• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.294-304
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• 2023

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether image standardization using deep learning-based computed tomography (CT) image conversion would improve the performance of deep learning-based automated hepatic segmentation across various reconstruction methods. Materials and Methods: We collected contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT of the abdomen that was obtained using various reconstruction methods, including filtered back projection, iterative reconstruction, optimum contrast, and monoenergetic images with 40, 60, and 80 keV. A deep learning based image conversion algorithm was developed to standardize the CT images using 142 CT examinations (128 for training and 14 for tuning). A separate set of 43 CT examinations from 42 patients (mean age, 10.1 years) was used as the test data. A commercial software program (MEDIP PRO v2.0.0.0, MEDICALIP Co. Ltd.) based on 2D U-NET was used to create liver segmentation masks with liver volume. The original 80 keV images were used as the ground truth. We used the paired t-test to compare the segmentation performance in the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and difference ratio of the liver volume relative to the ground truth volume before and after image standardization. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used to assess the agreement between the segmented liver volume and ground-truth volume. Results: The original CT images showed variable and poor segmentation performances. The standardized images achieved significantly higher DSCs for liver segmentation than the original images (DSC [original, 5.40%-91.27%] vs. [standardized, 93.16%-96.74%], all P < 0.001). The difference ratio of liver volume also decreased significantly after image conversion (original, 9.84%-91.37% vs. standardized, 1.99%-4.41%). In all protocols, CCCs improved after image conversion (original, -0.006-0.964 vs. standardized, 0.990-0.998). Conclusion: Deep learning-based CT image standardization can improve the performance of automated hepatic segmentation using CT images reconstructed using various methods. Deep learning-based CT image conversion may have the potential to improve the generalizability of the segmentation network.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.221-233
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• 2020

CT(computed tomography, CT) examinations is one of the most useful diagnostic equipment for identifying information in the human body in diagnostic radiology. Recently, the number of CT scans is increasing every year due to the high reliability of CT scans. Increasing the number of tests will accelerate the aging of CT devices, which is why the importance of quality management for CT devices is on the rise. Particularly in CT, quality management refers to a behavior of figuring out and correcting all sorts of hindrance factors that can cause all the problems related to the equipment associated with the diminishment of diagnosed area due to the reduction of image quality in clinical imaging in advance and maintaining a consistent level of image quality and obtaining a proper image. Here, these researchers aim to summarize and report the general contents of quality management in CT.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.707-712
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• 2018

The number of CT examinations is increasing, and radiation exposure is also increasing. repeated tests can affect the lens and thyroid. In hospitals, there is a tendency to lack interest in major long-term radiation exposure compared to the interest in increasing image information and image quality with head CT. In this study, we analyzed the improvement of image quality by proposed method to the noisy CT images. The proposed denoising method total variance optimization only for the impulsive noise candidate pixels. Experimental results show that edge information is well preserved and impulse noise can be effectively removed. and worked very well for the images according to tube voltage and rotation time. applied to the clinical setting, it can be used as the lowest exposure condition without worrying about the image quality and it will be helpful for the CT application.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.176-181
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• 2008

Fluid accumulation within the tympanic bulla is an important diagnostic indicator of canine otitis media although its identification can be a challenge using currently available imaging techniques. The purpose of this study was to compare radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the identification of fluid accumulation within canine tympanic bulla. Unilateral tympanic bulla in 10 beagles were experimentally filled with blood or saline. Quantitative analysis of CT images were obtained by using Hounsfield unit (HU). MR signal intensity was obtained by using region of interesting (ROI) and compared with those of gray matter. On the CT image, the presence of blood or saline produced a fluid opacity occupying the tympanic bulla. On the MR image, the appearance of blood in the tympanic bulla was isointense in T1-weighted images and hyperintense in T2-weighted images. However, the appearance of saline in the tympanic bulla was hypointense in T1-weighted images and hyperintense in T2-weighted images. This study suggest that CT and MR imaging are useful methods for detection and differentiation of fluid in canine tympanic bulla.

• IE interfaces
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.439-443
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• 2002

In this paper, we study to evaluate the relative time required to perform the CT scanning in the PACS versus a film-based system and helical versus non-helical studies. Time studies were performed in 175 consecutive CT scanning. Images from 85 examinations were electronically transferred to a PACS, and 90 were printed to film. The time required to obtain and electronically transfer the images or print the images to film and make the current and previous studies available to the radiologists for interpretation was recorded. The time required for a radiological technologist to complete a CT test was reduced by 43% with the PACS compared with the film-based system and nonhelical was reduced 10~20% with helical studies. This reduction was due to the elimination of a transfer and printing, such as the printing at window or level settings. The use of PACS can result in the elimination of time tasks for the radiological technologist, resulting in marked reduction in examination time. This reduction can result in decreased cost and increased productivity in PACS operation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.481-487
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• 2019

Based on the scan conditions and algorithms that are generally applied during examinations during head CT examinations, the results of dose reduction through the application of algorithm changes were investigated through experiments. As a result, the dose reduction effect was more meaningful for the change of perfusion than for the tube voltage, and the quality evaluation using the brain phantom was relatively less reduced when the dose was reduced after the application of the Bone algorithm, especially for the application of the Bone algorithm, and the deviation of the mean CT number or Pixel value was measured relatively significantly. In other words, the conditions under which dose was reduced and quality was maintained to reduce the patient's exposure dose and obtain images of the same quality were obtained with the application of the Smooth algorithm and the resulting values of 120 kVp, 160 mA. At this point, doses were reduced by about 28%, and the mean CT number or Pixel value was also measured with relatively little error. If the results are applied to patients who visit the hospital for examination or follow-up after applying various algorithms and follow up scan conditions, the results are considered to be very useful in reducing patient exposure dose.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.244-252
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• 2011

