• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.727-735
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• 2018

Targeting the radiological technologists working in Gyoungsangnam province, this study was performed to obtain the fundamental data to improve the competency and right awareness of the hospital infection management, and to educate infection management of radiological technologists by analyzing the status, awareness, and performance of the hospital infection management. During April 1, 2018 to April 31, 2015, after we sent out a total of 400 questionnaires for the survey to radiological technologists working at the clinic located in Gyoungsangnam province, 320 questionnaires suitable for research were analysis by using SPSS 18.0 statistical analysis software. As the hospital infection management factors, 5 items for hospital infection and 60 items of the awareness and performance for the hospital infection management were used. 60 items of the awareness and performance for the hospital infection management were consisted hand hygiene, personal hygiene and clothing, medical equipment and supplies, cleaning and waste, examination and environment. And as the sociodemographic characteristics, the gender, marriage, age, level of education, working organization, working period, and working department were used. Consequentially, the awareness for the hospital infection management($4.19{\pm}.60$) and the performance($4.22{\pm}.52$) were confirmed as high level. Using these results, the hospital infection management level of the radiological technologists working in Gyoungsangnam province was found to be high in arareness and performance of hospital infection management. There was a significant correlation between the degree of awareness and performance of radiological technologists for hospital infection management. Furthermore, in the multiple regression analysis of cognitive factors on performance, it was found that 66.1% explanatory power had a significant positive influence. In order to improve the awareness of hospital infection management of radiological technologist working in various departments, the infection management education and improvement of hospital work environment are necessary. And also, It is important to participate actively in hospital infection management and preventive education and to play a pivotal role in securing expertise in hospital infection management.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2004

Purpose: Although acute nonspecific mesenteric lymphadenitis (ANML) is probably common cause of abdominal pain in children, which can be severe enough to be an abdominal emergency, the clinical features of mesenteric lymphadenitis are not clear. Also, a differential diagnosis with acute appendicitis (APPE) is indispensable to avoid serious complications. The clinical features of ANML were determined, and the risk factors for differential diagnosis with APPE were analyzed. Methods: Between November 2000 and May 2001, data from 26 patients (aged 1 to 11 years) with ANML and 21 patients (aged 2 to 13 years) with APPE were reviewed. ANML was defined as a cluster of five or more lymph nodes measuring 10 mm or greater in their longitudinal diameter in the right lower quadrant (RLQ) without an identifiable specific inflammatory process on the ultrasonographic examination. There were risk factors on patient's history, physical examination, and laboratory examination; the location of abdominal pain, abdominal rigidity, rebound tenderness, fever, nocturnal pain, the vomiting intensity, the diarrhea intensity, the symptom duration, and the peripheral blood leukocytes count. Results: Of the 26 ANML patients and 21 APPE patients, abdominal pain was noted on periumbilical (76.9% vs 14.2%), on RLQ (11.5% vs 71.4%), with abdomen rigidity (7.6% vs 80.9%), with rebound tenderness (0.0% vs 76.1%)(p<0.05), in the lower abdomen (11.5% vs 14.2%), and at night (80.8% vs 100.0%) (p>0.05). The clinical symptoms were vomiting (38.4% vs 90.4%), the vomiting intensity ($1.5{\pm}0.7$ [1~3]/day vs $4.5{\pm}2.9$ [1~10]/day), diarrhea (65.3% vs 28.5%) (p<0.05), and fever (61.5% vs 76.2%)(p>0.05). The period to the subsidence of abdominal pain in the ANMA patients was $2.5{\pm}0.5$ (2~3) days. The laboratory data showed a significant difference in the peripheral blood leukocytes count ($8,403{\pm}1,737[5,900{\sim}12,300]/mm^3\;vs\;15,471{\pm}3,749[5,400{\sim}20,800]/mm^3$)(p<0.05). Discriminant analysis between ANML and APPE showed that the independent discriminant factors were a vomiting intensity and the peripheral blood leukocytes count and the discriminant power was 95.7%. Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of ANML were abrupt onset of periumbilical pain without rigidity or rebound tenderness, a mild vomiting intensity, normal peripheral leukocytes count, and relatively short clinical course. If the abdominal pain persist for more than 3 days, and/or the vomiting intensity is more than 3 times/day, and/or the peripheral leukocytes count is over $13,500/mm^3$, abdominal ultrasonography is recommended to rule out APPE.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2014

