The NEW Gammex 610 Neonatal Chest Phantom is designed for routine quality assurance monitoring of computed and
digital radiography systems. Because the phantom replicates both the anatomic structure and the tissue attenuation
characteristics of a real neonate, the phantom can be imaged using clinical protocols resulting in a test of the entire imaging
chain, including image processing parameters. The Gammex 610 is the first anthropomorphic neonatal phantom that
sufficiently represents a 1-2 kg neonate in its transmission characteristics, histogram, physical size and structure. As such, it
can be imaged using the appropriate clinical parameters to provide a measure of image consistency over time. The
phantom also contains clinically relevant image quality challenges for resolution and noise in the form of a lung with
simulated pneumothorax with pleural thickening, and a lung with simulated hyaline membrane disease. The Gammex 610
Neonatal Chest Phantom answers a recognized need by both international and national standards groups such as IPEM and
AAPM for a comprehensive quality assurance program for computed and digital radiography addressing the two major
concerns of patient exposure and image quality. Patient exposure is a concern because computed and
digital radiographic equipment will scale the over exposed images to the proper optical density. The result, often referred to
as ¡°Dose Creep¡± is especially relevant in pediatric imaging where some patients are radiographed several times per day.
Evaluation of image quality is complicated by the way in which computed and digital radiographic systems use
a-priori knowledge of anatomy being radiographed to process and display the image. Image quality can be degraded
through improper parameter selection. The effect of parameter selection on image quality can only be assessed by using a
phantom that replicates the human anatomy. The Gammex 610 phantom is specially suited as a tool for establishing the
lowest possible exposure level that still maintains diagnostic image quality.
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