• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.76-87
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• 2015

Purpose: There is an ongoing search for a stent material that produces a reduced susceptibility artifact. This study evaluated the effect of manganese (Mn) content on the MRI susceptibility artifact of ferrous-manganese (Fe-Mn) alloys, and investigated the correlation between MRI findings and measurements of Fe-Mn microstructure on X-ray diffraction (XRD). Materials and Methods: Fe-Mn binary alloys were prepared with Mn contents varying from 10% to 35% by weight (i.e., 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35%; designated as Fe-10Mn, Fe-15Mn, Fe-20Mn, Fe-25Mn, Fe-30Mn, and Fe-35Mn, respectively), and their microstructure was evaluated using XRD. Three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequences of cylindrical specimens were obtained in parallel and perpendicular to the static magnetic field (B0). In addition, T1-weighted spin echo, T2-weighted fast spin echo, and $T2^*$weighted gradient echo images were obtained. The size of the low-intensity area on MRI was measured for each of the Fe-Mn binary alloys prepared. Results: Three phases of ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensite, ${\gamma}$-austenite, and ${\varepsilon}$-martensite were seen on XRD, and their composition changed from ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensite to ${\gamma}$-austenite and/or ${\varepsilon}$-martensite, with increasing Mn content. The Fe-10Mn and Fe-15Mn specimens comprised ${\alpha}^{\prime}$-martensite, the Fe-20Mn and Fe-25Mn specimens comprised ${\gamma}+{\varepsilon}$ phases, and the Fe-30Mn and Fe-35Mn specimens exhibited a single ${\gamma}$ phase. The size of the low-intensity areas of Fe-Mn on MRI decreased relative to its microstructure on XRD with increasing Mn content. Conclusion: Based on these findings, proper conditioning of the Mn content in Fe-Mn alloys will improve its visibility on MR angiography, and a Mn content of more than 25% is recommended to reduce the magnetic susceptibility artifacts on MRI. A reduced artifact of Fe-Mn alloys on MRI is closely related to the paramagnetic constitution of ${\gamma}$-austenite and/or ${\varepsilon}$-martensite.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.229-234
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• 2003

목적: 홍역 감염 후 속발되는 뇌염은 사망률이 높아 조기진단 및 적극적인 치료가 예후에 중요하다. 저자들은 홍역 후 발생된 뇌염에 대한 Tc-99m ECD 뇌혈류 SPECT와 뇌핵자기공명영상(MRI)의 진단 성능을 비교하였고 뇌혈류 SPECT상 중등도 이상의 심한 뇌혈류 감소가 호발하는 부위를 알아보았다. 대상 및 방법: 홍역으로 진단받은 112명 중에서 의식저하, 경련, 마비 등의 임상증상과 혈청 및 뇌척수액에서 홍역 특이항체가 관찰되어 홍역 후 급성 뇌염으로 진단받고 Tc-99m ECD 뇌혈류 SPECT와 MRI를 시행받은 11명(M : F=4 : 7, 연령 $1.6{\sim}14$세)을 대상으로 하였다. SPECT상 관찰되는 뇌혈류는 0(정상)에서 3(결손)으로 점수화하였고 2점 이상인 경우를 중등도 뇌혈류 감소로 정의하였다. 홍역 후 발생된 뇌염 환아에서 MRI와 SPECT의 두부병소 진단 성능과 중등도 뇌혈류 감소의 호발부위를 알아보았다. 결과: MRI 시행결과 7명(63.6%)에서 T2-강조영상에서 회백질의 고강도 변화가 관찰되었으나, SPECT상 11명(100%) 모두에서 뇌혈류 감소 부위가 관찰되었다. 중등도 뇌혈류 감소는 전두엽(81.8%), 측두엽(72.7%), 후두엽(27.3%), 기저핵(27.3%), 두정엽(9.1%) 순서로 호발하였다. 결론: 홍역 후 발생된 뇌염 환아에서 두부병소를 진단하는데 MRI에 비하여 Tc-99m ECD 뇌혈류 SPECT가 좀더 도움이 될 것으로 사료된다.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.1294-1300
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• 2013

