• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2007

Purpose : To investigate the applicability of the new three-dimensional overlapped reconstruction MR angiography (3-D ORMRA) technique in patients with hemifacial spasm and to compare the new 3-D reconstruction images with conventional MRA source images. Materials and Methods : The study group comprised 27 patients with surgically proven hemifacial spasm. In all patients, conventional MRA source images and 3-D fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) images were obtained prospectively. After 3-D MR angiographic images were obtained, the 3-D MRA and FIESTA images were overlapped at the workstation by using GE A/W 4.2 add/sub software. We analyzed the relationship between the offending vessels and root exit zone of the facial nerve using both 3-D ORMRA images and conventional MRA source images. Results : In 25 of 27 patients, the offending vessel at the REZ of the facial nerve could be correctly identified on conventional MRA source images. In all patients, the presumed offending vessels depicted by the overlapped 3-D reconstruction MRA image corresponded well with the intraoperative findings. The 3-D reconstruction image showed more clear visualization of the spatial relationship between the offending vessels and the root exit zone of the facial nerve. Conclusion : The overlapped 3-D reconstruction MR angiography technique is very useful and informative in patients with hemifacial spasm, as compared with conventional MRA angiography technique.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.275-280
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• 2008

Objective : In order to assess the incidence of thromboembolic events and their clinical presentations, the present study prospectively examined routine brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) taken within 48 hours after a coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms. Methods : From January 2006 to January 2008, 163 cases of coil embolization of cerebral aneurysm were performed along with routine brain MRI, including diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (DW-MR) imaging, within 48 hours after the embolization of the aneurysm to detect the silent thromboembolic events regardless of any neurological changes. If any neurological changes were observed, an immediate brain MRI follow-up was performed. High-signal-intensity lesions in the DW-MR images were considered as acute thromboembolic events and the number and locations of the lesions were also recorded. Results : Among the 163 coil embolization cases, 98(60.1%) showed high-signal intensities in the DW-MR imaging follow-up, 66 cases (67.0%) involved the eloquent area and only 6cases (6.0%) showed focal neurological symptoms correlated to the DW-MR findings. The incidence of DW-MR lesions was higher in older patients (${\geq}60$ yrs) when compared to younger patients (<60 yrs) (p=0.002, odd's ratio=1.043). The older patients also showed a higher incidence of abnormal DW-MR signals in aneurysm-unrelated lesions (p=0.0003, odd's ratio=5.078). Conclusion : The incidence of symptomatic thromboembolic attacks after coil embolization of the cerebral aneurysm was found to be lower than that reported in previous studies. While DW-MR imaging revealed a higher number of thromboembolic events, most of these were clinically silent and transient and showed favorable clinical outcomes. However, the incidence of DW-MR abnormalities was higher in older patients, along with unpredictable thromboembolic events on DW-MR images. Thus, in order to provide adequate and timely treatment and to minimize neurological sequelae, a routine DW-MR follow-up after coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms might be helpful, especially in older patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

A noel automated brain region extraction method in single channel MR images for visualization and analysis of a human brain is presented. The method generates a volume of brain masks by automatic thresholding using a dual curve fitting technique and by 3D morphological operations. The dual curve fitting can reduce an error in clue fitting to the histogram of MR images. The 3D morphological operations, including erosion, labeling of connected-components, max-feature operation, and dilation, are applied to the cubic volume of masks reconstructed from the thresholded Drain masks. This method can automatically extract a brain region in any displayed type of sequences, including extreme slices, of SPGR, T1-, T2-, and PD-weighted MR image data sets which are not required to contain the entire brain. In the experiments, the algorithm was applied to 20 sets of MR images and showed over 0.97 of similarity index in comparison with manual drawing.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.110-116
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• 2006

