Temporal changes in sucrose phantoms for magnetic resonance imaging: effects of preparation temperatures

This study investigated the effects of preparation temperature and usage period on the relaxation times and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of sucrose phantoms to enhance imaging reliability. Phantoms were prepared using 10% sucrose solutions at 20, 50, and 80 °C. T1 and T2 relaxation times and ADC were monitored over 80 days using magnetic resonance imaging on a 1.5 T system. T2 relaxation time in 50 °C solutions increased from 245.5 to 1579 ms, while 80 °C solutions showed the highest stability (coefficient of variation ≈ 1.8%). T1 relaxation time changes were minimal, and ADC decreased at an average rate of 2.19 × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s per day. Bacteria were observed in the sucrose solution, and higher protein concentrations were strongly correlated with decreased 1/T2. In conclusion, sucrose phantoms exhibited temperature-dependent stability, with 80 °C preparations providing the most reliable T2 relaxation time.