• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.60-61
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• 1998

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for automatic segmentation of 3-dimesional brain MR images. In order to segment 3-dimensional brain MR images, we start segmentation from a mid-sagittal brain MR image. Then the segmented mid-sagittal brain MR image is used as a mask that is applied to the remaining lateral slices. Then we apply preprocessing, which includes thresholding and region-labeling, to the lateral slices, resulting in simplified 3-D brain MR images. Finally, we remove remaining problematic regions in the 3-dimensional brain MR image using the connectivity-based thresholding segmentation algorithm. Experiments show satisfactory results.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.499-505
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• 2003

Background : The brain is a common site of a metastasis in lung cancer patients. If left untreated, the patients succumb to progressive neurological deterioration with a lower survival rate than with other metastases sites. Contrast-enhanced MR imaging in the absence of symptoms or clinical signs is not recommended for identifying a cerebral metastasis in lung cancer patients because of management effectiveness. This pilot study was performed to estimate whether or not limited brain MR imaging, which has a lower cost, could be used to replace conventional brain MR imaging. Method : Between April 1999 and March 2001, 43 patients with a primary lung cancer and the others (breast cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, malignant melanoma etc), who had neurological symptoms and signs, were examined using conventional brain MR imaging to examine brain metastases. The control group involved four patients who had no evidence of brain metastases the sensitivity, specificity and correlation of limited brain MR imaging were compared with conventional brain MR imaging. Results : All the 43 patients who were examined with conventional brain MR imaging showed evidence of brain metastases, whereas limited brain MR imaging indicated that 42 patients had brain metastases(sensitivity=97.67%). One patient in whom limited brain MR imaging showed no brain metastasis had a metastasis in the cerebellum, as shown by the contrast-enhanced T1 weighted axial view using conventional brain MR imaging. The conventional brain MR imaging and the limited brain MI imaging of the 4 control patients both indicated no brain metastases (specificity=100 %). The Pearson Correlation of the two groups was 0.884(Confidence Interval : 99%) observed. Conclusion : Limited brain MR imaging can detect a brain metastasis with the same accuracy. In addition, it is cost-effective (229,000 won, 180$) compared to conventional brain MR imaging(529,000 won, 480$) when patients had neurological symptoms and signs or staging.

• The Transactions of the Korea Information Processing Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.542-551
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• 2000

In this paper, a novel technique is presented for automatic brain region segmentation in single channel MR image data sets for 3D visualization and analysis. The method detects brain contours in 2D and 3D processing of four steps. The first and the second make a head mask and an initial brain mask by automatic thresholding using a curve fitting technique. The stage 3 reconstructs 3D volume of the initial brain mask by cubic interpolation and generates an intermediate brain mask using morphological operation and labeling of connected components. In the final step, the brain mask is refined by automatic thresholding using curve fitting. This algorithm is useful for fully automatic brain region segmentation of T1-weighted, T2-weighted, PD-weighted, SPGR MRI data sets without considering slice direction and covering a whole volume of a brain. In the experiments, the algorithm was applied to 20 sets of MR images and showed over 0.97 in comparison with manual drawing in similarity index.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

A noel automated brain region extraction method in single channel MR images for visualization and analysis of a human brain is presented. The method generates a volume of brain masks by automatic thresholding using a dual curve fitting technique and by 3D morphological operations. The dual curve fitting can reduce an error in clue fitting to the histogram of MR images. The 3D morphological operations, including erosion, labeling of connected-components, max-feature operation, and dilation, are applied to the cubic volume of masks reconstructed from the thresholded Drain masks. This method can automatically extract a brain region in any displayed type of sequences, including extreme slices, of SPGR, T1-, T2-, and PD-weighted MR image data sets which are not required to contain the entire brain. In the experiments, the algorithm was applied to 20 sets of MR images and showed over 0.97 of similarity index in comparison with manual drawing.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.37-37
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• 2003

To assess the merits and demerits of postcontrast fat-suppressed (FS) brain MR imaging in children in the evaluation of various enhancing lesions, compared with postcontrast conventional or Magnetization Transfer (MT) imaging. 대상 및 방법： We reviewed patients with enhancing lesion on brain MR imaging who underwent both FS imaging and one of conventional or MT imaging as a postcontrast T1-weighted brain MR imaging. Inclusion criteria of our study were as follows： MR studies should be peformed within one-year interval and showed no significant interval change of imaging findings. Thirty-four patients (21 male, 13 female; mean age, 8 years) with 43 enhancing lesions (19 intra-axial, 19 extra-axial, and 5 orbital location) were included in this study, Twenty-one pairs of FS and conventional imaging, and 15 pairs of FS and MT imaging were available. Two radiologists visually assessed the lesion conspicuity and the presence of flow or susceptibility artifacts in a total of 36 pairs of MR imaging by consensus. For 21 measurable lesions (19 pairs of FS and conventional imaging, 5 pairs of FS and MR imaging), contrast ratio between the lesion and the normal brain( ［SIlesion-SIwater］/[SInormal brain-SIwater]) were calculated and compared.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.100-100
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• 2003

