• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.489-491
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• 2002

The need for video diagnosis in medicine has been increased and real-time transfer of digital video will be an important component in PACS and telemedicine. But, Network environment has certain limitations that the required throughput can not satisfy quality of service (QoS). MPEG-4 ratified as a moving video standard by the ISO/IEC provides very efficient video coding covering the various ranges of low bit-rate in network environment. We implemented MPEG-4 CODEC (coder/decoder) and applied various compression ratios to moving ultrasound images. These images were displayed in random order on a client monitor passed through network. Radiologists determined subjective opinion scores for evaluating clinically acceptable image quality and then these were statistically processed in the t-Test method. Moreover the MPEG-4 decoded images were quantitatively analyzed by computing peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) to objectively evaluate image quality. The bit-rate to maintain clinically acceptable image quality was up to 0.8Mbps. We successfully implemented the adaptive throughput or bit-rate relative to the image quality of ultrasound sequences used MPEG-4 that can be applied for diagnostic performance in real-time.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.39-54
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• 2012

Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) has been planted as one of the key infrastructures with an overall improvement in standards of medical informationization and the stream of digital hospitalization in recent days. The kind and data of digital medical imagery are also increasing rapidly in volume. This trend emphasizes the medical image compression for storing large-scale medical image data. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), de facto standard in digital medical imagery, specifies Run Length Encode (RLE), which is the typical lossless data compressing technique, for the medical image compression. However, the RLE is not appropriate approach for medical image data with bilateral symmetry of the human organism. we suggest two preprocessing algorithms that detect interested area, the minimum bounding rectangle, in a medical image to enhance data compression efficiency and that re-code image pixel values to reduce data size according to the symmetry characteristics in the interested area, and also presents an improved image compression technique for brain CT imagery with high bilateral symmetry. As the result of experiment, the suggested approach shows higher data compression ratio than the RLE compression in the DICOM standard without detecting interested area in images.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea TC
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.102-107
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• 2009

As technology gets developed, medical equipments are also modernized and leading-edge systems, such as PACS become popular. Many scientists noticed importance of medical image processing technology. Technique of region segmentation is the first step of digital medical image processing. Segmentation technique helps doctors to find out abnormal symptoms early, such as tumors, edema, and necrotic tissue, and helps to diagnoses correctly. Segmentation of white matter, gray matter and CSF of a brain image is very crucial part. However, the segmentation is not easy due to ambiguous boundaries and inhomogeneous physical characteristics. The rate of incorrect segmentation is high because of these difficulties. Fuzzy-based segmentation algorithms are robust to even ambiguous boundaries. In this paper a modified Fuzzy-based segmentation algorithm is proposed to handle the noise of MR scanners. A proposed algorithm requires minimal computations of mean and variance of neighbor pixels to adjust a new neighbor list. With the addition of minimal compuation, the modified FCM(mFCM) lowers the rate of incorrect clustering below 30% approximately compared the traditional FCM.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.185-190
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• 2005

Purpose: Once the decision has been made to adopt an integrated medical information system (IMIS), there are a number of issues to overcome. Users need to be aware of the impact the change will make on end users and be prepared to address issues that arise before they become problems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits and unexpected problems encountered in the implementation of IMIS and to determine a useful framework for IMIS. Materials and Methods: The Yonsei University Dental Hospital is steadily constructing an IMIS. The vendor's PACS software, Piview STAR, supports transactions between workstations that are approved to integrating the healthcare enterprise (IHE) with security function. It is necessary to develop an excellent framework that is good for the patient, healthcare provider and information system vendors, in an expert, efficient, and cost-effective manner. Results : The problems encountered with IMIS implementation were high initial investments, delay of EMR enforcement, underdevelopment of digital radiographic appliances and software and insufficient educational training for users. Conclusions: The clinical environments of dental IMIS is some different from the medical situation. The best way to overcome these differences is to establish a gold standard of dental IMIS integration, which estimates the cost payback. The IHE and its technical framework are good for the patient, the health care provider and all information systems vendors.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.201-204
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• 2008

