• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.275-280
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• 2017

In addition to tumors, normal tissues, such as the brain and myocardium can intake $^{18}F$-FDG, and the amount of $^{18}F$-FDG intake by normal tissues can be altered by the surrounding environment. Therefore, a process is necessary during which the contrasts of the tumor and normal tissues can be enhanced. Thus, this study examines the effects of glucose levels on FDG PET images of brain tissues, which features high glucose activity at all times, in small animals. Micro PET scan was performed on fourteen mice after injecting $^{18}F$-FDG. The images were compared in relation to fasting. The findings showed that the mean SUV value w as 0.84 higher in fasted mice than in non-fasted mice. During observation, the images from non-fasted mice showed high accumulation in organs other than the brain with increased surrounding noise. In addition, compared to the non-fasted mice, the fasted mice showed higher early intake and curve increase. The findings of this study suggest that fasting is important in assessing brain functions in brain PET using $^{18}F$-FDG. Additional studies to investigate whether caffeine levels and other preprocessing items have an impact on the acquired images would contribute to reducing radiation exposure in patients.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.223-232
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• 1993

Technetium labeled isonitrile analogues are widely used as myocardial perfusion imaging agents. We synthesized and characterized a new isonitrile compound, ethyl 3-isocyanobutyrate(EIB). Proton and $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopy and thin layer chromatography with a $C_{18}$ coat was performed. EIB was easily labeled with $^{99m}TcO_4^-$- with sodium dithionite. The labeling efficiency measured by RP-HPLC was over 95%. The labeled product was stable with dilution in normal saline and with prolonged incubation at room temperature. There was no formation of secondary products or free $^{99m}TcO_4^-$. In vivo kinetics study of $^{99m}Tc$ (I) labeled EIB in rabbits showed adequate myocardial uptake, good contrast against lung background, and relatively rapid liver clearance. The heart to lung ratio was over 2.5 and the heart to liver ratio was approximately from 0.4 to 5 at 60 minutes post injection. Hepatic clearance of $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ was faster ($t_{1/2}$=6 minutes) than that of $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$. In vivo kinetics observed in dog was similar to that in rabbit but there was faster gallbladder filling, and thus lower liver background. SPECT imaging of the canine myocardium showed favorable imaging characteristics. However, biodistribution in mice demonstrated a myocardial % injected dose/organ of less than 0.1%. This was thought to be due to interspecies difference in plasma esterase activity. In human plasma, $^{99m}Tc$ ( I ) labeled EIB was stable for at least 2 hours, without production of secondary products by HPLC. We conclude that ethyl 3-isocyanobutyrate may be a potential new myocardial perfusion imaging agent and deserves further investigation as to its usefulness for clinical use.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.210-217
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• 1993

To compare the myocardial viability in patients suffering from total occlusion of the right coronry artery (RCA) with the angiographic collaterals, intracoronary injection of Thallium-201 (T1-201) was done to 14 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (pts) with total occlusion of RCA and into four normal subjects for control. All 14 CAD pts had Grade 2 or 3 collateral circulations. There were 14 male and 4 females, and their ages ranged from 31 to 70 years. In nine pts, T1-201 was injected into left main coronary artery (LCA) ($300{\sim}350{\mu}Ci$) to evaluate the myocardial viability of RCA territory through collateral circulations. The remaining five pts received T1-201 into RCA ($200{\sim}250{\mu}Ci$) because two had intraarterial bridging collaterals and three had previous successful PTCA. Planar & SPECT myocardial perfusion images were obtained 30 minutes, and four to five hours after T1-201 injection. Intravenous T1-201 reinjection (six pts) or $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ (two pts) were also performed in eight CAD pts. Intracoronary myocardial perfusion images were compared with intravenous T1-201 (IV T1-201) images, ECG, and ventriculography. Intracoronary T1-201 images proved to be superior to that of IV T1-201 due to better myocardial to background uptake ratio and more effective in the detection of viable tissue. We also found that perfusion defects were smaller on intracoronary T1-201 images than those on the IV T1-201. All of the 14 CAD pts had either mostly viable myocardium (seven pts) or large area of T1-201 perfusion (seven pts) in RCA territory, however ventriculographic wall motion and ECG did not correlate well with intracoronary myocardial perfusion images. In conclusion, total RCA occlusion patients with well developed collateral circulation had large area of viable myocardial in the corresponding territory.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 1997

