Realistic head‐shaped phantom with brain‐mimicking metabolites for 7 T spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging

Purpose Moving to ultra‐high fields (≥7 T), the inhomogeneity of both RF (B1) and static (B0) magnetic fields increases, which further motivates us to design a realistic head‐shaped phantom, especially for spectroscopic imaging. Such phantoms provide images similar to the human brain and serve as a reliable tool for developing and examining methods in MRI. This study aims to develop and characterize a realistic head‐shaped phantom filled with brain‐mimicking metabolites for MRS and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in a 7 T MRI scanner. Methods A 3D head‐shaped container with three sections—mimicking brain, muscle and precranial lipid—was constructed. The phantom was designed to provide robustness to heating, mechanical damage and leakage, with easy refilling. The head’s shape and the agarose mixture were optimized to provide B0 and B1 distributions and T1/T2 relaxation values similar to those of human brain. Eight brain‐tissue‐mimicking metabolites were included for spectroscopy. The phantom was evaluated for localized spectroscopy, fast spectroscopic imaging and fat suppression. Results The B0 and B1 maps showed distribution similar to that of human brain, with increased B0 inhomogeneity near the nasal and ear areas and reduced B1 in the temporal lobe and brain stem regions, as expected in vivo. The metabolites’ concentrations were verified by single‐voxel spectroscopy, showing an average deviation of 11%. Fast spectroscopic imaging and imaging with fat suppression were demonstrated. Conclusion A 3D head‐shaped phantom for human brain imaging and spectroscopic imaging in 7 T MRI was demonstrated, making it a realistic phantom for methodology development at 7 T. A realistic head‐shaped phantom with brain‐mimicking metabolites was developed and characterized for magnetic resonance spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging in a 7T MRI scanner. The phantom was designed to improve robustness to heating, mechanical damage and leakage, with handy refilling. The B0 and B1 maps showed similar to human brain distribution. The metabolites’ concentrations were verified by single voxel spectroscopy, showing an average deviation of 11% and fast spectroscopic imaging was demonstrated.