• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.351-360
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• 1998

아날로그 감마카메라에 비해 디지털 카메라는 Q.C가 편리하고, Calibration과 조작이 매우 쉬운 장점들을 갖고 있어 영상 질을 향상시킬 뿐만 아니라 진단의 정확도를 높일 수 있다. 더욱이, 디지털 카메라로 획득한 디지털 영상은 PACS(Picture Archiving and Communication System) 뿐만 아니라 원격진료에도 활용될 수 있다. 그러나, 많은 병원들이 아직도 아날로그 카메라를 사용하고 있고 이들을 디지털 카메라로 대체하기는 어려운 상황에 있다. 본 연구는 아날로그 감마카메라를 디지털화 할 수 있는지의 가능성을 보는 것이었다. 카메라를 디지털화 한 후 균일도 계수능력 등의 물리적 특성을 측정하였다. 임상에서의 사용 가능성을 보기 위해 아날로그 시스템과 디지털 시스템을 동시에 연결하여 임상 데이터들을 획득하였다. 이들의 결과는 임상환경에서 아날로그 카메라를 디지털화 하 수 있다는 가능성을 보여주었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권11호
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• pp.2594-2600
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• 2020

A gamma camera system using radionuclide has a functional imaging technique and is frequently used in the field of nuclear medicine. In the gamma camera, it is extremely important to improve the image quality to ensure accurate detection of diseases. In this study, we designed a blind-deconvolution framework after a noise-reduction algorithm based on a non-local mean, which has been shown to outperform conventional methodologies with regard to the gamma camera system. For this purpose, we performed a simulation using the Monte Carlo method and conducted an experiment. The image performance was evaluated by visual assessment and according to the intensity profile, and a quantitative evaluation using a normalized noise-power spectrum was performed on the acquired image and the blind-deconvolution image after noise reduction. The result indicates an improvement in image performance for gamma camera images when our proposed algorithm is used.

• 핵의학기술
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.90-93
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• 2011

Pixelated BSGI 감마카메라는 높은 분해능과 민감도를 특징으로 하며, 좁은 FOV로 인하여 검출기와 장기간의 거리를 최소화 할 수 있는 장점이 있다. 따라서, 국소 장기인 갑상선, 부갑상선, 담낭 등의 검사에 유용하다고 알려져 있다. 일반적으로 핵의학 검사에서 감마카메라를 사용하여 국소 장기를 영상화할 때 상의 크기를 확대하고, 우수한 분해능을 획득하고자 바늘구멍 조준기(Pinhole Collimator)를 사용한다. 이에 본 연구에서는 대표적인 국소장기인 갑상선 검사를 대상으로 바늘구멍 조준기로 획득한 영상 과 Pixilated BSGI 감마카메라로 획득한 영상을 비교하여 갑상선 검사 시 Pixilated Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging(BSGI) 감마카메라의 유용성을 평가 하였다. $^{99m}TcO_4^-$을 넣은 갑상선 팬텀을 이용 하였다. 바늘구멍 조준기를 장착한 INFINIA 감마카메라와 저 에너지 고 분해능용 평행다중구멍 조준기를 장착한 Pixelated BSGI 감마카메라에서 300 sec 또는 100 kcts로 설정 후 영상을 획득하였다. 모든 영상 획득은 현재 서울아산병원에서 실제 환자에게 적용하고 있는 갑상선 검사 절차와 동일한 방법으로 시행하였다. 그 결과 INFINIA 감마카메라와 Pixelated BSGI 감마카메라의 갑상선 팬텀 영상을 비교한 결과 Pixellated BSGI 감마카메라에서 갑상선 팬텀의 열소(hot spot)와 냉소(cold spot)의 구분을 더욱 명확하게 확인 할 수 있었다. 갑상선 검사시 Pixilated BSGI 감마카메라는 영상획득 시간을 단축시킬 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 더 나아가 투여하는 방사성의약품의 양을 줄임으로써 환자의 피폭을 경감 시킬 수 있다. 촬영시간의 단축은 환자의 호흡 및 움직임을 최소화하여 더 좋은 영상을 얻을 수 있다. 또한 Pixelated BSGI 감마카메라의 검출기는 작고 다양한 회전이 가능하므로 장기와 검출기 사이 거리를 최소화 할 수 있고, 장비자체의 이동도 가능하므로 환자의 이동이 불가 한 경우 매우 유용하다. 그러나 이러한 장점에도 불구하고 Pixelated (BSGI) 감마카메라는 방사성의약품의 집적이 매우 낮은 유방 촬영 전용으로 제작했기 때문에 2000 cts/s 이상에서는 불감시간 효과가 발생한다. 따라서 Pixelated BSGI 감마카메라를 핵의학 갑상선 검사에 적용할 경우 방사성의약품의 투여량의 조절과 영상획득 시간의 조정에 대한 연구가 더 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.475-481
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• 2014