This study was to estimate the radiation dose associated with 64-slice multidetector CT(MDCT) in clinical practice and quantify the potential cancer risk associated with these examinations. Lifetime attributable risks(LAR) were estimated with models developed in the national Academies' Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII report. Mean effective dose were 1.48mSv in Brain axial scan, 7.66mSv in chest routine contrast, 12.17mSv in coronary angiogram, 24.52mSv in Dynamic abdomen scan. LAR estimates for brain routine varied from 1 in 7463 for man to 1 in 4926 for women. In chest routine with contrast, LAR varied from 1 in 1449 for men to 1 in 952. LAR of Abdomen dynamic CT varied from 1 in 453 for men to 1 in 298 for women. So, 64-slice MDCT scan is associated with non-negligible LAR of cancer. Doses can be reduced by careful attention to scanning protocol.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2002

Methodology to evaluate the effective doses to adults undergoing various diagnostic x-ray examinations were established by Monte Carlo simulation of the x-ray examinations. Anthropomorphic mathematical phantoms, the MIRD5 male phantom and the ORNL female phantom, were used as the target body and x-ray spectra were produced by the x-ray spectrum generation code SPEC78. The computational procedure was validated by comparing the resulting doses to the results of NRPB studies for the same diagnostic procedures. The effective doses as well as the organ doses due to chest, abdomen, head and spine examinations were calculated for x-rays incident from AP, PA, LLAT and RLAT directions. For instance, the effective doses from the most common procedures, chest PA and abdomen AP, were 0.029 mSv and 0.44 mSv, respectively. The fact that the effective dose from PA chest x-ray is far lower than the traditional value of 0.3 mSv(or 30 mrem), which results partly from the advances of technology in diagnostic radiology and partly from the differences in the dose concept employed, emphasizes necessities of intensive assessment of the patient doses in wide ranges of medical exposures. The methodology and tools established in this study can easily be applied to dose assessments for other radiology procedures; dose from CT examinations, dose to the fetus due to examinations of pregnant women, dose from pediatric radiology.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-44
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• 1991

A Study on the distribution and types of the total 40 CT units, as of 1st October 1990, in Pusan area(29 for whole body CT units, 11 for brain CT units) were carried out during the period from January 1989 to December 1989 to find out the status of operation and utilization of whole body CT units. The results were as following ; 1. As of 1st October 1990 in Pusan area, a total of 40 CT units(29 for whole body CT units, 11 for brain CT units) were set up and operated. The number of cases of CT examination performed per day per unit were appeared to be less than 5 cases among 59.5% of CT units, and 2.7% of the total units has peformed more than 16 examinations. 2. The CT units under operation occupied 93.5% of the total and 2.6% of the total units was not properly been operated due to mechanical breakdown. This results is appeared to be better than other reports. 3. The average number of scanning per week for each CT were 35 cases and the average days under operation of the unit per week were 6.7 days. Consequently, the average days under operation of units was higher than that of the other reports, but the average number of scanning was lower. 4. The cases referred from other institutes to hospitals were 6.4% of total cases. 5. As a site of scanning, the brain appeared most frequently with 71.2% of the total cases and followed by spine 12.4%, abdomen 8.5%, and thorax 3.6%, respectively. 6. Positive rate by scanning was 70.8% of total cases, and it was 98.9% with thorax, abdomen 96.3%, spine 93.1%, and brain 38.4%, respectively. According to the results of this study, it is highly recommended that the regulations and the guidelines for setting-up of such high cost medical equipments as CT units be provided in order to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the system.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.350-358
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• 2007

Purpose: Localizing and differentiating a metastatic lesion of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) by using radio iodine whole body scan could be difficult because a whole body scan (WBS) lacks anatomic information. This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of radio-iodine SPECT/CT for differentiating equivocal lesions. Materials & Methods: Among 253 patients with DTC who had undergone radio-iodine scan between February and July 2006, 26 patients were enrolled (M:F = 8:18, Age $50.7{\pm}12.5$ years) in this study. The patients had abnormal uptakes in the WBSs that necessitated precise anatomical localization for differentiating between a metastatic lesion and a false-positive lesion. SPECT/CT was performed for the region with abnormal uptake in the WBS. WBS and SPECT/CT were evaluated visually. Metastases were diagnosed based on the results of the radio-iodine scan along with the results of other radiological examinations and serological tests. Results: Based on the WBS images, 13 were suspected with cervical lymph node (LN) metastases in 16 patients with abnormal neck uptake, and in the 11 patients with abnormal extra-cervical uptakes, extra-cervical metastases were doubtful in all. After SPECT/CT was performed, the diagnostic results were altered for 16 patients (62%). SPECT/CT revealed that only 5 patients had cervical LN metastases, while 3 patients had extra-cervical (mediastinal) LN metastases. Overall, there was a 58% (15/26) change in diagnoses and plans for treatment due to SPECT/CT. Among 8 patients suspected with metastases on SPECT/CT, 6 patients underwent another radio-iodine therapy. In 96% (24/25) of the patients, the results of SPECT/CT corresponded with those of further radiological examinations and with other clinical information. Conclusion: Radio-iodine SPECT/CT images permitted the differentiation of abnormal radio-iodine uptake and improved anatomical interpretation in DTC.