본 연구는 심근생존능검사 시 가돌리늄 함유량이 높은 조영제(1mmol/mL)를 사용함으로써 대조도대잡음비(CNR)를 높이고, 이로 인한 진단적 가치를 극대화 시키는데 연구의 목적을 두었다. 조사방법은 단위부피당 0.5mmol/mL의 함유량을 가진 기존의 조영제(gadoterate meglumine)를 사용한 284명과 1mmol/mL의 함유량을 가진 새로운 조영제(gadobutrol)를 사용한 120명 등 총 404명의 환자를 연구대상으로, 가돌리늄 함유량에 따른 대조도 차이를 알아보기 위하여 좌심실과 정상심근의 신호강도를 각각 측정한 후 신호대잡음비(SNR)와 CNR을 비교 평가하였다. 연구 결과, 가돌리늄 함유량이 1mmol/mL 조영제 사용 시 SNR은 심근이 25.13%, 심실이 30.74% 높았고, CNR 또한 SNR과 같이 31.29% 높았으며, 통계적으로도 매우 유의하였다. 결론적으로 가돌리늄 함유량이 높은 1mmol/mL 조영제의 사용으로 높은 T1 단축효과를 나타내어 신호강도가 커지고, 이로 인해 대조도 차이가 큰 영상을 얻어 진단적 가치가 높았다. 본 연구는 심장질환이 의심되는 환자에 대한 1mmol/mL 조영제의 유용성을 최초로 증명하여 진단적 가치를 높일 수 있다는 데에 학문적 의의가 있다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제30권sup1호
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• pp.120-123
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• 2001

1988년 1월부터 1997년 12월까지 본 교실에 내원하여 뇌수막종으로 진단받고 수술요법을 실시한 87례 중, 완전제거 후 재발한 경우와 부분적 절제후 방사선 치료를 받은 4례를 대상으로 hydroxyurea를 이용해 치료한 결과를 분석하였다. 남자가 1례, 여자가 3례이었으며 연령 분포는 23세에서 55세였다. 조직학적으로 3례가 meningothelial type이었으며 1례는 angiomatous type이었다. 3례에서 소뇌교각부에 발생하였으며 1례에서 해면정맥동에 발생하였다. 모든 환자들은 수술적 치료를 시행받았으며 3례의 환자에서 방사선 치료를 시행하였다. Hydroxyurea를 20mg/kg/day용량으로 투여하였으며 평균 추적관찰기간은 34개월이었다. 치료기간중 4례에서 종양이 줄어든 예는 없었으나 종양이 성장하지는 않았다. 삼차신경통 증상이 있던 1례는 증상 호전 되었으며 수술적 치료를 3차례 받았던 1례에서 두개골절제부위에 팽창되어 있던 뇌는 축소되어 두개강내로 복귀되었다. 혈액학적 부작용으로 백혈구 수치가 1례에서 감소되었으나 2주정도 복용을 중단한 후 다시 수치는 회복되었고 다른 심각한 부작용은 나타나지 않았다. 저자들은 뇌수막종 환자중, 수술후 재발한 경우와 불완전 제거를 시행한 경우 보조적 치료방법으로 hydroxyurea의 사용하여 종양크기의 감소는 없었으나 성장을 억제할 수 있었으며 앞으로 오랜 기간 추적관찰과 많은 증례에 대한 분석을 함으로써 뇌수막종 치료의 보조 방법으로 hydroxyurea를 이용할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.9-14
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• 2021

