Characterization of Tissue-Equivalent Materials Through Measurements of the Linear Attenuation Coefficient and Scattering Profiles Obtained With Polyenergetic Beams

In this work seven tissue-equivalent materials (Nylon, Polyacetate, Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), water, muscle-equivalent, bone-equivalent and adipose-equivalent) were characterized, through their attenuation (linear attenuation coefficient) and scattering (scattering profile) properties. An energy dispersive X-ray system (EDXS) was used to analyze these properties simultaneously. The EDXS consisted of a tungsten anode X-ray tube operating at 60 kVp, a goniometer, and two detectors: a Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) detector, positioned at 7 degrees with relation to the incident beam, used for detecting the energy distribution of the scattered photons, and a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD), positioned at zero degree with relation to the incident beam, used for detecting the energy distribution of the transmitted beam (with the sample) or the incident beam (without the sample). The preliminary results obtained in this work show the potential of combining the linear attenuation coefficient and the scattering profile for characterizing and choosing the most suitable tissue-equivalent materials to simulate human tissue. Our results show that adipose-equivalent, water and bone-equivalent would be adequate to simulate adipose, muscle and bone tissue respectively.