We performed 1st day Tc-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT with dipyridamole/rest T1-201 SPECT and 2nd day 24 hour delay T1-201 SPECT/rest Tc-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT in 27 patients with coronary artery disease(24) or having chest pain(3). Stress and rest Tc-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT was acquired at 60min post-injection. A 4-point scoring system(0 to 3 for normal to absent tracer uptake) for 17 segments was used. Wall motion was scored on another 4 point scale(0 to 3 for normal to dyskinesia) in the 1st day post-stress gated and the 2nd day rest gated SPECT. Post-stress gated SPECT showed wall motion abnormality in 94 segments(20%). Fifty-five segments among these 94 showed the same wall motion between post-stress and rest gated SPECT: i.e. 1-1 23 segments, 2-2: 29 segments, 3-3: 3 segments. Remaining 39 segments(41.5%) showed different wall motion between post- stress and rest Tc-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT. Twenty one segments with wall motion abnormality had normal perfusion(rest : 15 segments, 24 hour delay: 6 segments) at either rest or 24 hour delay. Fifteen among these 21 segments showed persistent post-stress and the 2nd day rest wall motion abnormality(persistent stunning). However, in 6 segments with pro-longed (1 hour after stress) stunning, abnormal wall motion did improve in the 2nd day rest Tc-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT(transient prolonged stunning). These 6 segments had normal perfusion at rest(n=4) or at 24 hour delay(n=2). Post stress wall motions showed significantly higher scores in persistent stunning than in prolonged transient stunning(P value<0.05). It was concluded that we could find stunned myocardium with gated Tc-99m-sestamibi SPECT at either post-stress or rest and that some myocardial walls of post-stress 1 hour gated SPECT did not show truly rest wall motion. So, we should be cautious if we use post-stress Tc-99m-sestamibi wall motion to assess rest wall motion.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.354-361
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• 2008

Purpose: N-13 ammonia uptake and retention in the myocardium is related to perfusion and metabolism. There are several potential advantages of N-13 ammonia positron emission tomography (PET) to detect myocardial ischemia, such as higher spatial resolution, greater counting efficiencies, and robust attenuation correction. But there are few reports comparing Tc-99m myocardial perfusion single photon emission tomography (MPS) and N-13 ammonia PET. We thus compared adenosine stress N-13 ammonia PET/CT and Tc-99m sestamibi MPS in patients with suspected coronary artery stenosis. Materials and Methods: Seventeen patients (male 13 : $63{\pm}11$ years old) underwent adenosine stress N-13 ammonia PET/CT (Discovery ST, GE), Tc-99m sestamibi MPS (dual head gamma camera, Hawkeye, GE) and coronary angiography within 1 week. N-13 ammonia PET/CT and Tc-99m sestamibi MPS images were assessed with a 20-segment model by visual interpretation and quantitative analysis using automatic quantitative software (Myovation, GE). Results: Both sensitivities and specificities of detecting an individual coronary artery stenosis were higher for N-13 ammonia PET/CT than Tc-99m sestamibi MPS (PET/CT: 91%/89% vs MPS: 65%/82%). N-13 ammonia PET/CT showed reversibility in 52% of segments that were considered non-reversibile by Tc-99m sestamibi MPS. In the 110 myocardial segments supplied by the stenotic coronary artery, N-13 ammonia PET/CT showed higher count densities than Tc-99m MPS on rest study (p < 0.01), and the difference of count density between the stress and the rest studies was also larger on N-13 ammonia PET/CT. Conclusion: Adenosine stress N-13 ammonia PET/CT had higher diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, more reversibility of perfusion defects and greater stress/rest uptake differences than Tc-99m sestamibi MPS. Accordingly, N-13 ammonia PET/CT might offer better assessment of myocardial ischemia and viability.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.130-138
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• 1996