이 연구의 목적은 감마선 검출 시스템을 개발하여 평행구멍형 조준기와 바늘구멍 조준기를 이용하여, 각각 소동물용 감마영상 획득과 환경 방사선 검출 영상을 획득하는 것이다. 본 연구에서는 크기가 $50{\times}50mm$ 이며, 6 mm 두께의 CsI(Tl) 섬광체와 $50{\times}50mm$ 크기의 Hamamatsu H8500C 위치민감형 광전자증배관, 저항분배회로, 전치증폭기, 성형증폭기, NIM 모듈 및 아날로그 디지털 변환기로 구성된 감마카메라를 개발하였다. 또한. 바늘구멍 감마카메라와 전하결합소자 카메라를 결합하여 환경모니터링에 적용할 수 있는 장비를 개발하였다. 본 연구 결과는 평행 구멍형 조준기와 바늘구멍 조준기를 이용한 감마카메라를 각각 소동물용 감마영상 획득과 환경방사선 측정에 적용 할 수 있음을 보여주었다. 이 시스템은 소 동물전용 감마카메라와 환경방사선 측정 시스템으로 활용 될 수 있을 것이다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권7호
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• pp.2567-2571
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• 2023

Scintillator materials are widely used in the medical and industrial fields for imaging systems using gamma cameras. In this study, image evaluation is performed by modeling a gamma camera system based on a lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) scintillation detector using a pinhole collimator that can improve the spatial resolution. A LYSO detector-based gamma camera system is modeled using a Monte Carlo simulation tool. The geometric concept of the pinhole collimator is designed using various magnification factors, and the spatial resolution is measured using the acquired source image. To evaluate the resolution, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and natural image quality assessment (NIQE), a no-reference-based parameter, are used. We confirm that the FWHM and NIQE values decrease simultaneously when the diameter of the pinhole collimator increases. Additionally, we confirm that the spatial resolution improves as the magnification factor increases under the same pinhole diameter condition. Particularly, a 0.57 mm FWHM value is obtained using the modeled gamma camera system with a LYSO scintillation detector. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that a pinhole collimator with a LYSO scintillation detector is a promising gamma camera imaging system.

• 핵의학기술
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.36-41
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• 2023

Purpose The long-term trend of extrinsic uniformity by type of gamma camera was analyzed, and the factors affecting uniformity were investigated. Based on this, the purpose was to predict the life of the gamma camera, pay attention to factors that affect uniformity, and obtain better quality images. Materials and methods Four of the gamma cameras in operation at a senior general hospital in Seoul were selected and the trend of extrinsic uniformity from the first operation date to the present was analyzed. In order to minimize various factors affecting uniformity, a detailed analysis was conducted by calculating the monthly and annual average of the uniformity values. Results Two Symbia E gamma cameras from SIEMENS, one Symbia Evo Excel gamma camera, and one Symbia Intevo16 gamma camera were selected and analyzed. The uniformity of Symbia E₁ (2012 warehousing) changed unevenly, and the uniformity of Symbia E₂ (2014 warehousing) changed according to the replacement cycle of ⁵⁷Co sheet sources. The uniformity of Symbia Evo Excel (received in 2017) and Symbia Intevo 16 (received in 2017) was constant compared to Symbia E. Conclusion The extrinsic uniformity of the gamma camera gradually increased over time. However, there was a difference in uniformity for each type of gamma camera, and there was a change in uniformity in which the cause could not be accurately identified. In order to improve the quality of the image, it is necessary to periodically check changes in uniformity and minimize factors that affect uniformity.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.719-722
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• 2019

