• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to clarify the impacts of acquisition parameters on artifacts in four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) images, such as the partial volume effect (PVE), partial projection effect (PPE), and mis-matching of initial motion phases between adjacent beds (MMimph) in cine mode scanning. A thoracic phantom and two cylindrical phantoms (2 cm diameter and heights of 0.5 cm for No.1 and 10 cm for No.2) were scanned using 4D CT. For the thoracic phantom, acquisition was started automatically in the first scan with 5 sec and 8 sec of gantry rotation, thereby allowing a different phase at the initial projection of each bed. In the second scan, the initial projection at each bed was manually synchronized with the inhalation phase to minimize the MMimph. The third scan was intentionally un-synchronized with the inhalation phase. In the cylindrical phantom scan, one bed (2 cm) and three beds (6 cm) were used for 2 and 6 sec motion periods. Measured target volume to true volume ratios (MsTrueV) were computed. The relationships among MMimph, MsTrueV, and velocity were investigated. In the thoracic phantom, shorter gantry rotation provided more precise volume and was highly correlated with velocity when MMimph was minimal. MMimph reduced the correlation. For moving cylinder No. 1, MsTrueV was correlated with velocity, but the larger MMimph for 2 sec of motion removed the correlation. The volume of No. 2 was similar to the static volume due to the small PVE, PPE, and MMimph. Smaller target velocity and faster gantry rotation resulted in a more accurate volume description. The MMimph was the main parameter weakening the correlation between MsTrueV and velocity. Without reducing the MMimph, controlling target velocity and gantry rotation will not guarantee accurate image presentation given current 4D CT technology.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.171-175
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• 2008

Purpose: There have been something difficulties in locating focuses and quantitative analysis in case of pediatric patients because of the relatively small body compared to adults. This author of this study, therefore, evaluated the usefulness of DFOV (Display Field Of View) according to its changes in PET/CT image reconstruction by means of the phantom experiment and pediatric patients examination. Materials & Methods: 0.023 MBq/cc of $^{18}F$-FDG was put into the uniform NU2-94 phantom, and then emission scan was acquired for 10 minutes. For reconstruction, DFOV values were changed to 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, and 25 cm respectively. As for patient images, 20 patients who were diagnosed as the one or suspicion of the children tumor are targeted from Oct 2007 to Jan 2008. For image reconstruction, 50 cm was the basis of DFOV, and the value was adjusted to DFOV 45 cm to 25 cm respectively. In the phantom and the reconstruction image of pediatric patients, the changes in pixel size and $SUV_{max}$ according to DFOV changes were analyzed. Results: As DFOV decreased to 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, and 25 cm by means of the phantom, the pixel size was changed to 3.906, 3.515, 3.125, 2.734, 2.343, and 1.953 mm respectively. Besides, as a result of reconstruction DFOV in images of pediatric patients to 50, to 25 cm, the different values of $SUV_{max}$ are shown as 3.3, 7.3, 12, 14, 18% and 2.6, 4.3, 5.0, 7.0, 10.0% on respectively when 50 cm was the standard. Conclusion: In $SUV_{max}$ using the phantom, as DFOV decreased every 5 cm, the mean value gradually increased. With 50 cm as the standard, the increase rates were 3.7, 6.5, 11.2, 19.5, and 32.1% respectively. As for pediatric patients image too, as DFOV decreased, the rates increased as in the phantom experiment. In image reconstruction, since DFOV decrease regardless of matrix size change reduced the pixel size, the image quality can be improved. This would be more useful than reconstruction and enlarge images of pediatric patients in the same way of examining adults. However, when the value of 35 cm DFOV was applied, this may result in truncated artifact, and thus the application should be properly controlled. Change of DFOV may produce better image for pediatric patients, but changes of SUV values according to DFOV change should be considered in reading.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.13-20
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• 2011

