USCT. Using computer-simulations, the parameters of an imaging system can be systematically and comprehensively explored in a way that is generally not possible through experimentation. When conducting such studies, numerical phantoms are employed to represent the physical properties of the patient or object to-be-imaged that influence the measured image data. It is highly desirable to utilize numerical phantoms that are realistic, especially when task-based measures of image quality are to be utilized to guide system design. However, most reported computer-simulation studies of PACT and USCT breast imaging employ simple numerical phantoms that oversimplify the complex anatomical structures in the human female breast. We develop and implement a methodology for generating anatomically realistic numerical breast phantoms from clinical contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging data. The phantoms will depict vascular structures and the volumetric distribution of different tissue types in the breast. By assigning optical and acoustic parameters to different tissue structures, both optical and acoustic breast phantoms will be established for use in PACT and USCT studies.
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Appleton
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesbWashington University in St. Louis, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatescWashington University in St. Louis, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Anastasio
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001940:Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging / Q000592:standards*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed