Fabrication and validation of new tissue equivalent heterogeneous composite materials as neonatal and pediatric cranial bone substitutes in diagnostic radiology

This study explores the development of heterogeneous composite materials as pediatric cranial bone substitutes by incorporating sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate within an epoxy resin matrix . The aim was to tailor the material’s radiation interaction properties for various pediatric age groups. The fabrication involved mixing specific percentages of fillers for uniform dispersion in epoxy resin , followed by curing. Monte Carlo simulations evaluated the materials’ attenuation properties, revealing varying percent differences in mass attenuation compared to ICRU-reported values of compact and cortical bones. For infant bone material, the differences averaged 34.3 % and 37.5 %, while those for children aged 1–5 years were 13.4 % and 19.3 %, and for children over 5 years, 5.96 % and 12.8 %. Hounsfield Unit values ranged from 576 ± 30 for infants to 952 ± 18 for children aged 10–15 years. Good agreement was demonstrated with pediatric bone tissues, showing the composite’s potential for mimicking pediatric cranial bone.