• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 2011

Purpose : This study examined the feedback effect of real-time ultrasound imaging on the thickness of transversus abdominis(TrA), internal abdominal oblique(IO) and external abdominal oblique(EO) during abdominal hollowing exercise(AHE) in crook lying. Methods : We performed this study on 30 healthy men who voluntarily consented to participate in this study after listening to its purpose and method. All subject were divided into an experimental group(n=15) with using the real-time ultrasound imaging feedback(RUIF) and a control group(n=15) without the RUIF The thickness changes between rest and AHE were compared between the two groups in crook lying. Results : The difference in TrA and EO thickness changes between the groups were significant in crook lying (p<0.05). Conclusion : The group with using real-time ultrasound imaging feedback showed a higher increase in the thickness of TrA than the other group without real-time ultrasound imaging feedback. And the thickness of EO in the group with using real-time ultrasound imaging feedback decreased than the other group without real-time ultrasound imaging feedback. If the muscle thickness can be regarded as an indicator of muscle activity, RUIF will be helpful for inducing the independent activity of TrA by reducing the activities of abdominal muscles such as EO.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.175-202
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• 2016

Ultrasound imaging is a widely used tool for visualizing human body's internal organs and quantifying clinical parameters. Due to its advantages such as safety, non-invasiveness, portability, low cost and real-time 2D/3D imaging, diagnostic ultrasound industry has steadily grown. Since the technology advancements such as digital beam-forming, Doppler ultrasound, real-time 3D imaging and automated diagnosis techniques, there are still a lot of demands for image quality improvement, faster and accurate imaging, 3D color Doppler imaging and advanced functional imaging modes. In order to satisfy those demands, mathematics should be used properly and effectively in ultrasound imaging. Mathematics has been used commonly as mathematical modelling, numerical solutions and visualization, combined with science and engineering. In this article, we describe a brief history of ultrasound imaging, its basic principle, its applications in obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology and radiology, domestic-industrial products, contributions of mathematics and challenging issues in ultrasound imaging.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.151-155
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• 2014

Although various ophthalmic imaging methods, including fundus photography and optical coherence tomography, have been applied for effective diagnosis of ocular diseases with high spatial resolution, most of them are limited by shallow imaging penetration depth and a narrow field of view. Also, many of those imaging modalities are optimized to provide microscopic anatomical information, while functional or cellular information is lacking. Compared to other ocular imaging modalities, photoacoustic imaging can achieve relatively deep penetration depth and provide more detailed functional and cellular data based on photoacoustic signal generation from endogenous contrast agents such as hemoglobin and melanin. In this paper, array-based ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging was demonstrated to visualize pigmentation in the eye as well as overall ocular structure. Fresh porcine eyes were visualized using a real-time ultrasound micro-imaging system and an imaging probe supporting laser pulse delivery. In addition, limited photoacoustic imaging field of view was improved by an imaging probe tilting method, enabling visualization of most regions of the retina covered in the ultrasound imaging.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.217-232
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• 1999

The ability to see the internal organs of the human body in a noninvasive way is a powerful diagnostic tool of modern medicine. Among these imaging modalities such as X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound. MRI and ultrasound are presenting much less risk of undesirable damage of both patient and examiner. In fact, no deleterious effects have been reported as a result of clinical examination by using MRI and ultrasound diagnostic equipment. As a result. their market volume has been rapidly increased. MRI has a good resolution. but there are a few disadvantages such as high price. non-real-time imaging capability. and expensive diagnostic cost. On the other hand, the ultrasound imaging system has inherently poor resolution as compared with X-ray and MRI. In spite of its poor resolution, the ultrasound diagnostic equipment is lower in price and has an ability of real-time imaging as compared with the others. As a result. the ultrasound imaging system has become general and essential modality for imaging the internal organs of human body. In this review various researches and developments to enhance the resolution of the ultrasound images are explained and future trends of the ultrasound imaging technology are described.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1-6
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• 2010

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of visual feedback during abdominal hollowing (AH) in four point kneeling position, using real-time ultrasound imaging through measurement of the changes in the thickness of transversus abdominis (TrA), internal abdominal oblique (IO), and external abdominal oblique (EO). Methods: The subjects of this study were 32 healthy males who were divided intothe experimental group of 16 subjects and the control group of 16 subjects. The real-time ultrasound feedback was applied to the experimental group while they were educated on the AH exercise in four point kneeling whereas only general education and training were given to the control group. After the training, the changes in the thickness of abdominal muscles during AH in four point kneeling were compared between the experimental group and the control group. Results: The differences of the changes in the thickness of TrA and EO between the two groups were statistically significant. Conclusion: The experimental group experienced a higher increase in the thickness of TrA than the control group while the thickness of IO and EO of the experimental.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