The aim of the study is to test a hypothesis that quasi-breath-hold (QBH) biofeedback improves the residual respiratory motion management in gated 3D thoracic MR imaging, reducing respiratory motion artifacts with insignificant acquisition time alteration. To test the hypothesis five healthy human subjects underwent two gated MR imaging studies based on a T2 weighted SPACE MR pulse sequence using a respiratory navigator of a 3T Siemens MRI: one under free breathing and the other under QBH biofeedback breathing. The QBH biofeedback system utilized the external marker position on the abdomen obtained with an RPM system (Real-time Position Management, Varian) to audio-visually guide a human subject for 2s breath-hold at 90% exhalation position in each respiratory cycle. The improvement in the upper liver breath-hold motion reproducibility within the gating window using the QBH biofeedback system has been assessed for a group of volunteers. We assessed the residual respiratory motion management within the gating window and respiratory motion artifacts in 3D thoracic MRI both with/without QBH biofeedback. In addition, the RMSE (root mean square error) of abdominal displacement has been investigated. The QBH biofeedback reduced the residual upper liver motion within the gating window during MR acquisitions (~6 minutes) compared to that for free breathing, resulting in the reduction of respiratory motion artifacts in lung and liver of gated 3D thoracic MR images. The abdominal motion reduction in the gated window was consistent with the residual motion reduction of the diaphragm with QBH biofeedback. Consequently, average RMSE (root mean square error) of abdominal displacement obtained from the RPM has been also reduced from 2.0 mm of free breathing to 0.7 mm of QBH biofeedback breathing over the entire cycle (67% reduction, p-value=0.02) and from 1.7 mm of free breathing to 0.7 mm of QBH biofeedback breathing in the gated window (58% reduction, p-value=0.14). The average baseline drift obtained using a linear fit was reduced from 5.5 mm/min with free breathing to 0.6 mm/min (89% reduction, p-value=0.017) with QBH biofeedback. The study demonstrated that the QBH biofeedback improved the upper liver breath-hold motion reproducibility during the gated 3D thoracic MR imaging. This system can provide clinically applicable motion management of the internal anatomy for gated medical imaging as well as gated radiotherapy.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 2008

The purposes of this study are to analyze abnormal dilatation of the extrahepatic bile ducts by using transabdominal ultrasound, to confirm the existence of bile ducts diseases and their interrelationship, and for it to give a new theoretical basis for the technical access to extrahepatic bile ducts, upon which to analyze the ripple effects of the scan training. After teaching technical access process based on the new theory about extrahepatic bile duct to the thirty students who are studying ultrasonography, we allocated three hours per one student (30 mins ${\times}$ 6 times) to focus on the training of scanning skill. Training has been performed by one-to-one method. For evaluation, all the students have to perform the scans on (1) confluence of the right and left hepatic ducts (extrahepatic bile ducts and cystic duct), (2) the suprapancreatic bile duct, (3) the intrapancreatic bile duct, (4) intrapapilla Duct, based on the clearly divided concept. The existing training and methods have had low confidency about transabdominal ultrasonography of the extrahepatic bile duct and had limitation with which they could image only the suprapancreatic bile duct. The evaluation after finishing the train based on the new theory, however, all the students (30students) can access to (1) confluence of the right and left hepatic ducts(extrahepatic bile ducts and cystic duct), (2) the suprapancreatic bile duct objectively. 24 students can access to (3) the intrapancreatic bile duct and only one student can even make an image for (4) the intrapapilla Duct Though the evaluation on extrahepatic bile duct has to be performed with multi-sided method considering intrahepatic cause, bile duct cause and pathophysiological cause, only if we can image the extrahepatic bile duct to ampular of Vater objectively and confidently, we can greatly reduce invasive procedure such as ERCP, which is for the purpose of simple differential diagnosis and painful to the patients. Therefore if we concentrate on the scanning train based on the new theory to raise the confidency about ultrasonography, the effect will be doubled.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2009

Purpose: Lymphedemas are tissue fluid swellings, usually on the arms or legs, and occur as a result of impaired lymphatic drainage. Presently, the most effective treatment available is complete decongestive physiotherapy (CDP). However, this therapy is ineffective in some patients and surgery may be indicated. Herein, we examined the efficacy of minimally invasive needle aspiration of the most enlarged areas in hypodermic adipose tissues, of patients who had failed CDP. Methods: We included 21 patients who were diagnosed with lymphedema stage II-III in the upper or lower extremities and visited the lymphedema clinic at a university hospital from September 1, 2003 to February 28, 2004. All patients had been treated with CDP at least once, but had failed to respond to the therapy for more than one year. Nine patients had breast cancer and 12 had cervical cancer. We identified the area with the most severe edema by using MRI and performed a 16-gauge angio-needle aspiration on the area. The patients were followed up for 3 months. Effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by comparing the volume of edema before and after the treatment using Wilcoxon signed rank-test. Results: The mean reduction ratio of the volume of edema comparison normal volume was 41.1${\pm}$35.3% (P=0.001). There were no major or minor operative complications except localized hemorrhage. Conclusion: We conclude that a needle aspiration prior to other surgical treatments is relatively safe and effective for those patients who are unresponsive to CDP.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.567-573
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not there was artifact when the upper limb could not be lifted to the top of the head during multi-detector computed tomography(MDCT) scans of the chest and abdomen. Contrast radiography of the human and chest phantom was performed with 128channal MDCT. Under the same conditions(120 kVp, 110 mAs, standard algorithm)both hands lifted up and put down each time in the human experiment. In the chest phantom experiment, the radiography was carried out when the upper limb phantom was adjusted at a certain distance(0, 3, 7 cm) from the chest phantom. Subsequently, the values of Noise, CT number, SNR, and CNR were measured in the field of concern. The noise value of fat, rib, and muscle increased when the arm was lifted in humans(0.79, 47.8, 27%). Furthermore, when the upper limb was lowered, the noise value of muscle and lung increased in the phantom(31.2, 9.4%). In addition, the noise value of the muscles and lung decreased by 5, 25.12% and 5.6, 15.35% as the upper limb moved about 0,3,7cm away from the chest. When the chest and abdominal radiography were performed, in the case of the presence of other parts outside the inspection area, the probability of artifact was minimal while the distance was more than 3cm away from the upper limb to the chest and abdomen.