• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 1990

Examinations of the temporomandibular joints were performed on a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) system. An MR surface receiver coil 3 inch in diameter was placed on plastic frame, the patient's head being placed in the frame so that the coil was pressed against the temporal region. In taking advantage of the magnetic resonance imaging that has been studied briskly till now, author obtained the images of parasagittal and paracoronal planes about the temporomandibular joint by using MPGR (Multi-Planar Gradient Recalled), GRASS (Gradient Recalled Acquisition in the Steady State), and CSMEMP (Contiguous Slice Multiple Echo, Multi-Planar), that differ from the Spin Echo pulse sequence which the previous authors used. Five subjects with no symptoms of temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction were studied. The plane images obtained by these methods were compared with those by Spin Echo pulse sequence. The results were as follows: 1. The optimal repetition times (TR) and echo times (TE) for T.M.J. image were; a. 400 msec and 18 msec in PMGR pulse sequence. b. 40 msec and 12 msec in GRASS pulse sequence. c. 700 msec and 30 msec in CSMEMP pulse sequence. d. 500 msec and 20 msec in Spin Echo pulse sequence. 2. When the MPGR pulse sequence was using, T2-weighted image was obtained in very short time. On the image of the paracoronal plane by GRASS pulse sequence, meniscus showed the moderate signal intensity, and the meniscus and its anteromedial, posterolateral attachments were observed definitely with gray color. 4. The signal intensity of Spin Echo pulse sequence was equal to that of CSMEMP pulse sequence, but the image by CSMEMP pulse sequence showed relatively lower level in its resolution.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2010

This study attempted to examine whether the propeller diffusion weighted image method may remove magnetic susceptibility artifacts caused by metallic materials. A comparison of occurrence rates of magnetic susceptibility artifacts in the four regions, both temporal lobes, pons, and orbit, between b = 0 and b = 1,000 s/mm2 images was made after obtaining echo-planar diffusion weighted image, propeller diffusion weighted image, and ADC map images, respectively, from a total of 20 patients who had MRI shots taken of their brain and were found to be with retained metallic foreign bodies within their teeth using a 3.0T MR scanner. In the case of echo-planar diffusion weighted image technique, the presence of metallic materials may bring in some limits on accurate diagnosis due to magnetic susceptibility artifacts, while the propeller diffusion weighted image technique where magnetic susceptibility artifacts decrease is expected to be more useful in ensuring accurate diagnosis in the clinical context.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2016

Single-shot echo planar imaging(SS-EPI) is well established as high sensitivity for ischemic stroke. However, it is prone to susceptibility artifact in brain stem that diminish the image quality. single-shot turbo spin echo(SS-TSE) is a new DWI technique that can reduce susceptibility artifact. Thus, this research was conducted so as to reduce geometric distortion in brain stem by using single-shot turbo spin echo technique. Thirty patients without brain disease underwent diffusion MR on a 3T scanner with SS-EPI and SS-TSE. Obtained images with both sequences were analyzed for geometric distortion and error percentage as well. Image quality in terms of geometric distortion of SS-TSE were found to be significantly better than those for SS-EPI. And error percentage was considerably reduced for 2.4% of b0 image(from 11.1% to 8.7%), 1.2% of b1000 image(from 11.4% to 10.1%), respectively. In summary, diffusion MR using SS-TSE significantly reduce geometric distortion compared to SS-EPI in brain stem and may provide improved diagnostic performance.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2021

The purpose was to reduce the distortion of the image that occurs in the temporal bone area due to the very strong differences in susceptibility. A new SS-TSE technique was applied when examining the diffusion-weighted image of the temporal bone, where the auditory and facial nerves to be imaged were very thin and were adjacent to the cranial base including bone and air. This study was conducted from March 2020 to August of the same year, targeting 32 subjects who underwent the diffusion-weighted imaging of the temporal bone. To compare the distortion, existing SS-EPI technique and the new SS-TSE technique were both applied on the temporal bone area. As a result of the study, applying the new SS-TSE technique appeared to lower the distortion of images by 87.44, 46.13 and 42.35 % on the b-value 0, 800 and the ADC images, respectively. In conclusion, when using the new SS-TSE technique on the temporal bone DWI, distortion can be reduced, and thus images with high diagnostic value can be obtained.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2000