Purpose: The limited FOV(Field of View) of CT (Computed Tomography) can cause truncation artifact at external DFOV (Display Field of View) in PET/CT image. In our study, we measured the difference of SUV and compared the influence affecting to the image reconstructed with the extended DFOV. Materials and Methods: NEMA 1994 PET Phantom was filled with $^{18}F$(FDG) of 5.3 kBq/mL and placed at the center of FOV. Phantom images were acquired through emission scan. Shift the phantom's location to the external edge of DFOV and images were acquired with same method. All of acquired data through each experiment were reconstructed with same method, DFOV was applied 50 cm and 70 cm respectively. Then ROI was set up on the emission image, performed the comparative analysis SUV. In the clinical test, patient group shown truncation artifact was selected. ROI was set up at the liver of patient's image and performed the comparative analysis SUV according to the change of DFOV. Results: The pixel size was increase from 3.91 mm to 5.47 mm according to the DFOV increment in the centered location phantom study. When extended DFOV was applied, $_{max}SUV$ of ROI was decreased from 1.49 to 1.35. In case of shifted the center of phantom location study, $_{max}SUV$ was decreased from 1.30 to 1.20. The $_{max}SUV$ was 1.51 at the truncated region in the extended DFOV. The difference of the $_{max}SUV$ was 25.9% higher at the outside of the truncated region than inside. When the extended DFOV was applied, $_{max}SUV$ was decreased from 3.38 to 3.13. Conclusion: When the extended DFOV was applied, $_{max}SUV$ decreasing phenomenon can cause pixel to pixel noise by increasing of pixel size. In this reason, $_{max}SUV$ was underestimated. Therefore, We should consider the underestimation of quantitative result in the whole image plane in case of patient study applied extended DFOV protocol. Consequently, the result of the quantitative analysis may show more higher than inside at the truncated region.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.131-137
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• 2017

In the present study, we developed the 4D CT data generation program from CAD-based models. To evaluate the developed program, a CAD-based respiratory motion phantom was designed using CAD software, and converted into 4D CT dataset, which include 10 phases of 3D CTs. The generated 4D CT dataset was evaluated its effectiveness and accuracy through the implementation in radiation therapy planning system (RTPS). Consequently, the results show that the generated 4D CT dataset can be successfully implemented in RTPS, and targets in all phases of 4D CT dataset were moved well according to the user parameters (10 mm) with its stationarily volume (8.8 cc). The developed program, unlike real 4D CT scanner, due to the its ability to make a gold-standard dataset without any artifacts constructed by modality's movements, we believe that this program will be used when the motion effect is important, such as 4D radiation treatment planning and 4D radiation imaging.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.742-749
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• 2009

The use of cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT) has been proposed for guiding the delivery of radiation therapy. A kilovoltage imaging system capable of radiography, fluoroscopy, and cone-beam computed tomography(CT) has been integrated with a medical linear accelerator. A standard clinical linear accelerator, operating in arc therapy mode, and an amorphous-silicon (a-Si) with an on-board electronic portal imager can be used to treat palliative patient and verify the patient's position prior to treatment. On-board CBCT images are used to generate patient geometric models to assist patient setup. The image data can also, potentially, be used for dose reconstruction in combination with the fluence maps from treatment plan. In this study, the accuracy of Hounsfield Units of CBCT images as well as the accuracy of dose calculations based on CBCT images of a phantom and compared the results with those of using CT simulator images. Phantom and patient studies were carried out to evaluate the achievable accuracy in using CBCT and CT stimulator for dose calculation. Relative electron density as a function of HU was obtained for both planning CT stimulator and CBCT using a Catphan-600 (The Phantom Laboratory, USA) calibration phantom. A clinical treatment planning system was employed for CT stimulator and CBCT based dose calculations and subsequent comparisons. The dosimetric consequence as the result of HU variation in CBCT was evaluated by comparing MU/cCy. The differences were about 2.7% (3-4MU/100cGy) in phantom and 2.5% (1-3MU/100cGy) in patients. The difference in HU values in Catphan was small. However, the magnitude of scatter and artifacts in CBCT images are affected by limitation of detector's FOV and patient's involuntary motions. CBCT images included scatters and artifacts due to In addition to guide the patient setup process, CBCT data acquired prior to the treatment be used to recalculate or verify the treatment plan based on the patient anatomy of the treatment area. And the CBCT has potential to become a very useful tool for on-line ART.)

