Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia
AbstractBackground Phantoms accurately mimicking the electromagnetic and thermal properties of human tissues are essential for the development, characterization, and quality assurance (QA) of clinically used equipment for Hyperthermia Treatment (HT). Currently, a viable recipe for a fat equivalent p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Hyperthermia |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02656736.2023.2207797 |
| _version_ | 1797374241029488640 |
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| author | Mattia De Lazzari Anna Ström Laura Farina Nuno P. Silva Sergio Curto Hana Dobšíček Trefná |
| author_facet | Mattia De Lazzari Anna Ström Laura Farina Nuno P. Silva Sergio Curto Hana Dobšíček Trefná |
| author_sort | Mattia De Lazzari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractBackground Phantoms accurately mimicking the electromagnetic and thermal properties of human tissues are essential for the development, characterization, and quality assurance (QA) of clinically used equipment for Hyperthermia Treatment (HT). Currently, a viable recipe for a fat equivalent phantom is not available, mainly due to challenges in the fabrication process and fast deterioration.Materials and methods We propose to employ a glycerol-in-oil emulsion stabilized with ethylcellulose to develop a fat-mimicking material. The dielectric, rheological, and thermal properties of the phantom have been assessed by state-of-the-art measurement techniques. The full-size phantom was then verified in compliance with QA guidelines for superficial HT, both numerically and experimentally, considering the properties variability.Results Dielectric and thermal properties were proven equivalent to fat tissue, with an acceptable variability, in the 8 MHz to 1 GHz range. The rheology measurements highlighted enhanced mechanical stability over a large temperature range. Both numerical and experimental evaluations proved the suitability of the phantom for QA procedures. The impact of the dielectric property variations on the temperature distribution has been numerically proven to be limited (around 5%), even if higher for capacitive devices (up to 20%).Conclusions The proposed fat-mimicking phantom is a good candidate for hyperthermia technology assessment processes, adequately representing both dielectric and thermal properties of the human fat tissue while maintaining structural stability even at elevated temperatures. However, further experimental investigations on capacitive heating devices are necessary to better assess the impact of the low electrical conductivity values on the thermal distribution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:03:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa4901b2dd254ee79aac67e4a2ea24b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0265-6736 1464-5157 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:03:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Hyperthermia |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa4901b2dd254ee79aac67e4a2ea24b32023-12-28T04:15:43ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Hyperthermia0265-67361464-51572023-12-0140110.1080/02656736.2023.2207797Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermiaMattia De Lazzari0Anna Ström1Laura Farina2Nuno P. Silva3Sergio Curto4Hana Dobšíček Trefná5Biomedical Electromagnetics, Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SwedenApplied Chemistry, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SwedenTranslational Medical Device Lab, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandTranslational Medical Device Lab, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandDepartment of Radiotherapy, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsBiomedical Electromagnetics, Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SwedenAbstractBackground Phantoms accurately mimicking the electromagnetic and thermal properties of human tissues are essential for the development, characterization, and quality assurance (QA) of clinically used equipment for Hyperthermia Treatment (HT). Currently, a viable recipe for a fat equivalent phantom is not available, mainly due to challenges in the fabrication process and fast deterioration.Materials and methods We propose to employ a glycerol-in-oil emulsion stabilized with ethylcellulose to develop a fat-mimicking material. The dielectric, rheological, and thermal properties of the phantom have been assessed by state-of-the-art measurement techniques. The full-size phantom was then verified in compliance with QA guidelines for superficial HT, both numerically and experimentally, considering the properties variability.Results Dielectric and thermal properties were proven equivalent to fat tissue, with an acceptable variability, in the 8 MHz to 1 GHz range. The rheology measurements highlighted enhanced mechanical stability over a large temperature range. Both numerical and experimental evaluations proved the suitability of the phantom for QA procedures. The impact of the dielectric property variations on the temperature distribution has been numerically proven to be limited (around 5%), even if higher for capacitive devices (up to 20%).Conclusions The proposed fat-mimicking phantom is a good candidate for hyperthermia technology assessment processes, adequately representing both dielectric and thermal properties of the human fat tissue while maintaining structural stability even at elevated temperatures. However, further experimental investigations on capacitive heating devices are necessary to better assess the impact of the low electrical conductivity values on the thermal distribution.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02656736.2023.2207797Hyperthermiamicrowavesquality assurancephantomethylcellulose |
| spellingShingle | Mattia De Lazzari Anna Ström Laura Farina Nuno P. Silva Sergio Curto Hana Dobšíček Trefná Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia International Journal of Hyperthermia Hyperthermia microwaves quality assurance phantom ethylcellulose |
| title | Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| title_full | Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| title_fullStr | Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| title_short | Ethylcellulose-stabilized fat-tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| title_sort | ethylcellulose stabilized fat tissue phantom for quality assurance in clinical hyperthermia |
| topic | Hyperthermia microwaves quality assurance phantom ethylcellulose |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02656736.2023.2207797 |
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