Purpose : To know the possibility of clinical application of MRI using oxygen inhalation as a perfusion MRI Materials and methods : Two healthy volunteers and three patients of one moyamoya disease, one acute infarction and one meningioma were studied using a 1.5 Tesla MRI unit. Oxygen (15 liters/min) mixed with room air was given using face mask from 8 second to 35 second during the study. Images were acquired 25 times (scan time per study were 1.6 seconds) using susceptibility contrast EPI (echo planar image) sequence. Difference maps were acquired by early (study 12-18), and late (study 19-25) O2 inhalation image groups minus pre-O2 inhalation image group (study 3-9) with a Z-score of 0.7-1.0 using VB31C program of Magneton Vision. The resulting perfusion images were created by superimposition of difference maps on corresponding T1 weighted anatomic images. On moyamoya patient, similar perfusion images were acquired after Gd-DTPA injection, and compared with O2 inhalation perfusion images. Results ; The author can get the perfusion images of the brain by oxygen inhalation with susceptibility contrast EPI sequence at the volunteers, and the patient of moyomoya disease, acute infarction and meningioma. On moyamoya patient, perfusion images with O2 inhalation are similar with perfusion images by Gd-DTPA injection. Conclusion 1 This study has demonstrated that the susceptibility contrast EPI by oxygen inhalation can be used as the clinically useful perfusion MRI technique

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.241-246
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems of low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) of single-shot turbo spin echo(SS-TSE) by quantifying numerically decreased signal to noise ratio. Thirty five patients without brain disease underwent diffusion MRI in 3T scanner from July to October in 2015. Single shot echo planar imaging(SS-EPI) which is conventionally used in MRI was taken to compared SS-TSE in SNR of medulla oblongata. As a result, SNR of SS-TSE diffusion(b0=$314.41{\pm}42.96$, b1000=$117.33{\pm}14.04$) is than SS-EPI diffusion(b0=$514.84{\pm}48.97$, b=$208.65{\pm}25.70$) lower in b=0 image(38.9%) and b=1,000 image(43.8%). Thus, diffusion MR using SS-EPI of MS-EPI should be taken for diagnosis of disease in brain stem due to decreased SNR of diffusion using SS-TSE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.957-964
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• 2020

T2 FLAIR sequence of MRI in Acute Ischemic Stroke patients is meaningful to those who have the diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage and neurological deficiency, including the detection of cerebral infarction around Cerebrospinal fluid. However, because of the long acquisition time and mutative motion artifacts caused by movement, It is difficult to take the MRI image acquisition for non-cooperative patients who need to apply a rapid image acquisition. In this study, we applied the EPI-FLAIR sequence, which is one of the fastest pulse sequences in use, which is a combination of EPI sequence and T2 FLAIR sequence, to patients with acute ischemic cerebral infarction. Based on the qualitative and quantitative evaluation results of the EPI-FLAIR and T2 FLAIR image, we will evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of the EPI-FLAIR sequence.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.223-232
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• 2017

Purpose: To report the use of multiband accelerated echo-planar imaging (EPI) for resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to achieve rapid high temporal resolution at 3T compared to conventional EPI. Materials and Methods: rs-fMRI data were acquired from 20 healthy right-handed volunteers by using three methods: conventional single-band gradient-echo EPI acquisition (Data 1), multiband gradient-echo EPI acquisition with 240 volumes (Data 2) and 480 volumes (Data 3). Temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) maps were obtained by dividing the mean of the time course of each voxel by its temporal standard deviation. The resting-state sensorimotor network (SMN) and default mode network (DMN) were estimated using independent component analysis (ICA) and a seed-based method. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed between the tSNR map, SMN, and DMN from the three data sets for between-group analysis. P < 0.05 with a family-wise error (FWE) correction for multiple comparisons was considered statistically significant. Results: One-way ANOVA and post-hoc two-sample t-tests showed that the tSNR was higher in Data 1 than Data 2 and 3 in white matter structures such as the striatum and medial and superior longitudinal fasciculus. One-way ANOVA revealed no differences in SMN or DMN across the three data sets. Conclusion: Within the adapted metrics estimated under specific imaging conditions employed in this study, multiband accelerated EPI, which substantially reduced scan times, provides the same quality image of functional connectivity as rs-fMRI by using conventional EPI at 3T. Under employed imaging conditions, this technique shows strong potential for clinical acceptance and translation of rs-fMRI protocols with potential advantages in spatial and/or temporal resolution. However, further study is warranted to evaluate whether the current findings can be generalized in diverse settings.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2019