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.1159-1166
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• 2009

The use of cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT) has been proposed for guiding the delivery of radiation therapy. A kilovoltage imaging system capable of radiography, fluoroscopy, and cone-beam computed tomography(CT) has been integrated with a medical linear accelerator. A standard clinical linear accelerator, operating in arc therapy mode, and an amorphous-silicon (a-Si) with an on-board electronic portal imager can be used to treat palliative patient and verify the patient's position prior to treatment. On-board CBCT images are used to generate patient geometric models to assist patient setup. The image data can also, potentially, be used for dose reconstruction in combination with the fluence maps from treatment plan. In this study, the accuracy of Hounsfield Units of CBCT images as well as the accuracy of dose calculations based on CBCT images of a phantom and compared the results with those of using CT simulator images. Phantom and patient studies were carried out to evaluate the achievable accuracy in using CBCT and CT stimulator for dose calculation. Relative electron density as a function of HU was obtained for both planning CT stimulator and CBCT using a Catphan-600 (The Phantom Laboratory, USA) calibration phantom. A clinical treatment planning system was employed for CT stimulator and CBCT based dose calculations and subsequent comparisons. The dosimetric consequence as the result of HU variation in CBCT was evaluated by comparing MU/cCy. The differences were about 2.7% (3-4MU/100cGy) in phantom and 2.5% (1-3MU/100cGy) in patients. The difference in HU values in Catphan was small. However, the magnitude of scatter and artifacts in CBCT images are affected by limitation of detector's FOV and patient's involuntary motions. CBCT images included scatters and artifacts due to In addition to guide the patient setup process, CBCT data acquired prior to the treatment be used to recalculate or verify the treatment plan based on the patient anatomy of the treatment area. And the CBCT has potential to become a very useful tool for on-line ART.)

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2018

Computed tomography, which obtains section images from reconstruction process using projection images, has been applied to various fields. The spatial resolution of the reconstructed image depends on the device used in CT system, the object, and the reconstruction process. In this paper, we investigates the effect of the number of projection images and the pixel size of the detector on the spatial resolution of the reconstructed image under the parallel beam geometry. The reconstruction program was written in Visual C++, and the matrix size of the reconstructed image was $512{\times}512$. The numerical bar phantom was constructed and the Min-Max method was introduced to evaluate the spatial resolution on the reconstructed image. When the number of projections used in reconstruction process was small, artifact like streak appeared and Min-Max was also low. The Min-Max showed upper saturation when the number of projections is increased. If the pixel size of the detector is reduced to 50% of the pixel size of the reconstructed image, the reconstructed image was perfectly recovered as the original phantom and the Min-Max decreased as increasing the detector pixel size. This study will be useful in determining the detector and the accuracy of rotation stage needed to achieve the spatial resolution required in the CT system.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.165-171
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of collimator width on effective atomic number (EAN), relative electron density (RED), and stopping power ratio (SPR) measured by dual-layer dual-energy computed tomography (DL-DECT). Methods: CIRS electron density calibration phantoms with two different arrangements of material plugs were scanned by DL-DECT with two different collimator widths. The first phantom included two dense bone plugs, while the second excluded dense bone plugs. The collimator widths selected were 64 mm×0.625 mm for wider collimators and 16 mm×0.625 mm for narrow collimators. The scanning parameters were 120 kVp, 0.33 second gantry rotation, 3 mm slice thickness, B reconstruction filter, and spectral level 4. An image analysis portal system provided by a computed tomography (CT) manufacturer was used to derive the EAN and RED of the phantoms from the combination of low energy and high energy CT images. The EAN and RED were compared between the images scanned using the two different collimation widths. Results: The CT images with the wider collimation width generated more severe artifacts, particularly with high-density material (i.e., dense bone). RED and EAN for tissues (excluding lung and bones) with the wider collimation width showed significant relative differences compared to the theoretical value (4.5% for RED and 20.6% for EAN), while those with the narrow collimation width were closer to the theoretical value of each material (2.2% for EAN and 2.3% for RED). Scanning with narrow collimation width increased the accuracy of SPR estimation even with high-density bone plugs in the phantom. Conclusions: The effect of CT collimation width on EAN, RED, and SPR measured by DL-DECT was evaluated. In order to improve the accuracy of the measured EAN, RED, and SPR by DL-DECT, CT scanning should be performed using narrow collimation widths.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.1025-1033
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• 2019

