Health Physics Program

ANTHROPOMETRIC CALIBRATION PHANTOMS

Individual Calibration Phantoms

Introduction

The Health Physics Program at the University of Cincinnati designs and fabricates many different types of anthropometric phantoms that are useful in calibrating radiation detectors for measuring radioactive materials in vivo. The original formulation for the lungs used in the original Lawrence Livermore Thoracic Phantom was reproduced in 1992 using contemporary materials ¹. Copies of the original lung casts were used to fabricate new molds from which lung phantoms containing precisely known quantities of radioactive materials are currently being made. We have also produced formulations for muscle ² and cortical and trabecular bone following recommendations in ICRU Report #44 ^3,4. A special phantom of the midshaft of the human leg was developed for calibrating in vivo measurements of stable lead in bone using X-ray fluorescence ⁵. The most recent phantom developed at the University of Cincinnati is for measuring bone seeking radionuclides in the skull ² and knee ⁶. Special anthropometric calibration phantoms from Dr. Norman Cohen at New York University Medical Center are also available through an arrangement with the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cohen has provided us with a thorax phantom containing a skeleton labeled with ²⁴¹Am. Likewise Dr. Cohen also has skull phantoms containing ²⁴¹Am and ²¹⁰Pb.

The University of Cincinnati also has two Livermore Thoracic Phantoms, complete with sets of overlay plates for muscle, fat, and 50% muscle and fat.

Most of our calibration phantoms are available for loan. We can arrange to send phantoms worldwide, as long as you have the appropriate licensing arrangements to receive and possess radioactive material and will agree to pay for all the shipping costs, including return shipment to the University of Cincinnati.

We conduct an unofficial audit program that provides a participant with an opportunity to check their measurement capabilities on an informal basis. You can participate in our informal audit (or intercomparison) program by requesting to borrow a phantom having an undisclosed quantity of radioactive material. The actual radionuclide content will be disclosed to you after you report your measurement results. Upon request, we can provide you with a letter to document the actual and reported activity.

Contact Henry Spitz (513 556-2003; henry.spitz@uc.edu ) for more information about design, fabrication, and availability of anthropometric calibration phantoms.

1 H. Spitz, S. Glover, N. Liu, B. Smith, D. Hickman, D. Kruchten, L. Anderson:  "Measurement of the attenuation coefficient for Livermore thoracic phantom lungs fabricated using contemporary materials.  Health Phys. 67 (1): 39 - 46, 1994.

2  J. Kellar:  Fabrication of an Anthropomorphic Calibration Phantom for In Vivo Measurement of Eu-152 in the Skull.  M. S. Thesis.  University of Cincinnati College of Engineering; Cincinnati, Ohio; 1995.   (Also in:  Health Physics 68 (6 supplement); June; 1995.)

3  J. Lodwick:  Production of a cortical bone substitute material.  M. S. Thesis, University of Cincinnati College of Engineering; Cincinnati, Ohio; 1996.

4 M. Jenkins: Production of anthropometric bone and tissue lead X-ray fluorescence phatoms using a polyurethane and calcium carbonate matrix.  Ph. D. Thesis.  University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Cincinnati, Ohio; 1997.

5  H. Spitz; M. Jenkins; J. Lodwick; R. Bornschein: A new anthropometric phantom for calibrating in vivo measurements of stable lead in the human leg using X-ray fluorescence.  Accepted by Health Phys. 1999.

6  H. Spitz; J. Lodwick: Design, Fabrication & Evaluation of a New Calibration Phantom for In Vivo Measurement of Bone Seeking Radionuclides.  Submitted for publication in  Radiation Protection Dosimetry. (Also in:  Health Physics