Finite element method (FEM) provides several advantages over other numerical methods such as boundary element method, since it allows truly volumetric analysis and incorporation of realistic electrical conductivity values. Finite element mesh generation is the first requirement in such in FEM to represent the volumetric domain of interest with numerous finite elements accurately. However, conventional mesh generators and approaches offered by commercial packages do not generate meshes that are content-adaptive to the contents of given images. In this paper, we present software that has been implemented to generate content-adaptive finite element meshes (cMESHes) based on the contents of MR images. The software offers various computational tools for cMESH generation from multi-slice MR images. The software named as the Content-adaptive FE Mesh Generation Toolbox runs under the commercially available technical computation software called Matlab. The major routines in the toolbox include anisotropic filtering of MR images, feature map generation, content-adaptive node generation, Delaunay tessellation, and MRI segmentation for the head conductivity modeling. The presented tools should be useful to researchers who wish to generate efficient mesh models from a set of MR images. The toolbox is available upon request made to the Functional and Metabolic Imaging Center or Bio-imaging Laboratory at Kyung Hee University in Korea.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2003

PET (positron emission tomography) permits the investigation of physiological and biochemical processes in vivo. The accuracy of quantifying PET data is affected by its finite spatial resolution, which causes partial volume effects. In this study, we developed a method for partial volume correction using Hoffman phantom PET and MR data, and applied various FWHM (full width at half maximum) levels. We also applied this method to PET images of normal controls and tested for the possibility of clinical application. $^{18}$ F-PET Hoffman phantom images were co-registered to MR slices. The gray matter and white matter regions were then segmented into binary images. Each binary image was convolved by 4, 8, 12, 16 mm FWHM levels. These convolved images of gray and white matter were merged corresponding to the same level of FWHM. The original PET images were then divided by the convolved binary images voxel-by-voxel. These corrected PET images were multiplied by binary images. The corrected PET images were evaluated by analyzing regions of interests, which were drawn on the gray and white matter regions of the original MR image slices. We calculated the ratio of white to gray matter. We also applied this method to the PET images of normal controls. On analyzing the corrected PET images of Hoffman phantom, the ratios of the corrected images increased more than that of the uncorrected images. With the normal controls, the ratio of the corrected images increased more than that of the uncorrected images. The ratio increase of the corrected PET images was lower than that of the corrected phantom PET images. In conclusion, the method developed for partial volume correction in PET data may be clinically applied, although further study may be required for optimal correction.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2000

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oblique coronal MR images, oblique axial images of neutral, internal rotation and external rotation positions in the diagnosis of SLAP Ⅱ lesion. Materials and Methods: MR arthrography of the glenohumeral joint was evaluated retrospectively in 16 patients(16 shoulders) who underwent arthroscopic surgery(mean age; 38 years old, Male; 13, Female; 3). Oblique coronal fat-suppressed Tl-weighted spin echo images were performed with each shoulder in the neutral position of the arm and oblique axial images were performed in neutral, internal and external rotations of the arm respectively. The preoperative findings of MR were classified as definite tear, possible tear and no tear. Arthroscopic findings were correlated with MR findings of several different position of the arm. Results: Arthroscopic surgery revealed 8 SLAP Ⅱ lesion, 2 SLAP I lesion, and 6 normal superior labrum respectively. The accuracy of diagnosis in the 8 SLAP Ⅱ lesion were high on oblique axial image in external rotation which were interpreted as 8 definite tear, to compare with oblique axial images in neutral position which were interpreted as 4 definite tear, 3 possible tear, 1 no tear. The 6 normal superior labrum lesion were interpreted as no tear in all three position. The 2 SLAP I lesion were interpreted as 1 definite tear, 1 no tear on oblique axial image in neutral position and 1 definite tear, 1 possible tear on oblique axial image in external rotation. Conclusion: This study showed that axial MR images in external rotation of the arm combined with oblique coronal images have proved to be effective to detect SLAP Ⅱ lesion, and should be considered in imaging protocol for MR arthrography of the SLAP Ⅱ lesion.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.555-559
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• 2005