Although magnetic resonance imaging without linear hardening of CT is recognized as a method of obtaining high contrast of tissue and excellent resolution image in brain disease and head and neck examination, magnetic susceptibility artifact is generated in case of metal implants in the oral cavity, which is an obstacle to image diagnosis. Therefore, an effort was made in this thesis to find a method to reduce artifacts caused by dental implants and prosthesis in MRI. Implant-induced artifacts in magnetic resonance imaging showed that the signal size increased with shorter TE in GE technique and was inconsistent with water temperature change. In SE technique as well, the signal size of water was generally higher than that of air, but the signal to noise ratio (SNR) was not different by air and temperature. In EPI technique, images with fewer artifacts were obtained quantitatively and qualitatively when there was more water than air, and the signal to noise ratio was measured the highest, especially at water temperatures of 20° and 30°. In conclusion, when examining using the EPI technique rather than the SE or the GE technique, obtaining brain diffusion using a 20° and 30° water bag reduces the magnetic susceptibility artifacts caused by implants and prosthesis, suggesting that it may provide images with high diagnostic value.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2019

Purpose: The size, shape, and volume of prosthetic appliance depend on the metal artifacts resulting from dental implant during head and neck treatment with radiation. This reduced the accuracy of contouring targets and surrounding normal tissues in radiation treatment plan. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to obtain the images of metal representing the size of tooth through MVCT, SMART-MAR CT and KVCT, evaluate the volumes, apply them into the proton therapy plan, and analyze the difference of dose distribution. Materials and Methods : Metal A ($0.5{\times}0.5{\times}0.5cm$), Metal B ($1{\times}1{\times}1cm$), and Metal C ($1{\times}2{\times}1cm$) similar in size to inlay, crown, and bridge taking the treatments used at the dentist's into account were made with Cerrobend ($9.64g/cm^3$). Metal was placed into the In House Head & Neck Phantom and by using CT Simulator (Discovery CT 590RT, GE, USA) the images of KVCT and SMART-MAR were obtained with slice thickness 1.25 mm. The images of MVCT were obtained in the same way with $RADIXACT^{(R)}$ Series (Accuracy $Precision^{(R)}$, USA). The images of metal obtained through MVCT, SMART-MAR CT, and KVCT were compared in both size of axis X, Y, and Z and volume based on the Autocontour Thresholds Raw Values from the computerized treatment planning equipment Pinnacle (Ver 9.10, Philips, Palo Alto, USA). The proton treatment plan (Ray station 5.1, RaySearch, USA) was set by fusing the contour of metal B ($1{\times}1{\times}1cm$) obtained from the above experiment by each CT into KVCT in order to compare the difference of dose distribution. Result: Referencing the actual sizes, it was appeared: Metal A (MVCT: 1.0 times, SMART-MAR CT: 1.84 times, and KVCT: 1.92 times), Metal B (MVCT: 1.02 times, SMART-MAR CT: 1.47 times, and KVCT: 1.82 times), and Metal C (MVCT: 1.0 times, SMART-MAR CT: 1.46 times, and KVCT: 1.66 times). MVCT was measured most similarly to the actual metal volume. As a result of measurement by applying the volume of metal B into proton treatment plan, the dose of $D_{99%}$ volume was measured as: MVCT: 3094 CcGE, SMART-MAR CT: 2902 CcGE, and KVCT: 2880 CcGE, against the reference 3082 CcGE Conclusion: Overall volume and axes X and Z were most identical to the actual sizes in MVCT and axis Y, which is in the superior-Inferior direction, was regular in length without differences in CT. The best dose distribution was shown in MVCT having similar size, shape, and volume of metal when treating head and neck protons. Thus it is thought that it would be very useful if the contour of prosthetic appliance using MVCT is applied into KVCT for proton treatment plan.