• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.281-285
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• 2016

The purpose of study was to evaluate SNR and CNR with different contrast agent contents (1.0 mmol/mL gadobutrol and 0.5 mmol/mL gadoterate meglumine) for spin echo (SE) and 3-dimension contrast-enhanced fast field echo (3D CE-FFE) pulse sequences. In this study, we compared the SNR and the CNR between 0.5 mmol/mL gadoterate meglumine and 1.0 mmol/mL gadobutrol according to the concentration of contrast agent in brain MRI. When we compared between SE and 3D CE-FFE pulse sequences, the higher SNR and CNR using 3D CE-FFE pulse sequence can be acquire regardless of contrast agent contents. Also, a statistically significant difference was found for SNR and CNR between all protocols. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the SNR and CNR have not risen proportionately with contrast agent contents. We hope that these results presented in this paper will contribute to decide contrast agent contents for brain MRI.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.222-228
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• 2023

This study aimed to analyze the applicability of the improved median filter in positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) fusion images based on parallel imaging using generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA). In this study, a PET/MR fusion imaging system based on a 3.0T magnetic field and ¹⁸F radioisotope were used. An improved median filter that can set a mask of the median value more efficiently than before was modeled and applied to the acquired image. As quantitative evaluation parameters of the noise level, the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and coefficient of variation (COV) were calculated. Additionally, no-reference-based evaluation parameters were used to analyze the overall image quality. We confirmed that the CNR and COV values of the PET/MR fusion images to which the improved median filter was applied improved by approximately 3.32 and 2.19 times on average, respectively, compared to the noisy image. In addition, the no-reference-based evaluation results showed a similar trend for the noise-level results. In conclusion, we demonstrated that it can be supplemented by using an improved median filter, which suggests the problem of image quality degradation of PET/MR fusion images that shortens scan time using GRAPPA.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2011년도 제40회 동계학술대회 초록집
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• pp.1-1
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• 2011

We developed a new generalized synthetic procedure, called as "heat-up process," to produce uniform-sized nanocrystals of many transition metals and oxides without a size selection process. We were able to synthesize uniform magnetite nanocrystals as much as 1 kilogram-scale from the thermolysis of Fe-oleate complex. Clever combination of different nanoscale materials will lead to the development of multifunctional nano-biomedical platforms for simultaneous targeted delivery, fast diagnosis, and efficient therapy. In this presentation, I would like to present some of our group's recent results on the designed fabrication of multifunctional nanostructured materials based on uniform-sized magnetite nanoparticles and their medical applications. Uniform ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles of <3 nm were synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron-oleate complex in the presence of oleyl alcohol. These ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles exhibited good T1 contrast effect. In in vivo T1 weighted blood pool magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), iron oxide nanoparticles showed longer circulation time than commercial gadolinium complex, enabling high resolution imaging. We used 80 nm-sized ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals for T2 MRI contrast agent for tracking transplanted pancreatic islet cells and single-cell MR imaging. We reported on the fabrication of monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles immobilized with uniform pore-sized mesoporous silica spheres for simultaneous MRI, fluorescence imaging, and drug delivery. We synthesized hollow magnetite nanocapsules and used them for both the MRI contrast agent and magnetic guided drug delivery vehicle.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권11호
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• pp.1114-1130
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• 2023

Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) is increasingly used to visualize peripheral nerves in vivo. However, the implementation and interpretation of MRN in the brachial and lumbosacral plexi are challenging because of the anatomical complexity and technical limitations. The purpose of this article was to review the clinical context of MRN, describe advanced magnetic resonance (MR) techniques for plexus imaging, and list the general categories of utility of MRN with pertinent imaging examples. The selection and optimization of MR sequences are centered on the homogeneous suppression of fat and blood vessels while enhancing the visibility of the plexus and its branches. Standard 2D fast spin-echo sequences are essential to assess morphology and signal intensity of nerves. Moreover, nerve-selective 3D isotropic images allow improved visualization of nerves and multiplanar reconstruction along their course. Diffusion-weighted and diffusion-tensor images offer microscopic and functional insights into peripheral nerves. The interpretation of MRN in the brachial and lumbosacral plexi should be based on a thorough understanding of their anatomy and pathophysiology. Anatomical landmarks assist in identifying brachial and lumbosacral plexus components of interest. Thus, understanding the varying patterns of nerve abnormalities facilitates the interpretation of aberrant findings.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.52.1-52.11
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• 2020

