Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 State Budget-Funded Health Care Institution of the City of Moscow “Research and Practical Clinical Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine Technologies of the Moscow Health Care Department”, Moscow, Russia

2 The Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China

3 Brazilian Air Force Academy, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil

Abstract

In diagnostic imaging, recent advances have introduced a wide range of modalities for diverse clinical applications, creating a growing need for anthropomorphic phantoms capable of supporting both single- and multimodal evaluations. Such phantoms play a crucial role in improving diagnostic accuracy, quality assurance, and medical training. This study aimed to identify and critically evaluate materials suitable for the construction of multimodal phantoms that realistically mimic human tissues. We systematically analyze materials to simulate biological tissues in multimodal test objects and to compare their signal characteristics with those of human tissues across various imaging combinations, including Computed Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CT/MRI), Ultrasound (US)/MRI, US/CT, and CT/MRI/US. The advantages and limitations of the investigated materials are discussed, and promising directions for future development are highlighted. In addition, the feasibility of combining multiple materials within a single phantom is demonstrated. Our findings indicate that materials intended for large-scale phantom production must be safe, exhibit reproducible properties, and maintain stable imaging characteristics over time. The materials and design considerations presented in this study provide a foundation for the standardization of multimodal phantom development.

Keywords