In brain MR imaging, contrast-enhanced study is important in the detection and characterization of lesions. As a postcontrast brain MR imaging, conventional T1 weighted imaging has been usually used. Magnetization transfer imaging has been used to increase conspicuity of enhancing lesions. In addition, fat-suppression imaging can be used as in other parts of the body. Recently, FLAIR sequence has been reported to be useful in detecting subarachnoid, meningeal, and subdural abnormalities. In this exhibit, we demonstrate basic principles and typical appearances of various pulse sequences that can be used as a postcontrast brain MR imaging in children. Furthermore, we discuss imaging strategies to increase clinical usefulness of postcontrast brain MR imaging for specific abnormalities. The advantages and disadvantages of each pulse sequence are also discussed.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of study was to evaluate the feasibility of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images of the rat obtained using a 1.5T MR machine in several blood-brain barrier (BBB) experiments. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. MR images were obtained using a clinical 1.5T MR machine. A microcatheter was introduced via the femoral artery to the carotid artery. Normal saline (group 1, n = 4), clotted autologous blood (group 2, n = 4), triolein emulsion (group 3, n = 4), and oleic acid emulsion (group 4, n = 4) were infused into the carotid artery through a microcatheter. Conventional and diffusion-weighted images, the apparent coefficient map, perfusion-weighted images, and contrast-enhanced MR images were obtained. Brain tissue was obtained and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was performed in group 2. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextran images and endothelial barrier antigen (EBA) studies were performed in group 4. Results : The MR images in group 1 were of good quality. The MR images in group 2 revealed typical findings of acute cerebral infarction. Perfusion defects were noted on the perfusion-weighted images. The MR images in group 3 showed vasogenic edema and contrast enhancement, representing vascular damage. The rats in group 4 had vasogenic edema on the MR images and leakage of dextran on the FITC-labeled dextran image, representing increased vascular permeability. The immune reaction was decreased on the EBA study. Conclusion : Clinical 1.5T MR images using a rat depicted many informative results in the present study. These results can be used in further researches of the BBB using combined clinical MR machines and immunohistochemical examinations.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.230-234
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• 2014

Automatic detection of disease helps medical institutions that are introducing digital images to read images rapidly and accurately, and is thus applicable to lesion diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to apply a symmetry contribution algorithm to unsharp mask filter-applied MR images and propose an analysis technique to automatically recognize brain tumor and edema. We extracted the skull region and drawed outline of the skull in database of images obtained at P University Hospital and detected an axis of symmetry with cerebral characteristics. A symmetry contribution algorithm was then applied to the images around the axis of symmetry to observe intensity changes in pixels and detect disease areas. When we did not use the unsharp mask filter, a brain tumor was detected in 60 of a total of 95 MR images. The disease detection rate for the brain was 63.16%. However, when we used the unsharp mask filter, the tumor was detected in 87 of a total of 95 MR images, with a disease detection rate of 91.58%. When the unsharp mask filter was used in the pre-process stage, the disease detection rate for the brain was higher than when it was not used. We confirmed that unsharp mask filter can be used to rapidly and accurately to read many MR images stored in a database.

• Proceedings of the Korea Multimedia Society Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.95-98
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• 2001

본 논문은 뇌의 축방향(axial sect ion)에 대하여 촬영한 뇌의 자기공명 영상(Magnetic Resonance Imaging)을 대상으로 뇌의 영역만을 분리하기 위한 방법을 제안하고 있다. MR영상은 슬라이스마다 다른 분포값을 가지기 때문에 각 슬라이스 별로 조직의 특성을 파악하여 뇌의 영역을 분리하였다. 히스토그램의 명암값 분포를 분석하여 배경과 뇌를 둘러싸고 있는 외피를 제거하고 라벨링(label1ing) 알고리즘을 적용하여 뇌만 분리 할 수 있도록 하는 마스크 영상을 만들어 이것을 이용하여 원영상으로부터 뇌의 영역만을 분리하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.341-344
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• 2002

Neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer's disease, are often accompanied by reduced brain perfusion (cerebral blood flow). Using the intrinsic magnetic properties of water, arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASLMRI) can map brain perfusion without injection of radioactive tracers or contrast agents. However, accuracy in measuring perfusion with ASL-MRI can be limited because of contributions to the signal from stationary spins and because of signal modulations due to transient magnetic field effects. The goal was to optimize ASL-MRI for perfusion measurements in the aging human brain, including brains with Alzheimer's disease. A new ASL-MRI sequence was designed and evaluated on phantom and humans. Image texture analysis was performed to test quantitatively improvements. Compared to other ASL-MRI methods, the newly designed sequence provided improved signal to noise ratio improved signal uniformity across slices, and thus, increased measurement reliability. This new ASL-MRI sequence should therefore provide improved measurements of regional changes of brain perfusion in normal aging and neurodegenerative disorders.