Background: Intradural-intramedullary intervertebral disc extrusion (IIVDE) is a rare condition of intervertebral disc disease. However, the diagnosis of IIVDE is challenging because the prognosis and imaging characteristics are poorly characterized. Objectives: We aimed to describe the clinical and imaging characteristics of tentatively diagnosed IIVDE in dogs to assess the prognostic utility of neurological grade and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Methods: Twenty dogs were included in this retrospective cohort study. Results: Nonchondrodystrophic breeds (n = 16) were more predisposed than chondrodystrophic breeds. Most dogs showed acute onset of clinical signs. Neurological examination at admission showed predominant non-ambulatory paraparesis (n = 9); paresis (n = 16) was confirmed more frequently than paralysis (n = 4). Follow-up neurological examination results were only available for 11 dogs, ten of whom showed neurological improvement and 8 showed successful outcomes at 1 month. The characteristic MRI findings include thoracic vertebra (T)2 hyperintense, T1 hypointense, intramedullary linear tracts with reduced disc volume, and cleft of the annulus fibrosus. None of the MRI measurements were significantly correlated with neurological grade at admission. Neurological grade did not differ according to the presence of parenchymal hemorrhage, parenchymal contrast enhancement, and meningeal contrast enhancement. Neurological grades at admission showed a statistical correlation with those observed at the 1-month follow-up (r = 0.814, p = 0.02). Conclusions: IIVDE is a rare form of disc extrusion commonly experienced after physical activity or trauma and most frequently affects the cranial-cervical and thoracolumbar regions of nonchondrodystrophic dog breeds. Neurological score at admission emerged as a more useful prognostic indicator than MRI findings in dogs with suspected IIVDE.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.35-42
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• 2010

A goal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging is reproducing a spatial map of the effective spin density from the measured Fourier coefficients of a specimen. The imaging procedure can be done by inverse Fourier transformation or backward fast Fourier transformation if the data are sampled on a regular grid in frequency space; however, it is still a challenging question how to reconstruct an image from a finite set of Fourier data on irregular points in k-space. In this paper, we describe some mathematical and numerical properties of imaging techniques from non-uniform MR data using the pseudo-inverse or the diagonal-inverse weight matrix. This note is written as an easy guide to readers interested in the non-uniform MRI techniques and it basically follows the ideas given in the paper by Greengard-Lee-Inati [10, 11].

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.32-42
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• 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical benefit of 2D contrast-enhanced T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (CE-T2 FLAIR) image for detecting leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) in the brain metastasis work-up for lung cancer. Materials and Methods: From June 2017 to July 2019, we collected all consecutive patients with lung cancer who underwent brain magnetic resonance image (MRI), including contrast-enhanced 3D fast spin echo T1 black-blood image (CE-T1WI) and CE-T2 FLAIR; we recruited clinico-radiologically suspected LM cases. Two independent readers analyzed the images for LM in three sessions: CE-T1WI, CE-T2 FLAIR, and their combination. Results: We recruited 526 patients with suspected lung cancer who underwent brain MRI; of these, we excluded 77 (insufficient image protocol, unclear pathology, different contrast media, poor image quality). Of the 449 patients, 34 were clinico-radiologically suspected to have LM; among them, 23 were diagnosed with true LM. The calculated detection performance of CE-T1WI, CE-T2 FLAIR, and combined analysis obtained from the 34 suspected LM were highest in the combined analysis (AUC: 0.80, 0.82, and 0.89, respectively). The inter-observer agreement was also the highest in the combined analysis (0.68, 0.72, and 0.86, respectively). In quantitative analyses, CNR of CE-T2 FLAIR was significantly higher than that of CE-T1WI (Wilcoxon signed rank test, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Adding CE-T2 FLAIR might provide better detection for LM in the brain-metastasis screening for lung cancer.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.12-21
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• 2003

