Development and Radiological Evaluation of 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Lung Phantoms: From CT Imaging to 3D Modeling and Material Characterization

Development and Radiological Evaluation of 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Lung Phantoms: From CT Imaging to 3D Modeling and Material Characterization | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Development and Radiological Evaluation of 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Lung Phantoms: From CT Imaging to 3D Modeling and Material Characterization Ahmed M. Mortada, Jaidev Chakka, Yu Zhang, Alaa Y. Darwesh, Ayman Mokhtar Said, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496339/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This proof-of-concept study evaluates the ability of three-dimensional printed lung phantoms to reproduce subtle pulmonary features relevant to medical imaging. An integrated workflow was developed for the fabrication and evaluation of patient-specific lung phantoms derived from high-resolution computed tomography, with emphasis on ground-glass opacities. De-identified HRCT datasets were segmented to generate both volumetric anthropomorphic lung models and standardized slim coronal phantoms, supporting reproducible imaging evaluation while reducing reliance on repeat clinical scans. The phantoms were fabricated at reduced scale using stereolithography and fused deposition modeling. Radiographic evaluation revealed clear fabrication-dependent imaging behavior. SLA phantoms exhibited smooth, isotropic microstructures and uniform grayscale response, enabling enhanced visualization of peripheral lung regions. In contrast, FDM phantoms demonstrated layered, porous architectures that produced lung-equivalent attenuation and scatter characteristics representative of pulmonary parenchyma. Quantitative grayscale analysis identified systematic differences in attenuation between fabrication methods, reflecting variations in material density and microstructural organization. Slim phantoms provided highly reproducible platforms suitable for quality assurance and quality control applications, whereas anthropomorphic phantoms preserved patient-specific anatomical detail relevant for diagnostic validation and training. Overall, this study demonstrates that phantom geometry and fabrication strategy critically influence radiological performance and provides a flexible framework for future validation and standardized imaging research. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science Health sciences/Medical research 3D printed lung phantoms patient-specific phantoms CT imaging image analysis personalized medicine COVID-19 Full Text Additional Declarations Competing interest reported. Ahmed Mortada (A.M.), Alaa Darwesh (A.D.) and Mohammed Maniruzzaman (M.M.) are co-inventors of related intellectual property (IP). M.M., an author of this manuscript, holds stock in, serves on a scientific advisory board for, or is a consultant for CoM3D Ltd. (Surrey, UK), DosePlus Therapeutics, Inc. (Princeton, NJ, USA), and Septum Solutions LLC (Houston, TX, USA). The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in accordance with their policies on objectivity in research. The companies had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; and in the decision to publish the results. Supplementary Files floatimage1.png Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8496339","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":589837366,"identity":"0bab85ec-1456-47fd-a925-e87a94387abe","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmed M. 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