Purpose: Now the CT scanner and PACS program proved to be an excellent instrument for detection and localization of most facial foreign bodies above certain minimum levels of detectability. The severity of injury in penetrating trauma on the face is often underestimated in physical examination. Wood, with its porous consistency and organic nature, provides a good medium for microbial agents. This is a report of our recent experience with wooden foreign bodies in the parotid gland imaged with CT. Methods: A 9-year-old boy was referred for evaluation of possible retained foreign body within his face. One day earlier, he had fallen, face down approximately 1 miter onto ground. He had subsequently undergone an exploration of his right parotido-masseteric area at an outside hospital with repair of a right facial laceration. Enhanced 2 mm axial and coronal CT scans were obtained through the face. Axial and coronal CT images were obtained with a General Electric(Milwaukee, Wis) 9800 CT scanner at 130 kV, 90 mA, with a 2 mm section thickness. Results: We finally decided the linear "gas" attenuation was a foreign body because of its linear configuration, which did not conform to that of an anatomic structure, and on the basis of articles that described a wood foreign body in the orbit as having the appearance of air. We found that wood was hypoattenuating($-464{\pm}27HU$). Conclusion: We recommend this type of software program for CT scanning for any patient with an injury on the face in which a foreign body is suspected.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2014

Medical imaging has increased rapidly in the increase of interest in health, with the development of computer technology, digitization of medical imaging is rapidly advancing, PACS has been introduced to the medical field. Increase in the production of medical images by these phenomena made increased the workload of radiologist who must read a medical image. in response to the need for secondary diagnosis using a computer, The term of CAD in medical radiology field was introduced. In this study, we have proposed a CAD algorithm for the interpretation of the image obtained by the digital X-ray mammography equipment. The experiments were performed by programmed in Visual C++ for the proposed algorithm. A result of the execution of the CAD algorithm seven sample images, the results of five samples was confirmed in breast cancer and benign tumors, both the images sample was error processing. If you use a program that implements this with the algorithm proposed in this study it is helpful to reading breast images, and it is considered to contribute significantly to the early detection of breast cancer.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.9-14
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• 2011

Purpose: The pelvic tilting exercise is a well recognized rehabilitation maneuver. However, little information is available on the changes of lumbar segmental motion during pelvic tilting. This study was conducted to measure the kinematics of the pelvic tilting exercise on the supine and prone positions via fluoroscopy. Methods: A total of 10 female subjects were enrolled. During anterior, neutral, and posterior pelvic tilting, radiographs were taken in each exercise via fluoroscopy (ARCADIS Orbic, Siemens, USA). Images were sent to the picture archiving communication system (PACS), and the digitized images were analyzed using LabVIEW software (National Instruments, USA). Lumbosacral lordosis and the intervertebral body angle, intervertebral disc angle, and intervertebral displacement were analyzed. Results: The results of lumbar kinematic analysis during three tilting postures in the supine and prone positions demonstrated that lumbosacral lordosis and the intervertebral body angle and intervertebral disc angle were significantly higher when the pelvis was tilted anteriorly (p>0.05). However, there was no significant difference between anterior and neutral tilting in the intervertebral disc angle at the L3/4 level in the prone position (p>0.05), and there was no significant difference among tilting positions in intervertebral body displacement in the prone position (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study provides scientific evidence about the pelvic tilting exercise in lumbosacral segmental motion. Depending on the pelvic tilting exercise, kinematic changes were demonstrated in both positions, especially in the supine position. It is suggested that the supine position is effective for mobility, but it should be used carefully for the LBP (Low back pain) patient with hypermobility.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Biology Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.123-126
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• 2002