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of the use of spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SE-EPI) magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in livers of children and young adults. Materials and Methods: Patients (${\leq}20$ years old) who underwent 3T SE-EPI MRE were included retrospectively. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the purpose of the liver MRI: suspicion of fatty liver or focal fat deposition in the liver (FAT group), liver fibrosis after receiving a Kasai operation from biliary atresia (BA group), and hepatic iron deposition after receiving chemotherapy or transfusions (IRON group). Technical failure of MRE was defined when a stiffness map showed no pixel value with a confidence index higher than 95%, and the patients were divided as success and failure groups accordingly. Clinical findings including age, gender, weight, height, and body mass index and magnetic resonance imaging results including proton density fat fraction (PDFF), $T2^*$, and MRE values were assessed. Factors affecting failure of MRE were evaluated and the image quality in wave propagation image and stiffness map was evaluated using the appropriate scores. Results: Among total 240 patients (median 15 years, 211 patients in the FAT, 21 patients in the BA, and 8 patients in the IRON groups), technical failure was noted in six patients in the IRON group (6/8 patients, 75%), while there were no failures noted in the FAT and BA groups. These six patients had $T2^*$ values ranging from 0.9 to 3.8 ms. The image quality scores were not significantly different between the FAT and BA groups (P > 0.999), while the scores were significantly lower in the IRON group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The 3T SE-EPI MRE in children and young adults had a high technical success rate. The technical failure was occurred in children with decreased $T2^*$ value (${\leq}3.8ms$) from iron deposition.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2001

Purpose : $T_2$-weighted half courier Echo Planar Imaging (T2HEPI) method is proposed to reduce measurement time of existing EPI by a factor of 2. In addition, high $T_2$ contrast is obtained for clinical applications. High resolution single-shot EPI images with $T_2$ contrast are obtained with $128{\times}128$ matrix size by the proposed method. Materials and methods : In order to reduce measurement time in EPI, half courier space is measured, and rest of half courier data is obtained by conjugate symmetric filling. Thus high resolution single shot EPI image with $128{\times}128$ matrix size is obtained with 64 echoes. By the arrangement of phase encoding gradients, high $T_2$ weighted images are obtained. The acquired data in k-space are shifted if there exists residual gradient field due to eddy current along phase encoding gradient, which results in a serious problem in the reconstructed image. The residual field is estimated by the correlation coefficient between the echo signal for dc and the corresponding reference data acquired during the pre-scan. Once the residual gradient field is properly estimated, it can be removed by the adjustment of initial phase encoding gradient field between $70^{\circ}$ and $180^{\circ}$ rf pulses. Results : The suggested T2EPl is implemented in a 1.0 Tela whole body MRI system. Experiments are done with the effective echo times of 72ms and 96ms with single shot acquisitions. High resolution($128{\times}128$) volunteer head images with high $T_2$ contrast are obtained in a single scan by the proposed method. Conclusion : Using the half courier technique, higher resolution EPI images are obtained with matrix size of $128{\times}128$ in a single scan. Furthermore $T_2$ contrast is controlled by the effective echo time. Since the suggested method can be implemented by software alone (pulse sequence and corresponding tuning and reconstruction algorithms) without addition of special hardware, it can be widely used in existing MRI systems.