방사선에 의한 피폭 없이 대조도가 우수한 영상의 획득이 가능한 자기공명영상은 진단에 필수적이지만 영상에서의 노이즈 발생은 불가피한 요소이기 때문에 이를 보완하기 위해 자기공명영상장치의 변수들을 조절하여 우수한 특성을 가진 영상을 획득할 수 있다. 이 중, 여기횟수 (NEX; number of excitation)는 추가적인 영상 특성의 저하 없이 우수한 특성의 영상을 획득할 수 있지만 scan time이 증가하여 motion artifact를 발생시킬 수 있고, scan time의 증가에 비례하여 영상의 특성이 향상되지 않기 때문에 적절한 NEX의 설정이 필요하다. 따라서, 본 연구에서는 MRiLab simulation program을 통해 자기공명영상의 모든 변수들을 고정시킨 후, NEX만을 조절하여 획득한 뇌 T2 강조 영상의 정량적 평가를 통해 NEX 변화에 따른 영상 특성의 경향성을 평가하고자 하였다. 획득한 영상의 노이즈 레벨 및 유사도 평가를 하기 위해 신호 대 잡음비 (SNR; signal to noise ratio), 대조도 대 잡음비 (CNR; contrast to noise ratio), 평균 제곱근 오차 (RMSE; root mean square error) 그리고 최대 신호 대 잡음비 (PSNR; peak signal to noise ratio)를 계산하였다. 결과적으로, 노이즈 레벨 및 유사도 평가 인자 모두 NEX가 증가함에 따라 개선된 값을 보였으나, 점차 증가폭이 감소함을 보였다. 따라서, 과도하게 큰 NEX는 장시간의 scan에 따른 motion artifact를 발생시켜 영상 특성을 저하시킬 수 있으므로, 적절한 NEX의 설정이 중요함을 확인하였다.

• 핵의학기술
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.37-42
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• 2022

Purpose Since 1985, the Korean society of nuclear medicine technology (KSNMT) has been engaged in academic activities related to nuclear medicine imaging. From 2017 to 2021, the papers published in the journal were classified by the specific fields to examine the trends in the research and the direction of nuclear medicine in comparison with the papers submitted to the Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine (KSNM) during the same period. Materials and Methods From 2017 to 2021, papers submitted to KSNMT and KSNM were classified and databaseization using the Excel program by submission type, examination equipment, and examination field. Through this data, the number of papers published in journals by year, the number of papers submitted by detailed fields, and key words by era were analyzed and compared. Results The papers included by journal was 57 KSNMT and 280 KSNM. The major large classification of equipment, PET, Planar and SPECT was 26.3%, 21.1%, 19.3% in the KSNMT, KSNM was 49.6%, 6.4%, and 9.3%, with 66.7% and 65.3%, respectively. the major medium classification of equipment, industrial safety, urogenital system, nervous system, and quality control accounted for 54.4% of the total papers of the total ratio in the KSNMT, while the medium classification of oncology, endocrine system, urogenital system, therapy, and nervous system accounted for 61.1% of KSNM. In the major small classification of image acquisition, improvement effect, and exposure management accounted for 70.2% in KSNMT, while the items of image acquisition, report, and improvement effect accounted for 60.7% in KSNM. The major keywords except for equipment-related keywords such as PET/CT, PET/MR, and SPECT were SUV, Planar Image, and Respiration Gating Method in KSNMT and Ga68, Thyroid, and Lymphoma in the KSNM. Conclusion When checking the last 5 years of submissions, we can see that KSNMT is mainly concerned with image acquisition using existing radiotracers, while KSNM has focused on new radiotracers such as ⁶⁸Ga, ¹⁷⁷Lu, etc., and new medical technologies of theranostic. It has been confirmed that more PET-related papers than other examination equipment will account for a greater number of papers, and it is believed that future submissions will also account for a higher proportion of PET-related papers than other equipment.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.575-588
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• 2024

