Background and Aims: Anthropomorphic phantoms are essential for accurate radiation dosimetry but are often prohibitively expensive, limiting their use in resource-constrained settings. Our aim was to manufacture a low-cost head and neck anthropomorphic phantom using commercially accessible materials for use in radiation dosimetry studies.
Methods: This phantom was generated from 1 mm slice thickness CT scan images of an adult female, utilizing 3D Slicer and Autodesk Inventor software. In accordance with ICRU-44 report, two tissue-equivalent materials for soft tissue and bone tissue are plexiglass (polymethyl methacrylate) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), respectively. The physical and radiological characteristics of different types of plexiglass and PTFE were evaluated, and the most suitable materials were selected. Then, the 5mm-thick plates of plexiglass and PTFE were laser-cut and arranged according to the specifications. Moreover, thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) holes (3 mm in diameter and 5 mm in depth) were incorporated within each layer in a 3 cm × 3 cm grid for dose measurements. Finally, these plates were placed on top of each other and secured using two rods.
Results: The evaluated properties of selected soft tissue and bone tissue-equivalent materials were closely aligned with the reference values. It was found that the cost of the manufactured female phantom was about 8 times lower than commercially available phantoms.
Conclusion: In this study, we successfully manufactured an anthropomorphic phantom using commercially available materials with low expenses. Its dosimetric performance will be validated in future studies. It can facilitate more dosimetric research and quality control of radiation equipment in various radiology/radiotherapy centers.