Gamma-ray images generally suffer from a lot of noise because of low photon detection in the gamma camera system. The purpose of this study is to improve the image quality in gamma-ray images using a gamma camera system with a fast nonlocal means (FNLM) noise reduction algorithm with an acceleration function. The designed FNLM algorithm is based on local region considerations, including the Euclidean distance in the gamma-ray image and use of the encoded information. To evaluate the noise characteristics, the normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and coefficient of variation (COV) were used. According to the NNPS result, the lowest values can be obtained using the FNLM noise reduction algorithm. In addition, when the conventional methods and the FNLM noise reduction algorithm were compared, the average CNR and COV using the proposed algorithm were approximately 2.23 and 7.95 times better than those of the noisy image, respectively. In particular, the image-processing time of the FNLM noise reduction algorithm can achieve the fastest time compared with conventional noise reduction methods. The results of the image qualities related to noise characteristics demonstrated the superiority of the proposed FNLM noise reduction algorithm in a gamma camera system.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.123-127
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• 2015

Recently, new gamma camera systems enabling low radiation dose imaging have been developed. We reviewed the recent development of these low dose gamma camera systems including high sensitivity detectors, device structures, noise reduction filters, efficient image reconstruction algorithms, low dose protocols, and so on. It is expected that further technological advances reduce both radiation dose and imaging time in gamma camera imaging especially for radiation-sensitive patients such as pediatric patients.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.439-443
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• 2019

To improve the noise characteristics, software-based noise reduction algorithms are widely used in cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) pixelated semiconductor gamma camera system. The purpose of this study was to develop an improved median filtering algorithm using a thresholding method for noise reduction in a CZT pixelated semiconductor gamma camera system. The gamma camera system simulated is a CZT pixelated semiconductor detector with a pixel-matched parallel-hole collimator and the spatial resolution phatnom was designed with the Geant4 Application for Tomography Emission (GATE). In addition, a noise reduction algorithm with a median filter using an improved thresholding method is developed and we applied our proposed algorithm to an acquired spatial resolution phantom image. According to the results, the proposed median filter improved the noise characteristics compared to a conventional median filter. In particular, the average for normalized noise power spectrum, contrast to noise ratio, and coefficient of variation results using the proposed median filter were 10, 1.11, and 1.19 times better than results using conventional median filter, respectively. In conclusion, our results show that the proposed median filter using improved the thresholding method results in high imaging performance when applied in a CZT semiconductor gamma camera system.

• 전기학회논문지
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• 제58권7호
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• pp.1450-1455
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• 2009

Assumed that an IPTV camera system is to be used as an ad-hoc sensor for the surveillance and diagnostics of safety-critical equipments installed in the in-containment building of the nuclear power plant, an major problem is the presence of high dose-rate gamma irradiation fields inside the one. In order to uses an IPTV camera in such intense gamma radiation environment of the in-containment building, the radiation-weakened devices including a CCD imaging sensor, FPGA, ASIC and microprocessors are to be properly shielded from high dose-rate gamma radiation using the high-density material, lead or tungsten. But the passive elements such as mirror, lens and window, which are placed in the optical path of the CCD imaging sensor, are exposed to a high dose-rate gamma ray source directly. So, the gamma-ray irradiation characteristics of the passive elements, is needed to test. A CCD camera lens, made of glass material, have been gamma irradiated at the dose rate of 4.2 kGy/h during an hour up to a total dose of 4 kGy. The radiation induced color-center in the glass lens is observed. The degradation performance of the gamma irradiated lens is explained using an color component analysis.