• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.402-412
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• 2022

Objective: To evaluate the image quality and lesion detectability of lower-dose CT (LDCT) of the abdomen and pelvis obtained using a deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) algorithm compared with those of standard-dose CT (SDCT) images. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 123 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 63 ± 11 years; male:female, 70:53) who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT between May and August 2020 and had prior SDCT obtained using the same CT scanner within a year. LDCT images were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (h-IR) and DLIR at medium and high strengths (DLIR-M and DLIR-H), while SDCT images were reconstructed with h-IR. For quantitative image quality analysis, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were measured in the liver, muscle, and aorta. Among the three different LDCT reconstruction algorithms, the one showing the smallest difference in quantitative parameters from those of SDCT images was selected for qualitative image quality analysis and lesion detectability evaluation. For qualitative analysis, overall image quality, image noise, image sharpness, image texture, and lesion conspicuity were graded using a 5-point scale by two radiologists. Observer performance in focal liver lesion detection was evaluated by comparing the jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristic figures-of-merit (FOM). Results: LDCT (35.1% dose reduction compared with SDCT) images obtained using DLIR-M showed similar quantitative measures to those of SDCT with h-IR images. All qualitative parameters of LDCT with DLIR-M images but image texture were similar to or significantly better than those of SDCT with h-IR images. The lesion detectability on LDCT with DLIR-M images was not significantly different from that of SDCT with h-IR images (reader-averaged FOM, 0.887 vs. 0.874, respectively; p = 0.581). Conclusion: Overall image quality and detectability of focal liver lesions is preserved in contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT obtained with DLIR-M relative to those in SDCT with h-IR.

• 전자공학회논문지C
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• 제35C권10호
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• pp.69-77
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• 1998

본 논문에서는 대규모 집적회로 설계에 있어 효율적이고 안정된 분할을 위한 새로운 다단 분할 방법을 제안한다. 대규모 회로의 설계에 반복적인 분할 개선 방법을 적용함에 있어 성능의 한계를 극복하기 위해 제안된 다단 분할 방법은 분할 계층구조의 형성 방식에 의해 그 성능이 결정되었다. 기존에 제안된 대부분의 다단 분할 방법은 계층구조를 형성하는 과정에서 실험에 의한 인위적인 제한 조건을 설정하여 분할 결과의 안정성이 저하되는 문제가 있었다. 이러한 안정성의 결여는 반복 수행시의 분할 결과 편차가 매우 커지는 상황을 초래한다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 인위적인 제한 조건의 설정을 최소화하고 계층구조 형성 과정에서 현재 회로 연결 상태를 고려하여 자율적인 제한조건에 의해 클러스터링을 수행하는 새로운 계층구조 형성 방식을 제안한다. 제안된 방법에 의해 형성된 분할 계층구조는 HYIP/sup 11/의 하이브리드 버켓을 이용한 분할 개선방법을 반복적으로 적용하여 분할 결과를 얻는다. 본 다단 분할 방법은 ACM/SIGDA에서 제공한 벤치마크회로를 대상으로 실험한 결과 기존 분할 방식/sup [3] [4] [5] [8] [9]/에 비해 약 10-40% 가량의 최소 cutsize 감소 효과가 있었고 기존의 다단 분할 방법 중에 가장 효율적인 방법으로 평가되는 ML/sup [10]/에 비해 제안된 방법이 최소 cutsize에 있어서는 약 5%, 평균 outsize에 있어서는 평균 20%이상의 성능 향상을 가져 왔다. 더욱이 제안된 방법을 10회 수행한 결과가 ML 방법을 100회 수행한 결과 보다 앞서는 성능을 보였다.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.384-394
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• 2024

Objective: To evaluate the image quality of novel dark-blood computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging combined with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) compared to delayed-phase CTA images with hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR), to visualize the cervical artery wall in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK). Materials and Methods: This prospective study continuously recruited 53 patients with TAK (mean age: 33.8 ± 10.2 years; 49 females) between January and July 2022 who underwent head-neck CTA scans. The arterial- and delayed-phase images were reconstructed using HIR and DLR. Subtracted images of the arterial-phase from the delayed-phase were then added to the original delayed-phase using a denoising filter to generate the final-dark-blood images. Qualitative image quality scores and quantitative parameters were obtained and compared among the three groups of images: Delayed-HIR, Dark-blood-HIR, and Dark-blood-DLR. Results: Compared to Delayed-HIR, Dark-blood-HIR images demonstrated higher qualitative scores in terms of vascular wall visualization and diagnostic confidence index (all P < 0.001). These qualitative scores further improved after applying DLR (Dark-blood-DLR compared to Dark-blood-HIR, all P < 0.001). Dark-blood DLR also showed higher scores for overall image noise than Dark-blood-HIR (P < 0.001). In the quantitative analysis, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) values between the vessel wall and lumen for the bilateral common carotid arteries and brachiocephalic trunk were significantly higher on Dark-blood-HIR images than on Delayed-HIR images (all P < 0.05). The CNR values were significantly higher for Dark-blood-DLR than for Dark-blood-HIR in all cervical arteries (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Compared with Delayed-HIR CTA, the dark-blood method combined with DLR improved CTA image quality and enhanced visualization of the cervical artery wall in patients with TAK.