Bone scan is known to be an effective tool for observing the state of soft tissues and bones of electric burn patients. It is also used for observing the progress of patients after debridement or skin graft as well as deforming to amputate specific body parts. To evaluate bone scan's role in electric burn, we analyzed bone scan 37 patients with electric burn. Among the 37 patients, 8 of 37 were injured in low voltage and 29 of them in high voltage. 27 patients received the electrical input through the hand, 6 through the scalp, 2 through the shoulder, 1 through the left chest wall and 1 through the left inguinal area. Among 29 patients received high voltage, 22 patients had the electrical output through the foot, 3 through the hand, 2 through the shoulder, 1 through the buttock and 1 through the left chest wall. Bone scans revealed cellulitis in 37 patients with 47 sites, osteomyelitis in 15 patients with 15 sites & bone defects in 4 patients with 4 sites. In 4 patients with skin graft or skin flap, follow up bone scan showed improvements of bony uptake in preoperatively bony defect area and all of them were healed without complication. There were 2 cases in which uptake increased in the myocardium, 1 in the liver and 6 in the kidney, however, serum calcium level, EKG, cardiac enzyme, liver and renal function tests were normal. In conclusion, bone scans are helpful in the assessment of injury sites after electrical insult and in differential diagnosis of cellulitis and osteomyelitis. It is also useful tool of assessment after skin graft or skin flap, however, it should be further evaluated about internal organ damage.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.33-37
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• 2010

Purpose: In the early stage of using PET/CT, it was used to damper revision but recently shows that CT with MDCT is commonly used and works well for an anatomical diagnosis. This hospital makes the accuracy and convenience more higher in the diagnosis and evaluate of coronary heart disease through concurrently running myocardial perfusion SPECT examination, myocardial PET examination with FDG, and CT coronary artery CT angiography(coronary CTA) used PET/CT with 64-slice. This report shows protocol and image based on results from about 400 coronary heart disease examinations since having 64 channels PET/CT in July 2007. Materials and Methods: An Equipment for this examination is 64-slice CT and Discovery VCT (DVCT) that is consisted of PET with BGO ($Bi_4Ge_3O_{12}$) scintillation crystal by GE health care. First myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress test to reduce waiting time of a patient and get a quick diagnosis and evaluation, and right after it, myocardial FDG PET examination and coronary CTA run without a break. One-stop evaluation protocol of ischemic heart disease is as follows. 1)Myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress: A patient is injected with $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI 10 mCi and does not have any fatty food for myocardial PET examination and drink natural water with ursodeoxcholic acid 100 mg and we get SPECT image in an hour. 2)Myocardial FDG PET: To reduce blood fatty content and to increase uptake of FDG, we used creative oral glucose load using insulin and Acipimox to according to blood acid content. A patient is injected with $^{18}F$-FDG 5 mCi for reduction of his radiation exposure and we get a gated image an hour later and get delay image when we need. 3) Coronary CTA: The most important point is to control heart rate and to get cooperation of patient's breath. In order to reduce a heart rate of him or her below 65 beats, let him or her take beta blocker 50 mg ~ 200 mg after a consultation with a doctor about it and have breath-practices then have the examination. Right before the examination, we spray isosorbide dinitrate 3 to 5 times to lower tension of bessel wall and to extension a blood wall of a patient. It makes to get better the shape of an anatomy. At filming, a patient is injected CT contrast with high pressure and have enough practices before the examination in order to have no problem. For reduction of his radiation exposure, we have to do ECG-triggered X-ray tube modulation exposure. Results: We evaluate coronary artery stenosis through coronary CTA and study correlation (culprit vessel check) of a decline between stenosis and perfusion from the myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress, coronary CTA, and can check viability of infarction or hibernating myocardium by FDG PET. Conclusion: The examination makes us to set up a direction of remedy (drug treatment, PCI, CABG) because we can estimate of effect from remedy, lesion site and severity. In addition, we have an advantage that it takes just 3 hours and one-stop in that all of process of examinations run in succession and at the same time. Therefore it shows that the method is useful in one stop evaluation of ischemic heart disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.5 s.250
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• pp.323-334
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• 2005

