• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

For optimal image quality of computer tomography angiography (CTA), different iodine concentrations and scan parameters were applied to quantitatively evaluate the image quality characteristics of filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid-iterative reconstruction (hybrid-IR), and deep learning reconstruction (DLR). A 320-row-detector CT scanner scanned a phantom with various iodine concentrations (1.2, 2.9, 4.9, 6.9, 10.4, 14.3, 18.4, and 25.9 mg/mL) located at the edge of a cylindrical water phantom with a diameter of 19 cm. Data obtained using each reconstruction technique was analyzed through noise, coefficient of variation (COV), and root mean square error (RMSE). As the iodine concentration increased, the CT number value increased, but the noise change did not show any special characteristics. COV decreased with increasing iodine concentration for FBP, adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) 3D, and advanced intelligent clear-IQ engine (AiCE) at various tube voltages and tube currents. In addition, when the iodine concentration was low, there was a slight difference in COV between the reconstitution techniques, but there was little difference as the iodine concentration increased. AiCE showed the characteristic that RMSE decreased as the iodine concentration increased but rather increased after a specific concentration (4.9 mg/mL). Therefore, the user will have to consider the characteristics of scan parameters such as tube current and tube voltage as well as iodine concentration according to the reconstruction technique for optimal CTA image acquisition.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2015

To obtain the best SNR (signal to noise ratio) due to changes in CTDI (computed tomography dose index) made for the purpose of setting the optimum image obtained by reducing the dose in abdominal CT. Abdominal CT scans of 59 patients a $400-499cm^2$ (n = 12), $500-599cm^2$ (n = 21), $600-699cm^2$ (n = 17), $700-799cm^2$ (n = 9) were separated by four groups and the effective dose was used in the Excel to get the area of the patient using the ImageJ program. Patients of CTDI, DLP, SNR, the effective dose were analyzed. Abdominal CT area was increased to 13 mGy in CTDI is 7.3 mGy, DLP to 732 in $394.4mGy{\cdot}cm$, also effective dose was 5.9 mSv increase in 11mSv. SNR is 15 dB was maintained at 12.7. CTDI according to the average of the abdominal area of 8.9 mGy, the average of the DLP was $481.54mGy{\cdot}cm$, the effective dose is calculated to be 7.2 mSV. Effective dose was calculated by multiplying the load factor of DLP in the abdomen showed no statistically significant difference of (p < .05), there was a significant difference in SNR (p > . 05). To improve image quality of abdominal CT scan image in consideration of the CTDI according to the volume of the patient it should be able to reduce the radiation exposure of the patients.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.212-221
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• 2008

The total hip replacement (THR) has been used as the most effective way to restore the function of damaged hip joint. However, various factors have caused some side effects after the THR. Unfortunately, the success of the THR have been decided only by the proficiency of surgeons so far. Hence, It is necessary to find the way to minimize the side effect caused by those factors. The purpose of this study was to suggest the definite data, which can be used to design and choose the optimal hip implant. Using finite element analysis (FEA), the biomechanical condition of bone cement was evaluated. Stress patterns were analyzed in three conditions: cement mantle, procimal femur and stem-cement contact surface. Additionally, micro-motion was analyzed in the stem-cement contact surface. The 3-D femur model was reconstructed from 2-D computerized tomography (CT) images. Raw CT images were preprocessed by image processing technique (i.e. edge detection). In this study, automated edge detection system was created by MATLAB coding for effective and rapid image processing. The 3-D femur model was reconstructed based on anatomical parameters. The stem shape was designed using that parameters. The analysis of the finite element models was performed with the variation of parameters. The biomechanical influence of each parameter was analyzed and derived optimal parameters. Moreover, the results of FE A using commercial stem model (Zimmer's V erSys) were similar to the results of stem model that was used in this study. Through the study, the improved designs and optimal factors for clinical application were suggested. We expect that the results can suggest solutions to minimize various side effects.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.55-64
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• 2017