Objective: Differentiating intracranial aneurysms from normal variants using CT angiography (CTA) or MR angiography (MRA) poses significant challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of proton-density MRA (PD-MRA) compared to high-resolution time-of-flight MRA (HR-MRA) in diagnosing aneurysms among patients with indeterminate findings on conventional CTA or MRA. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we included patients who underwent both PD-MRA and HR-MRA from August 2020 to July 2022 to assess lesions deemed indeterminate on prior conventional CTA or MRA examinations. Three experienced neuroradiologists independently reviewed the lesions using HR-MRA and PD-MRA with reconstructed voxel sizes of 0.25³ mm³ or 0.2³ mm³, respectively. A neurointerventionist established the gold standard with digital subtraction angiography. We compared the performance of HR-MRA, PD-MRA (0.25³-mm³ voxel), and PD-MRA (0.2³-mm³ voxel) in diagnosing aneurysms, both per lesion and per patient. The Fleiss kappa statistic was used to calculate inter-reader agreement. Results: The study involved 109 patients (average age 57.4 ± 11.0 years; male:female ratio, 11:98) with 141 indeterminate lesions. Of these, 78 lesions (55.3%) in 69 patients were confirmed as aneurysms by the reference standard. PD-MRA (0.25³-mm³ voxel) exhibited significantly higher per-lesion diagnostic performance compared to HR-MRA across all three readers: sensitivity ranged from 87.2%-91.0% versus 66.7%-70.5%; specificity from 93.7%-96.8% versus 58.7%-68.3%; and accuracy from 90.8%-92.9% versus 63.8%-69.5% (P ≤ 0.003). Furthermore, PD-MRA (0.25³-mm³ voxel) demonstrated significantly superior per-patient specificity and accuracy compared to HR-MRA across all evaluators (P ≤ 0.013). The diagnostic accuracy of PD-MRA (0.2³-mm³ voxel) surpassed that of HR-MRA and was comparable to PD-MRA (0.25³-mm³ voxel). The kappa values for inter-reader agreements were significantly higher in PD-MRA (0.820-0.938) than in HR-MRA (0.447-0.510). Conclusion: PD-MRA outperformed HR-MRA in diagnostic accuracy and demonstrated almost perfect inter-reader consistency in identifying intracranial aneurysms among patients with lesions initially indeterminate on CTA or MRA.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.374-383
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• 2024

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance and image quality of 1.5-mm slice thickness MRI with deep learningbased image reconstruction (1.5-mm MRI + DLR) compared to routine 3-mm slice thickness MRI (routine MRI) and 1.5-mm slice thickness MRI without DLR (1.5-mm MRI without DLR) for evaluating temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 117 MR image sets comprising 1.5-mm MRI + DLR, 1.5-mm MRI without DLR, and routine MRI from 117 consecutive patients (mean age, 41 years; 61 female; 34 patients with TLE and 83 without TLE). Two neuroradiologists evaluated the presence of hippocampal or temporal lobe lesions, volume loss, signal abnormalities, loss of internal structure of the hippocampus, and lesion conspicuity in the temporal lobe. Reference standards for TLE were independently constructed by neurologists using clinical and radiological findings. Subjective image quality, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were analyzed. Performance in diagnosing TLE, lesion findings, and image quality were compared among the three protocols. Results: The pooled sensitivity of 1.5-mm MRI + DLR (91.2%) for diagnosing TLE was higher than that of routine MRI (72.1%, P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, 1.5-mm MRI + DLR showed higher sensitivity for hippocampal lesions than routine MRI (92.7% vs. 75.0%, P = 0.001), with improved depiction of hippocampal T2 high signal intensity change (P = 0.016) and loss of internal structure (P < 0.001). However, the pooled specificity of 1.5-mm MRI + DLR (76.5%) was lower than that of routine MRI (89.2%, P = 0.004). Compared with 1.5-mm MRI without DLR, 1.5-mm MRI + DLR resulted in significantly improved pooled accuracy (91.2% vs. 73.1%, P = 0.010), image quality, SNR, and CNR (all, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The use of 1.5-mm MRI + DLR enhanced the performance of MRI in diagnosing TLE, particularly in hippocampal evaluation, because of improved depiction of hippocampal abnormalities and enhanced image quality.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.438-448
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• 2024