Background: Gene therapy is a new and promising option for the treatment of severe myocardial ischemia by therapeutic angiogenesis. The goal of this study was to elucidate the efficacy of therapeutic angiogenesis by using VEGF165 in large animals. Material and Method: Twenty-one pigs that underwent ligation of the distal left anterior descending coronary artery were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: intramyocardial injection of pCK-VEGF (VEGF) or intramyocardial injection of pCK-Null (Control). Injections were administered 30 days after ligation. Seven pigs died during the trial, but eight pigs from VEGF and six from Control survived. Echo-cardiography was performed on day 0 (preoperative) and on days 30 and 60 following coronary ligation. Gated myocardial single photon emission computed tomography imaging (SPECT) with $^{99m}Tc-labeled$ sestamibi was performed on days 30 and 60. Myocardial perfusion was assessed from the uptake of $^{99m}Tc-labeled$ sestamibi at rest. Global and regional myocardial function as well as post-infarction left ventricular remodeling were assessed from segmental wall thickening; left ventricular ejection fraction (EF); end systolic volume (ESV); and end diastolic volume (EDV) using gated SPECT and echocardiography. Myocardium of the ischemic border zone into which pCK plasmid vector had been injected was also sampled to assess micro-capillary density. Result: Micro-capillary density was significantly higher in the VEGF than in Control ($386\pm110/mm^{2}\;vs.\;291\pm127/mm^{2};\;p<0.001$). Segmental perfusion increased significantly from day 30 to day 60 after intramyocardial injection of plasmid vector in VEGF ($48.4\pm15.2\%\;vs.\;53.8\pm19.6\%;\;p<0.001$), while no significant change was observed in the Control ($45.1\pm17.0\%\;vs.\;43.4\pm17.7\%;\;p=0.186$). This resulted in a significant difference in the percentage changes between the two groups ($11.4\pm27.0\%\;increase\;vs.\;2.7\pm19.0\%\;decrease;\;p=0.003$). Segmental wall thickening increased significantly from day 30 to day 60 in both groups; the increments did not differ between groups. ESV measured using echocardiography increased significantly from day 0 to day 30 in VEGF ($22.9\pm9.9\;mL\;vs.\;32.3\pm9.1\;mL;\; p=0.006$) and in Control ($26.3\pm12.0\;mL\;vs.\;36.8\pm9.7\;mL;\;p=0.046$). EF decreased significantly in VEGF ($52.0\pm7.7\%\;vs.\;46.5\pm7.4\%;\;p=0.004$) and in Control ($48.2\pm9.2\%\;vs.\;41.6\pm10.0\%;\;p=0.028$). There was no significant change in EDV. The interval changes (days $30\~60$) of EF, ESV, and EDV did not differ significantly between groups both by gated SPECT and by echocardiography. Conclusion: Intramyocardial injection of pCK-VEGF165 induced therapeutic angiogenesis and improved myocardial perfusion. However, post-infarction remodeling and global myocardial function were not improved.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2011

Nuclear medicine images (SPECT, PET) were widely used tool for assessment of myocardial viability and perfusion. However it had difficult to define accurate myocardial infarct region. The purpose of this study was to investigate methodological approach for automatic measurement of rat myocardial infarct size using polar map with adaptive threshold. Rat myocardial infarction model was induced by ligation of the left circumflex artery. PET images were obtained after intravenous injection of 37 MBq $^{18}F$-FDG. After 60 min uptake, each animal was scanned for 20 min with ECG gating. PET data were reconstructed using ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) 2D. To automatically make the myocardial contour and generate polar map, we used QGS software (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center). The reference infarct size was defined by infarction area percentage of the total left myocardium using TTC staining. We used three threshold methods (predefined threshold, Otsu and Multi Gaussian mixture model; MGMM). Predefined threshold method was commonly used in other studies. We applied threshold value form 10% to 90% in step of 10%. Otsu algorithm calculated threshold with the maximum between class variance. MGMM method estimated the distribution of image intensity using multiple Gaussian mixture models (MGMM2, ${\cdots}$ MGMM5) and calculated adaptive threshold. The infarct size in polar map was calculated as the percentage of lower threshold area in polar map from the total polar map area. The measured infarct size using different threshold methods was evaluated by comparison with reference infarct size. The mean difference between with polar map defect size by predefined thresholds (20%, 30%, and 40%) and reference infarct size were $7.04{\pm}3.44%$, $3.87{\pm}2.09%$ and $2.15{\pm}2.07%$, respectively. Otsu verse reference infarct size was $3.56{\pm}4.16%$. MGMM methods verse reference infarct size was $2.29{\pm}1.94%$. The predefined threshold (30%) showed the smallest mean difference with reference infarct size. However, MGMM was more accurate than predefined threshold in under 10% reference infarct size case (MGMM: 0.006%, predefined threshold: 0.59%). In this study, we was to evaluate myocardial infarct size in polar map using multiple Gaussian mixture model. MGMM method was provide adaptive threshold in each subject and will be a useful for automatic measurement of infarct size.