• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2000.07a
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• pp.39-42
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• 2000

In our study, by observing and analyzing normal liver in abdominal CT image, we estimated gray value range and generated binary image. In the binary image, we achieved the number of hole which is located between pixels. Depending on the ratio, we processed the input image to 4 kinds of mesh images to remove the noise part that has the different ratio. With the Union image of 4 kinds of mesh images, we generated the template representing general outline of liver and subtracted from the binary image so the we can represent the organ boundary to be minute. With results of proposed method, processing time is reduced compared with existing method and we compared the result image to manual image of medical specialists.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2020

In this paper, we deal with a liver fibrosis classification problem using ultrasound B-mode images. Commonly representative methods for classifying the stages of liver fibrosis include liver biopsy and diagnosis based on ultrasound images. The overall liver shape and the smoothness and roughness of speckle pattern represented in ultrasound images are used for determining the fibrosis stages. Although the ultrasound image based classification is used frequently as an alternative or complementary method of the invasive biopsy, it also has the limitations that liver fibrosis stage decision depends on the image quality and the doctor's experience. With the rapid development of deep learning algorithms, several studies using deep learning methods have been carried out for automated liver fibrosis classification and showed superior performance of high accuracy. The performance of those deep learning methods depends closely on the amount of datasets. We propose an enhanced U-net architecture to maximize the classification accuracy with limited small amount of image datasets. U-net is well known as a neural network for fast and precise segmentation of medical images. We design it newly for the purpose of classifying liver fibrosis stages. In order to assess the performance of the proposed architecture, numerical experiments are conducted on a total of 118 ultrasound B-mode images acquired from 78 patients with liver fibrosis symptoms of F0~F4 stages. The experimental results support that the performance of the proposed architecture is much better compared to the transfer learning using the pre-trained model of VGGNet.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.179-190
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• 2001

In this proposed study, observing and analyzing contrast enhanced abdominal CT images, we segmented the liver automatically. We computed the ratio of each gray value from the estimated gray value range. With the average value of mesh image, we distinguished the liver from the noise parts. We divided the region based on immersion simulation. The threshold value is determined from the mesh image which is generated from each gray value portion of the liver and is used in dividing the liver to the noise region. To get the outline of the liver, we generated template image which represents the lump of the liver, and subtracted it from the binary image. With the results we use the proposed algorithm using 8-connectivity instead of the present opening algorithm, to reduce the processing time. We computed the volume from the segmented organ size and presented a clinical demonstration with the animal experiment

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 2004

Pixel values of contrast enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) images are randomly changed. Also, the middle liver part has a problem to segregate the liver structure because of similar gray-level values of a pancreas in the abdomen. In this paper, an automatic liver segmentation method using a partial histogram threshold (PHT) algorithm is proposed for overcoming randomness of CE-CT images and removing the pancreas. After histogram transformation, adaptive multi-modal threshold is used to find the range of gray-level values of the liver structure. Also, the PHT algorithm is performed for removing the pancreas. Then, morphological filtering is processed for removing of unnecessary objects and smoothing of the boundary. Four CE-CT slices of eight patients were selected to evaluate the proposed method. As the average of normalized average area of the automatic segmented method II (ASM II) using the PHT and manual segmented method (MSM) are 0.1671 and 0.1711, these two method shows very small differences. Also, the average area error rate between the ASM II and MSM is 6.8339 ％. From the results of experiments, the proposed method has similar performance as the MSM by medical Doctor.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.19B no.2
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• pp.123-126
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• 2012

This paper proposed a method to separate a liver into left and right liver lobes for simple and exact volumetry of the river graft at abdominal MDCT(Multi-Detector Computed Tomography) image before the living donor liver transplantation. A medical team can evaluate an accurate river graft with minimized interaction between the team and a system using this algorithm for ensuring donor's and recipient's safe. On the image of segmented liver, 2 points(PMHV: a point in Middle Hepatic Vein and PPV: a point at the beginning of right branch of Portal Vein) are selected to separate a liver into left and right liver lobes. Middle hepatic vein is automatically segmented using PMHV, and the cutting line is decided on the basis of segmented Middle Hepatic Vein. A liver is separated on connecting the cutting line and PPV. The volume and ratio of the river graft are estimated. The volume estimated using 2 points are compared with a manual volume that diagnostic radiologist processed and estimated and the weight measured during surgery to support proof of exact volume. The mean ${\pm}$ standard deviation of the differences between the actual weights and the estimated volumes was $162.38cm^3{\pm}124.39$ in the case of manual segmentation and $107.69cm^3{\pm}97.24$ in the case of 2 points method. The correlation coefficient between the actual weight and the manually estimated volume is 0.79, and the correlation coefficient between the actual weight and the volume estimated using 2 points is 0.87. After selection the 2 points, the time involved in separation a liver into left and right river lobe and volumetry of them is measured for confirmation that the algorithm can be used on real time during surgery. The mean ${\pm}$ standard deviation of the process time is $57.28sec{\pm}32.81$ per 1 data set ($149.17pages{\pm}55.92$).