Purpose Recently, with the spread of SPECT/CT, various image correction methods can be applied quickly and accurately, which enabled us to expect quantitative accuracy as well as image quality improvement. Among them, the Collimator Detector Response(CDR) recovery is a correction method aiming at resolution recovery by compensating the blurring effect generated from the distance between the detector and the object. The purpose of this study is to find out quantitative change depending on the change in detection distance in SPECT/CT images with CDR recovery applied. Materials and Methods In order to find out the error of acquisition count depending on the change of detection distance, we set the detection distance according to the obit type as X, Y axis radius 30cm for circular, X, Y axis radius 21cm, 10cm for non-circular and non-circular auto(=auto body contouring, ABC_spacing limit 1cm) and applied reconstruction methods by dividing them into Astonish(3D-OSEM with CDR recovery) and OSEM(w/o CDR recovery) to find out the difference in activity recovery depending on the use of CDR recovery. At this time, attenuation correction, scatter correction, and decay correction were applied to all images. For the quantitative evaluation, calibration scan(cylindrical phantom, $^{99m}TcO_4$ 123.3 MBq, water 9293 ml) was obtained for the purpose of calculating the calibration factor(CF). For the phantom scan, a 50 cc syringe was filled with 31 ml of water and a phantom image was obtained by setting $^{99m}TcO_4$ 123.3 MBq. We set the VOI(volume of interest) in the entire volume of the syringe in the phantom image to measure total counts for each condition and obtained the error of the measured value against true value set by setting CF to check the quantitative accuracy according to the correction. Results The calculated CF was 154.28 (Bq/ml/cps/ml) and the measured values against true values in each conditional image were analyzed to be circular 87.5%, non-circular 90.1%, ABC 91.3% and circular 93.6%, non-circular 93.6%, ABC 93.9% in OSEM and Astonish, respectively. The closer the detection distance, the higher the accuracy of OSEM, and Astonish showed almost similar values regardless of distance. The error was the largest in the OSEM circular(-13.5%) and the smallest in the Astonish ABC(-6.1%). Conclusion SPECT/CT images showed that when the distance compensation is made through the application of CDR recovery, the detection distance shows almost the same quantitative accuracy as the proximity detection even under the distant condition, and accurate correction is possible without being affected by the change in detection distance.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.40-50
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• 2004

Background: This study was conducted to analyze the height and width of the pedicle of the upper and lower levels on the concave and the convex sides. In addition, we checked for the appropriate pedicle screw size which could be screwed in without complications. Materials and Methods: Taking a simple AP radiography in a standing position, 99 vertebrae on the major curve with the possibility of 3-D reconstruction were analyzed after checking the CT in a supine position of 22 idiopathic scoliosis. We measured Cobb's angle from a simple radiograph, and measured the size of the isthmus by the Inner Space 3-D Editor after 3-D reconstruction with the Inner Space 3-D program in the DICOM file transformed from CT image. We then analyzed the size of pedicles of the upper and lower levels on the concave and the convex sides by measuring the height and width of the pedicle. Results: All pedicles on the concave side were smaller than those on the convex side. Their size increased as the measurement moved from the upper to lower vertebra, except for the upper thoracic vertebra. When the width of the pedicle through 3-D reconstruction was compared with the narrowest width of the pedicle measured by using CT, the width of the pedicles through 3-D reconstruction was statistically smaller (P<0.01). Most of the pedicles were tear-drop or kidney shaped rather than cylindrical. Conclusion: These results suggest that the use of the coronal plane through 3-D reconstruction would be necessary for an accurate measurement of the size of the pedicle. It is important to pay careful attention to the screw size and the screwing method considering the pedicle shape through 3-D reconstruction.

• 대한방사선치료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.13-17
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• 2005

Introduction : For stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of a tumor in the region whose movement due to respiration is significant, like Lung lower lobe, the gated therapy, which delivers radiation dose to the selected respiratory phases when tumor motion is small, was peformed using the Respiratory gating system and its clinical effectiveness was evaluated. Methode and Materials : For two SRS patients with a tumor in Lung lower lobe, a marker block (infrared reflector) was attached on the abdomen. While patient' respiratory cycle was monitored with Real-time Position Management (RPM, Varian, USA), 4D CT was performed (10 phases per a cycle). Phases in which tumor motion did not change rapidly were decided as treatment phases. The treatment volume was contoured on the CT images for selected treatment phases using maximum intensity projection (MIP) method. In order to verify setup reproducibility and positional variation, 4D CT was repeated. Result : Gross tumor volume (GTV) showed maximum movement in superior-inferior direction. For patient $\#$1, motion of GTV was reduced to 2.6 mm in treatment phases ($30\%\~60\%$), while that was 9.4 mm in full phases ($0\%\~90\%$) and for patient $\#$2, it was reduced to 2.3 mm in treatment phases ($30\%\~70\%$), while it was 11.7 mm in full phases ($0\%\~90\%$). When comparing two sets of CT images, setup errors in all the directions were within 3 mm. Conclusion : Since tumor motion was reduced less than 5 mm, the Respiratory gating system for SRS of Lung lower lobe is useful.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.373-378
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• 2020

