• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.708-711
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• 2016

본 논문에서는 의료초음파 영상에서 진단 파라미터 데이터를 가시화 하는 방법론으로서 연속적인 픽셀 값을 갖는 전이시간 데이터의 표현과, 4가지 유형의 값으로 분류되는 병변 진단 파라미터 영상을 생성하는 방법을 제시한다. 또한 생성된 파라미터 영상에서 노이즈를 제거하기 위한 방법론으로서 MRF 모델을 이용한 영상개선 기법을 제안한다. 이러한 파라미터 영상 생성기법은 초음파 진단 데이터에서 조영증강 패턴의 동적인 변화에 대한 육안 판별의 한계를 극복할 수 있게 한다. MRF 기반 영상개선 과정에서 연속적인 픽셀 값에 대한 에너지함수를 정의하고 이를 최적화 하는 기법을 개발하였으며 실제 의료영상을 사용한 실험을 통하여 제안된 이론의 유용성을 평가하였다.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.211-216
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• 2017

This paper proposes image processing techniques that improve usability and performance in a diagnostic system of the contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. For a methodology for visualizing diagnostic parameter data in an ultrasonic medical image, an expression of transition time data with successive pixel values and a method of generating a lesion diagnostic parameter image with four categorized values are presented. We also introduce a MRF-based image enhancement technique to eliminate noises from generated parametric images. Such parametric image generation technique can overcome the difficulty of discriminating dynamic change in patterns in the ultrasonography. The technique clarifies the contour of the region in the original image and facilitates visual determination of the characteristics of the lesion through four colors. With regard to this MRF-based image enhancement, we define the energy function of consecutive pixel values and develop a technique to optimize it, and the usability of the proposed theory is examined through experiments with medical images.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.329-335
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• 2010

Digital imaging detectors can use a variety of detection materials to convert X-ray radiation either to light or directly to electron charge. Many detectors such as amorphous silicon flat panels, CCDs, and CMOS photodiode arrays incorporate a scintillator screen to convert x-ray to light. The digital radiography systems based on semiconductor detectors, commonly referred to as flat panel detectors, are gaining popularity in the clinical & hospital. The X-ray detectors are described between a-Silicon based indirect type and a-Selenium based direct type. The DRS of detectors is used to convert the x-ray to electron hole pairs. Image processing is described by specific image features: Latitude compression, Contrast enhancement, Edge enhancement, Look up table, Noise suppression. The image features are tuned independently. The final enhancement result is a combination of all image features. The parameters are altered by using specific image features in the different several hospitals. The image in a radiological report consists of two image evaluation processes: Clinical image parameters and MTF is a descriptor of the spatial resolution of a digital imaging system. We used the edge test phantom and exposure procedure described in the IEC 61267 to obtain an edge spread function from which the MTF is calculated. We can compare image in the processing parameters to change between original and processed image data. The angle of the edge with respect to the axes of detector was varied in order to determine the MTF as a function of direction. Each MTF is integrated within the spatial resolution interval of 1.35-11.70 cycles/mm at the 50% MTF point. Each image enhancement parameters consists of edge, frequency, contrast, LUT, noise, sensitometry curve, threshold level, windows. The digital device is also shown to have good uniformity of MTF and image parameters across its modality. The measurements reported here represent a comprehensive evaluation of digital radiography system designed for use in the DRS. The results indicate that the parameter enables very good image quality in the digital radiography. Of course, the quality of image from a parameter is determined by other digital devices in addition to the proper clinical image.

• Journal of KIISE
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.910-918
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• 2015

This paper presents a parameter visualization technique to overcome the limitation of the naked eye in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. A method is also proposed to compensate for the distortion and noise in ultrasound image sequences. Meaningful parameters for diagnosing liver disease can be extracted from the dynamic patterns of the contrast enhancement in ultrasound images. The visualization technique can provide more accurate information by generating a parametric image from the dynamic data. Respiratory motions and noise from micro-bubble in ultrasound data may cause a degradation of the reliability of the diagnostic parameters. A multi-stage algorithm for respiratory motion tracking and an image enhancement technique based on the Markov Random Field are proposed. The usefulness of the proposed methods is empirically discussed through experiments by using a set of clinical data.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.4 no.7
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• pp.297-300
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• 2015

In medical ultrasonography, transit time and contrast enhancement patterns are considered as important parameters to analyze liver diseases. In many recent researches, time-intensity curves(TIC) have been used for calculating the transit time of the contrast agents. However, the intensity curve may include the variations which are caused by the micro-bubble effect of contrast agents. In this paper, we propose a complementary approach to diagnostic parameter extraction which utilizes a density information as well as the intensity data. The proposed technique improves the accuracy in extraction of the transit time and velocity of contrast agents for detection and characterization of focal liver lesions. Through the experiments using a set of clinical data, we show that the proposed methods can improve the reliability of the parametric image data.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2020

