Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the first widely useful standard for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast, a method used to identify and monitor breast cancer.

The NIST instrument—a “phantom”—will help standardize MRIs of breast tissue and ensure quality control in comparing images within and between medical research studies. Phantoms mimic the response of human tissue to help test the performance of medical imaging systems. NIST’s new breast phantom also can be used to compare MRI scanners and train operators. The phantom supports quantitative MRI, which is increasingly used for breast cancer diagnosis, staging, and treatment monitoring, as well as for imaging other parts of the body.

As described in a new paper, NIST’s prototype breast phantom was tested on MRI systems from two manufacturers in three configurations and produced accurate, quantitative images that could be used to evaluate common imaging procedures. Co-authors of the paper work at the University of California, San Francisco, where the phantom is already used in clinical trials.

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