Pollutants that are persistent, bioaccurnulative, and toxic have been linked to numerous adverse effects in human and animals, PBTs include heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in addition to pesticides. This study focuses on toxic effects of the PBTs except pesticides on insects. Eight PBTs were selected from subgroups: three heavy metals (Pb, Hg, and Cd), two PCB mixtures (Aroclor mixtures 1 and 2), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, two monophenols (4-octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol), and tetrabutyltin, Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, was used as test target insect species. Three physiological markers (metamorphosis, immune reaction, and follicle patency) were assessed in each exposure to different doses of the PCBs. Heat-shock proteins as molecular markers were also analyzed in response to the PCBs. All tested PBTs were toxic to metamorphosis from larvae to pupae when they were applied with diet. Two PCB mixtures were the most toxic compounds in this assay by giving significant toxicity at 0.005 ppm, while others had from 10 to 1000 ppm. Dioxin (0.1 ppb), tetrabutyltin (0.1 ppb), Pb (10 ppb), and Hg (0,01 ppb) were potent to inhibit immune reactions analyzed by inducing phenoloxidase activity and blocked phospholipase $A_2$ enzyme, Tetrabutyltin and dioxin significantly induced follicle cell patency, but their effects were lower than that of endogenous juvenile hormone, Dioxin, Pb, Hg, and Cd could induce the expression of heat shock proteins that were detected by immunoblotting against human HSP70 monoclonal antibody. HSP78 and HSP80 were upregulated in response to the PBTs. This expression was detected from the fat body and epidermis at as fast as 4h after injection. All these results clearly suggest that PBTs give significant ecotoxicity to insects that are valuable organisms in our environment.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2009

Purpose: Various techniques have been attempted for design of the flaps. However, there are some disadvantages. They have thin, pliable, and two dimensional methods. The aim of this study is to report usefulness of polyurethane foam dressing materials for three dimensional design of the digital island flap. Methods: From June of 2007 to september of 2008, 10 patients received digital island flap surgery for soft tissue defect of the finger. After minimal debridement of the wound, size and shape of the defect were measured using polyurethane foam. We used Medifoam-$5^{(R)}$ And then, designed this inset the wound. The flap was designed on the donor site with a arterial pedicle as the central axis according to size and shape. A full thickness skin graft from the groin is applied on the flap donor defect and secured with a tieover bolster dressing. Results: Reviewing sizes of the flaps, the length and width of flaps ranged from 1.5 to 3.3 cm and 1.0 to 2.5 cm. The PACS(Picture Archiving Communication System) program allows identification of the donor depth of finger. The distance for the soft tissue ranged from 4.3 mm to 6.7 mm. Mean depth of donor site was 5.3${\pm}$0.6 mm. Also, the thickness of Medifoam-$5^{(R)}$ ranged nearly 5 mm. On flap insetting, full-thickness skin graft was necessary. We did not experience any problems in the recipient site size either, regardless of the extended flaps. Conclusion: Polyurethane foam has many advantages over the more conventional templates. Refinements in flap design and surgical technique resulted in favorable functional and cosmetic results. Especially, for beginner, Polyurethane foam dressing material is a simple and safe tool and therefore is an excellent choice for design of the island flap.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2008

Purpose : To compare and evaluate the diagnostic ability of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Materials and Methods : CBCT and MRI of 46 TMJs of 23 patients with TMJ disorders were evaluated. They were divided into 3 groups according to the position of the articular disc of the TMJ at closed mouth position and the reduction of the disc during open mouth position on MRI: no disc displacement group (NDD), disc displacement with reduction group (DDR), and disc displacement without reduction group (DDWR). With PACS viewing soft-wares, position of mandibular condyle in the articular fossa, osseous change of mandibular condyle, shape of articular fossa, and mediolateral and anteroposterior dimensions of mandibular condyle were evaluated on CBCT and MRI. Each value was tested statistically. Results : The position of mandibular condyle in the articular fossa were concentric in the NDD, DDR, and DDWR of CBCT and NDD of MRI. However, condyle was positioned posteriorly in DDR and DDWR of MRI. Flattening, sclerosis and osteophyte of the mandibular condyle were much more apparent on DDR of CBCT than MRI. And the erosion of the condyle was much more apparent on DDWR of MRI than CBCT. Box and Sigmoid types of articular fossa were found most frequently in DDR of MRI. Flattened type was found most frequently in DDR of CBCT and deformed type was found most frequently in DDWR of CBCT. No significant difference in mediolateral and anteroposterior dimensions were shown on CBCT and MRI. Conclusion : Since MRI and CBCT has unique diagnostic imaging ability, both modalities should be used together to supplement each other to evaluate TMJ.