Purpose: This study investigates the effects of task-oriented training for a left trunk flexion pattern using real-time ultrasound imaging in a stroke patient with unilateral neglect symptoms. Methods: This study used the ABA experimental design, which is a single-subject research method among individual case research methods. For the ABA experimental design, changes in the degree of unilateral neglect, balance ability, and the thickness of the lateral abdominal muscle were visually analyzed during the baseline process, in the intervention period, and after the intervention. The experiments were performed 24 times in total for 8 times in each of the 3 periods. The unilateral neglect was measured using the Albert test, balance ability was measured using the Berg balance test, and the thickness of the lateral abdominal muscle was measured using ultrasound imaging. The subject was a 50-year-old male patient with unilateral neglect caused by right cerebral hemorrhage. He performed task-oriented training for a voluntary left trunk flexion pattern using real-time ultrasound imaging during the intervention period. Results: The result of comparing the data collected during the intervention period with the data point average of the baseline process showed that balance ability improved and the tendency line was above the baseline. The tendency line of unilateral neglect was below the baseline and showed a decreasing tendency. The thickness of the lateral abdominal muscle showed an increasing trend and the tendency line was above the baseline. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the task-oriented training for left trunk flexion pattern using real-time ultrasound imaging has a beneficial effect on balance ability, the degree of unilateral neglect, and the strength of the lateral abdominal muscle in unilateral neglect patients.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.294-299
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• 2007

For efficient and accurate diagnosis of ultrasound images, appropriate time gain compensation(TGC) and dynamic range(DR) control of ultrasound echo signals are important. TGC is used for compensating the attenuation of ultrasound echo signals along the depth, and DR controls the image contrast. In recent ultrasound systems, these two factors are automatically set by a system and/or manually adjusted by an operator to obtain the desired image quality on the screen. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to find the optimized parameter values far TGC and DR automatically. In TGC optimization, we determine the degree of attenuation compensation along the depth by dividing an image into vertical strips and reliably estimating the attenuation characteristic of ultrasound signals. For DR optimization, we define a novel cost function by properly using the characteristics of ultrasound images. We obtain experimental results by applying the proposed algorithm to a real ultrasound(US) imaging system. The results verify that the proposed algorithm automatically sets values of TGC and DR in real-time such that the subjective quality of the enhanced ultrasound images may be sufficiently high for efficient and accurate diagnosis.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2018

This paper reports the development and performance evaluation of a backend system for real-time IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound) imaging. The developed backend system was designed to minimize the amount of logic and memory usage by means of efficient LUTs (Look-up Tables), and it was implemented in a single FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) without using external memory. This makes it possible to implement the backend system that is less expensive, smaller, and lighter. The accuracy of the backend system implemented was evaluated by comparing the output of the FPGA with the result computed using a MATLAB program implemented in the same way as the VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) code. Based on the result of ex-vivo experiment using rabbit artery, the developed backend system was found to be suitable for real-time intravascular ultrasound imaging.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.287-294
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• 2020

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of an ultrasound-based bar graph proportional to the quadriceps muscle thickness as a real-time visual feedback training tool in the elderly. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Twenty-four elderly persons participated in this study and were randomly divided into three groups: oral training group (n=8, group 1), ultrasound imaging group (n=8, group 2), and graph group (n=8, group 3). In the pre condition, all participants performed maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the quadriceps with knee extension three times with oral training. In the post condition, group 1 performed MVIC of the quadriceps with oral training, group 2 performed MVIC of the quadriceps with real-time visual feedback using ultrasound imaging, and group 3 performed MVIC of the quadriceps with real-time visual feedback using a bar graph proportional to the quadriceps muscle thickness, three times for all groups. Muscle thickness, activity (mean, peak), tone, stiffness, logarithmic decrement, relaxation, and creep were measured in both conditions in all participants. Results: Visual feedback with a bar graph showed significant effects on muscle thickness, mean muscle activity, and peak muscle activity compared with oral training and visual feedback with ultrasound imaging (p<0.05). Conclusions: Isometric training of the quadriceps with real-time visual feedback using a bar graph proportional to the quadriceps muscle thickness may be more effective than other methods in improving muscle thickness and muscle activity. This study presented a tool that can help increase muscle thickness in the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.101-111
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• 2008

Strain imaging in a medical ultrasound imaging system can differentiate the cancer or tumor in a lesion that is stiffer than the surrounding tissue. In this paper, a strain imaging technique using quasistatic compression is implemented that estimates the displacement between pre- and postcompression ultrasound echoes and obtains strain by differentiating it in the spatial direction. Displacements are computed from the phase difference of complex baseband signals obtained using their autocorrelation, and errors associated with converting the phase difference into time or distance are compensated for by taking into the center frequency variation. Also, to reduce the effect of operator's hand motion, the displacements of all scanlines are normalized with the result that satisfactory strain image quality has been obtained. These techniques have been incorporated into implementing a medical ultrasound strain imaging system that operates in real time.