• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.59-64
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a flexible eye shield phantom to acquire artifact-free computed tomography (CT) images for electron beam radiotherapy. Methods: A flexible eye shield phantom for a newly designed eye shield was fabricated. Because of metal artifacts caused by an eye shield composed of high-density materials such as tungsten or lead, CT image acquisition is not appropriate for treatment planning because of inaccurate dose calculation and organ-at-risk delineation. To acquire artifact-free CT images, a mold of the same size as the outer dimension of the metallic eye shield was manufactured using 3D printing. The flexible eye shield phantom was imaged using a Philips Brilliance CT Big Bore under the same condition as the measurement. The phantom image with an average of 200 Hounsfield unit (HU) was imported into the treatment planning systems (TPS) and assigned a value of 26,750 HU to consider the material density of tungsten. The dosimetric comparison using a 6-MeV electron beam was performed. Measurement was performed using a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor detector for point doses at 3 and 10 mm. Results: The artifact-free CT images using a flexible eye shield phantom without air bubbles were transferred into the TPS. The dose at 10 mm calculated using the TPS agreed with the ion-chamber measurements within 2 cGy. Conversely, a larger dose discrepancy between the measured and calculated doses was found at 3 mm depth. Conclusions: The flexible eye shield phantom was successfully fabricated to apply electron treatment planning by acquiring artifact-free CT images. The dose calculated using the artifact-free image was comparable to the measured dose at lens depth when applying an eye shield.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.476-481
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• 2009

The most troublesome artifacts in micro computed tomography (micro-CT) are ring artifacts. The ring artifacts are caused by non-uniform sensitivity and defective pixels of the x-ray detector. These ring artifacts seriously degrade the quality of CT images. In flat-panel detector based micro-CT systems, the ring artifacts are hardly removed by conventional correction methods of digital radiography, because very small difference of detector pixel signals may make severe ring artifacts. This paper presents a novel method to remove ring artifacts in flat-panel detector based micro-CT systems. First, the bad lines of a sinogram which are caused by defective pixels of the detector are identified, and then, they are corrected using a cubic spline interpolation technique. Finally, a ring artifacts free image is reconstructed from the corrected projections. We applied the method to various kinds of objects and found that the image qualities were much improved.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2019

In pediatric thoracic CT, respiratory motion is generally treated as a motion artifact degrading the image quality. Conversely, respiratory motion in the thorax can be used to answer important clinical questions, that cannot be assessed adequately via conventional static thoracic CT, by utilizing four-dimensional (4D) CT. However, clinical experiences of 4D thoracic CT are quite limited. In order to use 4D thoracic CT properly, imagers should understand imaging techniques, radiation dose optimization methods, and normal as well as typical abnormal imaging appearances. In this article, the imaging techniques of pediatric thoracic 4D CT are reviewed with an emphasis on radiation dose. In addition, several clinical applications of pediatric 4D thoracic CT are addressed in various thoracic functional abnormalities, including upper airway obstruction, tracheobronchomalacia, pulmonary air trapping, abnormal diaphragmatic motion, and tumor invasion. One may further explore the clinical usefulness of 4D thoracic CT in free-breathing children, which can enrich one's clinical practice.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-10
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• 2013

Purpose : This study evaluated the effects of breathing protocols on matching results of PET and CT images using two breathing protocols such as free breathing and acquisition in holding the breathing after the normal expiration in acquiring CT images. Materials and Methods: Whole body FDG PET and CT images of 200 patients (mean age: 58 (range 20~84), 103 males and 97 females) using Discovery VCT (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, USA). When taking CT images, subjects were asked to breathe freely (free breathing, n=100) or hold the breathing after the normal expiration (Hold, n=100). In the whole body image coronal section where PET and CT were matched, the matched error of the boundary between diaphragm and liver was measured in length. The matched errors were compared according to breathing protocol by age, sex and disease. The verification of statistical significance was made by SPSS 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) via one way ANOVA. Results: The matched error in all was 0.87 mm. According to breathing protocol, there was no significant difference in matched error as1.01 mm in free breathing and as 0.73 mm in hold breathing (p=.688). The matched error according to sex did not show significant difference as 1.08 mm of males, and 0.93 mm of females in free breathing (p=.517). In hold breathing, there was no significant difference as 0.79 mm of males and 0.66 mm of females (p=.738). There was no significant difference in matched error by age between free breathing and hold breathing (free breathing (p=.728), hold (p=.465). There was no significant difference in matched error by disease between free breathing and hold breathing (free breathing (p=.197), hold (p=.518) Conclusion: The difference in matched error between free breathing and hold breathing was less than 5 mm at 99%. There was no statistically significant difference in matched error by breathing protocol, age and disease. It was proved that there was no difference in matched error between PET and CT images according to breathing protocol during PET/CT scan.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.622-627
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• 2008

In orthognathic surgery, precise analysis and diagnosis are essential for successful results. In facial asymmetric patient, traditional 2D image analysis has been used by lateral and P-A Cephalometric view, Skull PA, Panorama, Submentovertex view etc. But clinicians sometimes misdiagnose because they cannot find exact landmark due to superimposition, moreover image can be magnified and distorted by projection technique or patient's skull position, when using these analysis and method. For overcome these defects, analysis by using of 3D CT has been introduced. In this way we can analysis precisely by getting the exact image free of artifact and finding exact landmark with no interruption of superimposition. So we want to review of relationship between various skeletal landmarks of mandible or cranial base and facial asymmetry by predictable analysis using 3D CT. We select the cases of the patients who visited our department for correction of facial asymmetry during 2003-2007 and who were taken image of 3D CT for diagnosis. 3D CT images were reconstructed to 3D image by using V-Work program (Cybermed Inc., Seoul, Korea). And we analysis the relationship between facial asymmetry and various affecting factor of skeletal pattern. The mandibular ramus hight difference between right and left was most affecting factor that express facial asymmetry. And in this research, there was no relationship between cranial base and facial asymmetry. The angulation between facial midline and mandibular ramus divergency has significant relationship with facial asymmetry

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2024

In this study, an AI-based algorithm was developed to prevent image quality deterioration and reading errors due to patient movement in PET/CT examinations that use radioisotopes in medical institutions to test cancer and other diseases. Using the Mothion Free software developed using, we checked the degree of correction of movement due to breathing, evaluated its usefulness, and conducted a study for clinical application. The experimental method was to use an RPM Phantom to inject the radioisotope 18F-FDG into a vacuum vial and a sphere of a NEMA IEC body Phantom of different sizes, and to produce images by directing the movement of the radioisotope into a moving lesion during respiration. The vacuum vial had different degrees of movement at different positions, and the spheres of the NEMA IEC body Phantom of different sizes produced different sizes of lesions. Through the acquired images, the lesion volume, maximum SUV, and average SUV were each measured to quantitatively evaluate the degree of motion correction by Motion Free. The average SUV of vacuum vial A, with a large degree of movement, was reduced by 23.36 %, and the error rate of vacuum vial B, with a small degree of movement, was reduced by 29.3 %. The average SUV error rate at the sphere 37mm and 22mm of the NEMA IEC body Phantom was reduced by 29.3 % and 26.51 %, respectively. The average error rate of the four measurements from which the error rate was calculated decreased by 30.03 %, indicating a more accurate average SUV value. In this study, only two-dimensional movements could be produced, so in order to obtain more accurate data, a Phantom that can embody the actual breathing movement of the human body was used, and if the diversity of the range of movement was configured, a more accurate evaluation of usability could be made.