SNRo, T1 and T2 characteristics of poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA) MRI slime phantom with different PVA/borax ratio

Abstract

Eleven PVA slime phantoms with different PVA/borax ratios were prepared using PVA and borax solution. The phantoms were scanned using Siemens 3-T Magnetom Verio MRI system using spin echo (SE) and turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences to obtain axial T1 and T2 weighted images respectively. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of all samples was calculated implementing the region of interest (ROI) analysis. The T1 and T2 relaxation equations were then fitted to the experimental SNR vs. TR and SNR vs. TE curves for saturation (SNRo), T1 and T2 determination. Despite different PVA/borax ratios, SNRo was found to be constant while T1 and T2 increased slightly for higher borax concentration. The slime phantoms fabricated in this study has the potential as an alternative to agarose gel phantom.