A Multi-Directional 4D PCMR Flow Phantom: Design and Experiments

Motivation: Accurate blood flow measurement is vital for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders. Existing phantoms focus primarily on validating flow using phase-contrast MR (PCMR) techniques along the three orthogonal directions. No phantom has been reported for the validation of flow in non-orthogonal orientations. Goal(s): To validate flow quantification accuracy on a phantom in non-orthogonal directions using 4D flow MRI. Approach: A multi-directional plexiglass phantom was designed and fabricated to evaluate accuracy of 4D flow PCMR using blood-mimicking flows within tubing controlled by a programmable pump. Results: The phantom was successfully used to validate flow in orthogonal and non-orthogonal directions simultaneously with 4D flow MRI. Impact: The flow phantom can be used to validate flow in 5 directions simultaneously with 4D flow MRI. The phantom has the potential to be used to optimize and standardize the 4D flow MR protocol parameters for clinical applications.