목적 : 기존의 일반적인 스펙트로미터보다 향상된 성능을 가진 새로운 스펙트로미터를 설계 및 제작하였다. 대상 및 방법 : 초당 10억번의 부동 연산 능력을 갖춘 TMS320C6701 DSP를 이용하여 연속적으로 변하는 복잡한 경사자계파형을 실시간으로 계산하여 출력할 수 있고, 선택 단면을 interactive하게 조절할 수 있는 스펙트로미터를 설계, 제작하였다. 설계된 스펙트로미터는 DSP 기반의 디지털 제어부와 파형을 만들고 변조 및 복조를 수행하는 아날로그부로 구성되어 있다 RF 신호의 변조 및 복조는 디지털 기술을 사용하여 정밀도와 안정성을 높였다. 고속 병렬영상을 위하여 하나의 측정 보드당 4채널까지 측정할 수 있도록 하였고, 고속 DSP를 이용하여 빠른 재구성이 가능하도록 하였다. 결과 : 제작된 스펙트로미터를 1.5 테슬라 전신자기공명영상 시스템에 장착하여 다양한 방법으로 성능을 시험하였다. 디지털 변조/복조 방식에서 요하는 정밀한 위상 제어를 확인할 수 있었고, phase array 코일 영상을 통하여 다중 채널 측정시스템의 성능을 검증할 수 있었다. 개발된 스펙트로미터를 기존의 상품화된 스펙트로미터와 비교해 볼때 보다 정밀한 위상 제어가 가능한 것으로 나타났다. 결론 : Interactive하게 영상의 단면을 선택하고, 실시간 계산에 의한 파형출력은 나선주사 심장영상과 같은 첨단의 영상기법에 요구되는 스펙트로미터의 기능이다 또한 다채널 측정시스템도 병렬영상을 위한 필수적인 기능이다. 본 논문에서는 초당 10억번의 부동소수점 연산이 가능한 TMS320C6701 디지털신호처리기를 사용하여 이러한 기능들을 가진 스펙트로미터를 설계, 제작하였다. 디지털 방식의 변조/복조 기술을 채택하여 정밀한 위상제어가 가능하였다. 개발된 스펙트로미터를 FSE, GE, angiography 등 다양한 영상방법에 적용하여 성능을 확인하였으며, 기존의 제품보다 뛰어난 화질의 영상을 얻을 수 있었다.

• 대한자기공명의과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한자기공명의과학회 2001년도 제6차 학술대회 초록집
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• pp.109-109
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• 2001

Purpose： To assess the feasibility of sequential administration of ferumoxides and mangafodi trisodium in the same imaging protocols. Method： Thirty patients underwent double-contrast enhanced MR imaging of liver usi ferumoxides (Fe-MRI) and mangafodipir trisodium (Mn-MRI) on 1.5T GE Horizon system. In twenty patients, Mn-MRI was immediately followed by Fe-MRI. In ten patients, Fe-MR was performed first, then Mn-MRI was performed immediately, In all cases, precontras T1-weighted in-phase and opposed-phase spoiled gradient echo (GRE) images an T2-weighted fast spin-echo images (TR 4000ms, TE 102ms, ETL 8-12) were obtained Fe-MRI was performed with FSE and steady state GRE (TE 10 msec, flip angle 30 sequences. Mn-MRI was performed with in-phase and opposed-phase spoiled GR sequences. The SNR changes after the use of each contrast agents were calculated.

• 대한의용생체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한의용생체공학회 1997년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.294-298
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• 1997

In the magnetic resonance imaging, the fast spin echo imaging technique is a widely used clinical imaging method, since its scanning time is much shorter than the conventional spin echo imaging and it gives the almost same image quality. However, the fast spin echo technique has two times longer imaging time or the dual echo acquisition which can obtain a spin density image and a $T_2$-weighted image simultaneously. To overcome such a drawback, this paper proposes a new fast dual echo imaging technique which can give the same quality images at the single echo imaging time. The proposed technique reduces the imaging time by overlapping most of echo train data for each image reconstruction. In order to verify its validity and usability the human head experimental results which were obtained at the 0.3T permanent MRI system are presented.