• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.247-255
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• 2008

A coded aperture camera has been developed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while keeping the spatial resolution of a pinhole gamma camera. The purpose of this study was to optimize a coded aperture camera and to evaluate its possibility for thyroid imaging by Monte Carlo simulation. A clinical gamma camera, a pinhole collimator with 1.0 mm hole diameter, and a $79{\times}79$ modified uniformly redundant array (MURA) mask were designed using GATE (Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission). The penetration ratio, spatial resolution, integral uniformity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were simulated and evaluated as a function of the mask thickness. The spatial resolution of the coded aperture camera was consistent with the various mask thickness, SNR showed a maximum value at 1.2 mm mask thickness and integral uniformity was improved by increasing mask thickness. Compare to the pinhole gamma camera, the coded aperture camera showed improved SNR by a factor of 30 while keeping almost the same spatial resolution. In this simulation study, the results indicated that high spatial resolution and ultra-high SNR of the thyroid imaging are feasible using a coded aperture camera.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2023

In order to improve the spatial resolution of the gamma camera, the size of the hole in the collimator must be reduced, so the sensitivity is reduced. In order to improve the sensitivity, the size of the hole must be increased, and thus the spatial resolution is reduced. In other words, spatial resolution and sensitivity show opposite characteristics. In this study, a gamma camera was designed to improve both spatial resolution and sensitivity. In order to obtain higher sensitivity in gamma cameras with the same spatial resolution, the structure of the scintillator was designed differently from the existing system. A scintillation pixel was used, and a partition wall was placed between the scintillation pixels to prevent incident gamma rays from being transmitted to other scintillation pixels to interact. Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) simulation was performed to evaluate the performance of the designed gamma camera. When the same sensitivity as the block-type scintillator was obtained, the spatial resolution increased by 16.5%, and when the same spatial resolution was obtained, the sensitivity increased by 61.5%. It is considered that the use of the gamma camera designed in this study can improve the sensitivity compared to the existing system while securing excellent spatial resolution.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.1100-1102
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• 2015

In the study, stereo-based of gamma-ray sources detector for the space including the gamma-ray source to scan in a raster scan method, and obtains a visible light image and the gamma-ray image. We went to retrieve and visualize the distance to source and the direction of the 3-dimension information from Stereo gamma-ray detectors. Configuration of the detector consisted of gamma-ray detecting sensor for gamma-ray Sources, pan-tilt for the scanning of the raster for detecting sources, and CCD camera for visible-light image. Implement a stereo structure of the device to measure the spatial distribution of source, the gamma-ray Detector and CCD camera for the stereo image acquisition was as each configuration 2. The gamma-ray detector and a visible light camera to revision the distribution of detection source, After performing each of the cameras of the stereo correction and shows the distribution of the gamma-ray Sources through 중첩 visible light image and the gamma-ray image. After Rectification process of Left and right image, we were derived visualization results of the stereo image.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.409-414
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• 2021

In order to acquire an image from a gamma camera, linearity correction must be performed. To this end, digital coordinates are acquired by using a linearity map to accurately specify the location where the scintillator and gamma rays interact. In this study, a method for acquiring undistorted images and digital coordinates was developed using a lookup table and maximum likelihood position estimation without using a linearity map. The proposed method was verified by configuring a small gamma camera through DETECT2000 simulation. A gamma camera was constructed using a GAGG scintillator and a SiPM optical sensor, and a gamma-ray interaction was generated at the center of the scintillator, and a lookup table was prepared using the ratio of the signals obtained from the SiPM. Through the prepared lookup table and the maximum likelihood position estimation, the position of the signal obtained by the gamma-ray interaction was acquired as digital coordinates to compose an image. As a result, the linearity was maintained compared to the generally acquired image, the accuracy of the location where the gamma-ray interaction was generated was excellent, and the distance between the locations was uniform. Since the lookup table obtained through simulation is created using the ratio of the signal, it can be directly used in the experiment, and the position of the signal can be conveniently obtained with digital coordinates with corrected linearity without creating a linearity map.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 1983

우리나라에 방사성동위원소가 진단 및 치료에 이용된지 20여년이 되였으며 특히 80년대에 들어와서는 Scintillation Camera의 급격한 증가가 이뤄지게 되었다. 그러나 많은 기기의 증가로 품질관리가 필요하게 되었다. 핵의학장비의 품질관리 목적은 장비기능의 정상여부를 조기에 발견하여 항상 균등한 질의 영상을 재현시켜 진단을 보다 정확하게 하는데 있다. 따라서 Scintillation Camera를 사용할 때 사용자는 기계의 기능과 성능을 항상 정확하게 파악하여 적절한 대책을 세워 보다 정확한 영상을 얻을 수 있도록 해야 한다. 저자들은 이러한 점을 고러하여 Scintillation Camera의 품질관리에 대한 원칙과 기술적인 문제점을 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.

