| Abstract | Objective: Development of a composite material phantom, comprised of polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) and an agarose additive, to effectively mimic the magnetic resonance relaxation times (T1 and T2) of neonatal white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) at 3.0 T. Materials and Methods: Samples of PVA-C with and without agarose were prepared with 1 cycle of freezing/thawing. Measurements of T1 and T2, at 3.0 T, were performed on the samples at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 40°C. Results: A sample temperature of 40°C was required to achieve a T1 value sufficiently long to represent neonatal WM. At this temperature, neonatal WM relaxation times required 3% PVA-C with 0.3% agarose, whereas gray matter relaxation times required 8% PVA-C with 1.4% agarose. Conclusions: By adjusting the sample temperature, polyvinyl alcohol concentration, and agarose concentration, the relaxation times of neonatal brain tissues can be obtained using this composite material. |
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