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of no-touch radiofrequency ablation (NT-RFA) using twin cooled wet (TCW) electrodes in patients experiencing recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after undergoing locoregional treatments. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-arm study of NT-RFA involving 102 patients, with a total of 112 recurrent HCCs (each ≤ 3 cm). NT-RFA with TCW electrodes was implemented under the guidance of ultrasonography (US)-MR/CT fusion imaging. If NT-RFA application proved technically challenging, conversion to conventional tumor puncture RFA was permitted. The primary metric for evaluation was the mid-term cumulative incidence of local tumor progression (LTP) observed post-RFA. Cumulative LTP rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to explore factors associated with LTP. Considering conversion cases from NT-RFA to conventional RFA, intention-to-treat (ITT; including all patients) and per-protocol (PP; including patients not requiring conversion to conventional RFA alone) analyses were performed. Results: Conversion from NT-RFA to conventional RFA was necessary for 24 (21.4%) out of 112 tumors. Successful treatment was noted in 111 (99.1%) out of them. No major complications were reported among the patients. According to ITT analysis, the estimated cumulative incidences of LTP were 1.9%, 6.0%, and 6.0% at 1, 2, and 3 years post-RFA, respectively. In PP analysis, the cumulative incidence of LTP was 0.0%, 1.3%, and 1.3% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. The number of previous locoregional HCC treatments (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.265 per 1 treatment increase; P = 0.004), total bilirubin (aHR, 7.477 per 1 mg/dL increase; P = 0.012), and safety margin ≤ 5 mm (aHR, 9.029; P = 0.016) were independently associated with LTP in ITT analysis. Conclusion: NT-RFA using TCW electrodes is a safe and effective treatment for recurrent HCC, with 6.0% (ITT analysis) and 1.3% (PP analysis) cumulative incidence of LTP at 2 and 3-year follow-ups.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제24권12호
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• pp.1221-1231
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• 2023

Objective: To clinically validate the feasibility and accuracy of cine images acquired through the multitasking method, with no electrocardiogram gating and free-breathing, in measuring left ventricular (LV) function indices by comparing them with those acquired through the balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) method, with multiple breath-holds and electrocardiogram gating. Materials and Methods: Forty-three healthy volunteers (female:male, 30:13; mean age, 23.1 ± 2.3 years) and 36 patients requiring an assessment of LV function for various clinical indications (female:male, 22:14; 57.8 ± 11.3 years) were enrolled in this prospective study. Each participant underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the multiple breath-hold bSSFP method and free-breathing multitasking method. LV function parameters were measured for both MRI methods. Image quality was assessed through subjective image quality scores (1 to 5) and calculation of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between the myocardium and blood pool. Differences between the two MRI methods were analyzed using the Bland-Altman plot, paired t-test, or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, as appropriate. Results: LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between the two MRI methods (P = 0.222 in healthy volunteers and P = 0.343 in patients). LV end-diastolic mass was slightly overestimated with multitasking in both healthy volunteers (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 60.5 ± 10.7 g vs. 58.0 ± 10.4 g, respectively; P < 0.001) and patients (69.4 ± 18.1 g vs. 66.8 ± 18.0 g, respectively; P = 0.003). Acceptable and comparable image quality was achieved for both MRI methods (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 4.5 ± 0.7 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6, respectively; P = 0.203). The CNR between the myocardium and blood pool showed no significant differences between the two MRI methods (18.89 ± 6.65 vs. 18.19 ± 5.83, respectively; P = 0.480). Conclusion: Multitasking-derived cine images obtained without electrocardiogram gating and breath-holding achieved similar image quality and accurate quantification of LVEF in healthy volunteers and patients.