• IEMEK Journal of Embedded Systems and Applications
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2013

The narrow dynamic range of most smart phone cameras is severely limited. It usually is narrower than the dynamic range of most scenes. So we proposes a illuminance dynamic range expansion using multi-point knee for smart phone camera. Such as logarithmic functions the proposed method compress the image sensor output signal. Additionally, the proposed method was merged into the gamma that is essential circuit for any cameras. To justifying multi-point knee effectiveness, we configure the control and quality evaluation system for smart phone camera module. Experimental results show that the lost information by cut off and saturated affectively reconstructed in darker and in brighter areas. Finally this methods have advantage to implement without any changing hardware for conventional smart phones.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2017

Liposomes are defined as spherical, self-closed structures formed by lipid bilayers containing aqueous phase. Most liposomes are composed of various amphipathic lipids such as phospholipids and cholesterol. We used amphipathic lipids (DPPC, DPPG) as liposome components and prepared around 100 nm liposomes by standard extrusion method. Nuclear/MR dual imaging agents based on liposome platform were prepared by adding radioactive $^{131}I$-HIB (hexadecyl-4-tributylstannylbenzoate) and Gd-DTPA into liposome bilayer and inside liposome, respectively. Gamma camera and MR imaging both showed signal increases in liver.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.365-368
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• 1997

We are developing a small gamma camera or imaging malignant breast tumors. The small scintillation camera system consists of NaI(Tl) crystal ($60\;{\times}\;60\;{\times}\;6\;mm^3$) coupled to position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT), nuclear instrument module (NIM), analog to digital converter (ADC), and personal computer. High quality flood source image and hole mask image were obtained using the gamma camera developed in this study. Breast phantom containing $2{\sim}7\;mm$ diameter spheres was successfully imaged with parallel hole collimator. The obtained image displayed accurate activity distribution over the imaging field of view. Linearity and uniformity correction algorithms are being developed. It is believed that the developed small gamma camera could be useful or detection of malignant breast cancer.

• Biomedical Engineering Letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2018

For prompt gamma ray imaging for biomedical applications and environmental radiation monitoring, we propose herein a multiple-scattering Compton camera (MSCC). MSCC consists of three or more semiconductor layers with good energy resolution, and has potential for simultaneous detection and differentiation of multiple radio-isotopes based on the measured energies, as well as three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the radio-isotope distribution. In this study, we developed an analytic simulator and a 3D image generator for a MSCC, including the physical models of the radiation source emission and detection processes that can be utilized for geometry and performance prediction prior to the construction of a real system. The analytic simulator for a MSCC records coincidence detections of successive interactions in multiple detector layers. In the successive interaction processes, the emission direction of the incident gamma ray, the scattering angle, and the changed traveling path after the Compton scattering interaction in each detector, were determined by a conical surface uniform random number generator (RNG), and by a Klein-Nishina RNG. The 3D image generator has two functions: the recovery of the initial source energy spectrum and the 3D spatial distribution of the source. We evaluated the analytic simulator and image generator with two different energetic point radiation sources (Cs-137 and Co-60) and with an MSCC comprising three detector layers. The recovered initial energies of the incident radiations were well differentiated from the generated MSCC events. Correspondingly, we could obtain a multi-tracer image that combined the two differentiated images. The developed analytic simulator in this study emulated the randomness of the detection process of a multiple-scattering Compton camera, including the inherent degradation factors of the detectors, such as the limited spatial and energy resolutions. The Doppler-broadening effect owing to the momentum distribution of electrons in Compton scattering was not considered in the detection process because most interested isotopes for biomedical and environmental applications have high energies that are less sensitive to Doppler broadening. The analytic simulator and image generator for MSCC can be utilized to determine the optimal geometrical parameters, such as the distances between detectors and detector size, thus affecting the imaging performance of the Compton camera prior to the development of a real system.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.45-53
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• 2002

Positron Emission Tomography(PET) was introduced as a research tool in the 1970s and it took about 20 years before PET became an useful clinical imaging modality. In the USA, insurance coverage for PET procedures in the 1990s was the turning point, I believe, for this progress. Initially PET was used in neurology but recently more than 80% of PET procedures are in oncological applications. I firmly believe, in the 21st century, one can not manage cancer patients properly without PET and PET is very important medical imaging modality in basic and clinical sciences. PET is grouped into 2 categories : conventional(c) and gamma camera $based_{(CB)}$ PET. $_{CB}PET$ is more readily available utilizing dual-head gamma cameras and commercially available FDG to many medical centers at low cost to patients. In fact there are more $_{CB}PET$ in operation than cPET in the USA. $_{CB}PET$ is inferior to cPET in its performance but clinical studies in oncology is feasible without expensive infrastructures such as staffing, rooms and equipments. At Ajou university Hospital, CBPET was installed in late 1997 for the first time in Korea as well as in Asia and the system has been used successfully and effectively in oncological applications. Ours was the fourth PET operation in Korea and I believe this may have been instrumental for other institutions got interested in clinical PET. The fellowing is a brief description of our clinical experience of FDG CBPET in oncology.