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2004.10b
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• pp.760-762
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• 2004

본 논문에서 CT영상에서 간 영역을 자동적으로 분할할 수 있는 방법을 제안한다. 밝기의 특성을 이용하여 초기 관심 영역을 추출하기 위해 ATI(Automatic Threshold Intensity)기법을 사용하였다. 간 영역을 최종적으로 추출하기 위해 블럽 컬러링 기법을 사용하였다 기존 블럽 컬러링의 연산속도를 개선하기 위해서 Recoloring table을 이용하였다 제안된 방법을 이용하여 실험한 결과로 간 영역 추출의 성공률 90%를 얻었다.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2001

In this paper, we suggests a algorithms of recognizing the disease region by extracting particular organ from medical image. This method can extract liver region in spite of input image including many organs and charged format by using multi-threshold of feed-back-structure for segmentation liver region, and suggest the recognition of disease region in extracted liver, using multi-neural network structured by RBF and BP, overcoming the defect of single-neural network. The algorithm in this paper is proficient in adaptation for a multi form change of input medical image. This algorithm can be used at tole-medicine through automatic recognition after recognizing of the disease region by real-tire medical Image.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3045-3050
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• 2013

Purpose: Hepatic resection is arguably the preferred treatment for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (H-HCC). Estimating the remnant liver volume is therefore essential. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using computer-assisted volumetric analysis for this purpose. Methods: The study involved 40 patients with H-HCC. Laboratory examinations were conducted, and a contrast CT-scan revealed that 30 cases out of the participating 40 had single-lesion tumors. The remaining 10 had less than three satellite tumors. With the consensus of the team, two physicians conducted computer-assisted 3D segmentation of the liver, tumor, and vessels in each case. Volume was automatically computed from each segmented/labeled anatomical field. To estimate the resection volume, virtual lobectomy was applied to the main tumor. A margin greater than 1 cm was applied to the satellite tumors. Resectability was predicted by computing a ratio of functional liver resection (R) as (Vresected-Vtumor)/(Vtotal-Vtumor) x 100%, applying a threshold of 50% and 60% for cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic cases, respectively. This estimation was then compared with surgical findings. Results: Out of the 22 patients who had undergone hepatectomies, only one had an R that exceeded the threshold. Among the remaining 18 patients with non-resectable H-HCC, 12 had Rs that exceeded the specified ratio and the remaining 6 had Rs that were < 50%. Four of the patients who had Rs less than 50% underwent incomplete surgery due to operative findings of more extensive satellite tumors, vascular invasion, or metastasis. The other two cases did not undergo surgery because of the high risk involved in removing the tumor. Overall, the ratio of functional liver resection for estimating resectability correlated well with the other surgical findings. Conclusion: Efficient pre-operative resectability assessment of H-HCC using computer-assisted volumetric analysis is feasible.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.646-648
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• 2003

일반적으로 복부 CT 영상에서 간암이나 다른 병변들을 갖고 있는 않은 정상 간은 고른 그레이값 분포 범위를 가지고 있다. 그 그레이값 범위는 대개 90 에서 92 사이의 값이다. 그러나. 복부 CT 영상에서 간암이나 여러 병변들을 가지고 있는 비정상간의 경우는 정상간의 경우와 같이 90 에서 92 사이의 일정 간격의 그레이값들만으로 구성되어 있지 않다. 비정상간의 경우는 병변들로 인하여 건강한 간의 실질 부분의 그레이값만을 나타내지는 못하기 때문이다. 이는 복부 CT 영상에서 간 부분을 세그멘테이션할 때 정상간 부분과 비정상간 부분의 세그멘테이션 방식이 다를 수 있음을 말해준다. 보통 기존에 있는 정상간의 세그멘테이션 기법은 위치 정보와 함께 일정 간격의 그레이값 분포 정보를 이용하여 수월하게 간을 세그멘테이션 했다. 그러나, 이 방식은 비정상간을 세그멘테이션하지 못하는 경우가 대부분이다. 본 연구는 간의 위치 정보, 거리 정보를 이용하고 각도선 조절 기법 등을 사용하여 비정상간을 세그멘테이션하였다. 그리하여, 본 연구는 세그멘테이션이 어려운 간암 보유 복부 CT 영상에 적용되어 효과적인 간의 세그멘테이션을 가능하게 하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2005.07b
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• pp.802-804
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• 2005

제안된 연구에서는 기존의 일반 CT(Computerized tomography) 영상이 아닌 MDCT(Multi Detector CT) 영상을 이용하여 장기 추출에 관한 연구를 진행하였다. 조영제를 이용한 복부 MDCT 영상으로부터 모폴로지(morphology) 기법을 통해 간에 근접한 노이즈를 제거하고, 기존의 Otsu threshold를 개선하여 간의 명암값 분포를 구분할 수 있는 임계치를 구하였다. 찾아진 임계치를 이용하여 영상을 이진화하고, 최종적으로 위치정보를 이용하여 간에 해당하는 부분들을 추출하였다. 이러한 방식은 명암값과 위치정보를 이용하여 간을 추출한 후 다시 노이즈 문제를 해결하는 기존의 알고리즘과 비교했을 때, 처리 방식이 단순해지고 속도가 향상되었다. 추출된 간은 간 이식술이나 절제술에 필요한 간 내부의 혈관 인식과 간의 부분체적 계산 연구에 중요한 정보로 사용될 수 있을 것이다.