A physical phantom for amine chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI.

Objective: To develop a robust amine chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) physical phantom, validate the temporal stability, and create a supporting software for automatic image processing and quality assurance.

Materials And Methods: The phantom was designed as an assembled laser-cut acrylic rack and 18 vials of phantom solutions, prepared with different pHs, glycine concentrations, and gadolinium concentrations. We evaluated glycine concentrations using ultraviolet absorbance for 70 days and measured the pH, relaxation rates, and CEST contrast for 94 days after preparation.