Evaluate the triolein emulsion could disrupt the barriers and to suggest as an experimental model in blood-ocular barrier studies. Triolein emulsion was infused into the carotid artery in the experimental group ten cats. Normal saline was used in another the control group ten cats. Pre contrast and postcontrast T1-weighted MR images were obtained at 30 minutes and 3 hours after embolization. Signal intensities were evaluated in the anterior, posterior chamber and in the vitreus qualitatively and quantitatively. Postembolization 30 minutes MR images were not different from those of the control group. Postembolization 3 hour MR images demonstrated delayed contrast enhancement in the anterior chamber of the ipsilateral and contralateral eyeballs and in the posterior chamber of the ipsilateral eyeball. Delayed contrast enhancement of the posterior chamber of the ipsilateral eyeball was statistically significant (P<0.05). The present study demonstrated significant contrast enhancement in the posterior chamber with infusion of triolein emulsion and can be a model in blood-aqueous barrier studies.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.283-290
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• 1999

Because MR(Magnetic Resonance) slice images have much information of functions about body organs, it is very effeclive for diagnoses lo analyze and visualize MR slice images. A visuahzation process is composed of medical image acquisition, preprocessmg, segmentation, inlerpolation, rendering. Segmentation and interpolation among thenl ,1re currenl hot topics because of MR slice image imperfections. This paper proposes a method for segmentalion, mlerpolation respectively and addresses 3 D-visualizmg of a head. We segmented head tissues uomg otructural knowledge of head studied by clinical experiments sequentially. We improved the dynamic elastic inlerpolation to Utilize in concave conlour. We compared the proposed segmentation method and the interpolation method with other methods.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.367-373
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• 2004

Evaluated the hyperacute embolic effects of triolein and oleic acid in cat brains by using MR image and electron microscopy. In fat embolism, free fatty acid is more toxic than neutral fat in terms of tissue damage. T2-Weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging were performed in cat brains after the injection of triolein (group 1, n=8) or oleic acid (group 2, n=10) into the internal carotid artery. MR image were quantitatively assessed by comparing the lesions with their counterparts on T2-weighted images, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Electron microscopic findings in group 1 were compared with those in group 2. Qualitatively, MR images revealed two types of lesions. Type 1 lesions were hyperintense on diffusion-weighted images and hypointense of ADC maps. Type 2 lesions were isointense or mildly hyperintense on diffusion-weighted images and isointense on ADC maps. Quantitatively, the signal intensity rations of type 1 lesions in group 2 specimens were significantly higher on T2-weighted images (P=.013)/(P=.027) and lower on ADC maps compared with those of group 1. Electron microscopy of type 1 lesions in both groups revealed more prominent widening of the perivascular space and swelling of the neural cells in groups 1. MR and electron microscopic data on cerebral fat embolism induced by either triolein or oleic acid revealed characteristics suggestive of both vasogenic and cytotoxic edema in the hyperacute stage. Tissue damage appeared more severe in the oleic acid group than in the triolein group.

• Proceedings of the Korea Multimedia Society Conference
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• 2002.05c
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• pp.485-488
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• 2002

본 논문은 의학 연구 및 교육, 환자 치료를 위해 보다 정확한 정보를 제공하고자 의료 영상 중에 가장 많이 사용하는 의료 영상인 뇌 MR 영상의 횡단면만을 가지고 3차원으로 가시화한다. 3차원으로 재구성하는데 있어서 원 영상의 모형을 자연스러운 표현을 위해서는 층 영상과 층 영상간의 보간 영상이 필요하므로 이를 생성하는 방법에 대해서 제안한다. 그리고 3차원 재구성에 필요한 정보를 추출하기 위해 각 영상에서 머리와 뇌 영역의 윤곽선 정보를 추출하고 가시화의 시간을 줄이기 위해 윤곽선 정보에서 특징점을 추출하여 이를 기반으로 하여 3차원으로 재구성 한다.