For improving interoperability of medical information, health level 7 has initiated the development of a next-generation framework for the exchange of medical information called the Fast health interoperability resources (FHIR). However, there was no attempt to exchange the medical three-dimensional (3D) image with clinical data via FHIR. Thus, we designed a new method. The 3D image to be made from computed tomography was converted to the javascript object notation (JSON) file format, and clinical data was added. We made a test FHIR server, and the client used the postman. The JSON file was attached to the body, and was then transmitted. The transmitted 3D image could be seen through a web browser, and attached clinical data was identified in the source code. This is the first attempt to exchange the medical 3D image. Additional researches will be needed to develop applications or FHIR resources that apply this method.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.942-952
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• 2006

We propose an automatic segmentation method for identifying pulmonary structures using gray-level information of chest CT images. Our method consists of following five steps. First, to segment pulmonary structures based on the difference of gray-level value, we select the threshold using optimal thresholding. Second, we separate the thorax from the background air and then the lungs and airways from the thorax by applying the inverse operation of 2D region growing in chest CT images. To eliminate non-pulmonary structures which has similar intensities with the lungs, we use 3D connected component labeling. Third, we segment the trachea and left and right mainstem bronchi using 3D branch-based region growing in chest CT images. Fourth, we can obtain accurate lung boundaries by subtracting the result of third step from the result of second step. Finally, we select the threshold in accordance with histogram analysis and then segment radio-dense pulmonary vessels by applying gray-level thresholding to the result of the second step. To evaluate the accuracy of proposed method, we make a visual inspection of segmentation result of lungs, airways and pulmonary vessels. We compare the result of the conventional region growing with the result of proposed 3D branch-based region growing. Experimental results show that our proposed method extracts lung boundaries, airways, and pulmonary vessels automatically and accurately.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.669-680
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• 1999

Background: Pulmonary thromboembolism(PTE) is a life threatening disease that needs early diagnosis. Spiral CT angiography depict thromboemboli in the central pulmonary vessels with greater than 90% sensitivity and specificity, which approaches the results of pulmonary angiography in the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis(PIOPED) study. This study was performed to evaluate the findings and the diagnostic value(clinical utility) of the spiral CT angiography with 2D image(multiplanar reformation) and 3D images(Shaded surface display, Minimal intensity projection) in the pulmonary thromboembolism. Methods: We retrospectively analysed spiral CT angiography and pulmonary angiography, lung scan and clinical recordings of 20 patients who had PTE diagnosed by spiral CT angiography(n=19 cases) or pulmonary angiography(n=l case) from September 1997 to August 1998. Among 20 patients who had underwent spiral CT angiography, 14 patients could be performed lung perfusion scan at the same time. We analyzed the vascular and parenchymal change in spiral CT angiogram. Results: Anatomical distribution of PTE was as follows: 1) left lung(n= 103)

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.40-49
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a surface-guided radiosurgery system customized for a neurosurgery clinic that could be used as an auxiliary system for improving the accuracy, monitoring the movements of patients while performing hypofractionated radiosurgery, and minimizing the geometric misses. Methods: RGB-D cameras were installed in the treatment room and a monitoring system was constructed to perform a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the body surface of the patient and to express it as a point cloud. This could be used to confirm the exact position of the body of the patient and monitor their movements during radiosurgery. The image from the system was matched with the computed tomography (CT) image, and the positional accuracy was compared and analyzed in relation to the existing system to evaluate the accuracy of the setup. Results: The user interface was configured to register the patient and display the setup image to position the setup location by matching the 3D points on the body of the patient with the CT image. The error rate for the position difference was within 1-mm distance (min, -0.21 mm; max, 0.63 mm). Compared with the existing system, the differences were found to be as follows: x=0.08 mm, y=0.13 mm, and z=0.26 mm. Conclusions: We developed a surface-guided repositioning and monitoring system that can be customized and applied in a radiation surgery environment with an existing linear accelerator. It was confirmed that this system could be easily applied for accurate patient repositioning and inter-treatment motion monitoring.