In this paper, we introduce a method to visualize the contrast diffusion patterns and the dynamic vascular patterns in a contrast-enhanced ultrasound image sequence. We present an imaging technique to visualize parameters such as contrast arrival time, peak intensity time, and contrast decay time in contrast-enhanced ultrasound data. The contrast flow pattern and its velocity are important for characterizing focal liver lesions. We propose a method for representing the contrast diffusion patterns as an image. In the methods, respiratory motion may degrade the accuracy of the parametric images. Therefore, we present a respiratory motion tracking technique that uses dynamic weights and a momentum factor with respect to the respiration cycle. Through the experiment using 72 CEUS data sets, we show that the proposed method makes it possible to overcome the limitation of analysis by the naked eye and improves the reliability of the parametric images by compensating for respiratory motion in contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.231-236
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• 2014

The transit time of contrast agents and the parameters of time-intensity curves in ultrasonography are important factors to diagnose various diseases of a digestive organ. We have implemented an automatic parametric imaging method to overcome the difficulty of the diagnosis by naked eyes. However, the micro-bubble noise and the respiratory motions may degrade the reliability of the parameter images. In this paper, we introduce an optimization technique based on MRF(Markov Random Field) model to enhance the quality of the parameter images, and present an image tracking algorithm to compensate the image distortion by respiratory motions. A method to extract the respiration periods from the ultrasound image sequence has been developed. We have implemented the ROI(Region of Interest) tracking algorithm using the dynamic weights and a momentum factor based on these periods. An energy function is defined for the Gibbs sampler of the image enhancement method. Through the experiments using the data to diagnose liver lesions, we have shown that the proposed method improves the quality of the parametric images.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2015.04a
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• pp.862-863
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• 2015

본 연구에서는 조영증강 초음파 진단에서 혈류의 패턴을 효과적으로 판단할 수 있게 하기 위하여 조영제의 확산패턴을 영상으로 표현하는 방법론을 제안한다. 초음파 영상에서 조영제의 전이 시간에 대한 파라미터의 가시화 기법과, 단계별 전이패턴을 단일 영상으로 표현하는 방법을 제시함으로써, 병변의 진단 및 분석과정에서 대상 영역 내 혈류의 형태와 속도를 효과적으로 판별할 수 있게 한다. 분석과정의 필요에 따라 영상에서 정밀도를 선택적으로 적용할 수 있도록 하였으며, 노이즈 제거를 위한 필터링 과정과 단계별 전이 시점의 위치에 대한 영역 분할 과정을 거쳐 영상 생성결과를 개선할 수 있도록 하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.697-699
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• 2005

본 논문에서는 실세계 조명 정보를 표현하는 HDR(High Dynamic Range) 영상으로부터 소수의 방향성 광원을 추정하는 기법을 제안한다. 광원 추정을 위해 노출 시간을 달리한 일련의 일반 영상으로부터 실세계의 조명 정보를 선형적으로 표현할 수 있는 HDR영상을 생성한다. HDR영상의 색상 및 명도 변화를 이용하며 영역을 분할하고, 분할된 영역으로부터 명도 평균과 가중치를 이용하여 방향성 광원의 파라미터를 추출하는 방법을 제안한다. 제안된 방법의 장정은 비반복적인 기법을 사용하여 일관된 결과를 산출하여 사용자의 입력없이 자동으로 계산하는 것이다. 추정된 광원은 그래픽 하드웨어를 사용한 실시간 렌더링에 적용 가능하다. 또한 실시간 렌더링이 중요한 가상현실이나 증강현실 분야에서 가상의 오브젝트를 렌더링할 때 IBL(Image Based Lighting)등의 전역조명 효과와 유사한 사실적인 영상을 얻을 수 있다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.792-795
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• 2013

본 연구에서는 조영증강 의료 초음파 영상에서 조영제의 도달시간(arrival time)과 전이시간(transit time)에 관한 정보를 영상화하는 과정에서 정보의 왜곡을 개선하는 방법론을 제시한다. 간 질환 진단을 위한 파라미터 영상에서 병변 형태의 왜곡은 호흡에 의한 흔들림 현상과 노이즈의 영향에 기인한다. 본 논문에서는 이를 개선하는 방법으로서 MRF(Markov Random Field) 모델을 적용한 최적화 기법을 제안한다. 이를 위하여 Gibbs 샘플러를 적용하기 위한 에너지 함수를 정의하고 이를 기반으로 하는 영상개선 알고리즘을 구현하였다. 제안된 이론은 실제 의료진단 데이터에 적용함으로써 그 유용성을 평가하였다.