• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2024

The examination needle used in ultrasound biopsy is a medical device used to determine whether there is an abnormality in the tissue. Typically, stainless steel is the standard material used for such needles; however, this study wanted to identify a material that could better enhance sound compared to traditional stainless steel. In this study, six types of needle materials available with the biopsy gun were inserted into pork and ultrasound images according to the curved probe and linear probe were evaluated using ultrasound equipment. The findings revealed significant improvements in ultrasound acoustic enhancement with alternative materials compared to stainless steel (p<0.05). The results regarding the depth of each ultrasound image using the curved probe showed that tungsten and brass had high sound enhancement(p<0.05), while with the linear probe, sound enhancement was high in brass, pla, aluminum, and copper(p<0.05). Due to these results, the previously used stainless needle showed lower ultrasound acoustic enhancement than the five types of materials being compared. Consequently, the outcomes of this study provide valuable insights for the development of new needle technologies aimed at minimizing patient risks and improving diagnostic accuracy.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2015

Functional safety is part of the overall safety relating to the equipment under control (EUC) and the EUC control system that depends on the correct functioning of the electrical/electronic/programmable electronic (E/E/PE) safety-related systems. Since the complexity of the medical equipment is increased, manufactures have to obtain functional safety as well as basic safety. This study proposes a perspective for applying functional safety to medical equipment. The research is carried out with respect to overall safety life-cycle of functional safety and essential performance of the medical equipment. The relationship between functional safety and essential performance is identified centered on the safety function. The essential performance using E/E/PE systems is defined as a safety function of functional safety. This approach is applied to a ultrasound imaging system as a case study.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.48-54
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• 2021

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's statistics on occupational fatalities in South Korea, more than half of the fatalities in the past five years have occurred in the construction industry. The stuck-by and caught-in-between accidents associated with construction equipment is the major source of fatalities from construction sites. In order to prevent such accidents in construction sites, the government has spent lots of efforts including proposing the "special law on construction safety" and encouraging the implementation of new technology for accident prevention. However, numerous accidents are still occurred at construction sites and further efforts are still required. In this manner, this study developed a collision prevention technique that can prevent collision between equipment and worker by recognizing location and type of the nearby objects through ultrasound scanning. The study conducted a pilot experiment and the analysis results demonstrate the feasibility of achieving high performance in both object recognition and location estimation. The developed technique will contribute to prevent collision accidents at construction sites and provide the supplemental knowledge on developing automated collision prevention system for construction equipment.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2020

This study examined the hygiene management of ultrasound probes by examining the cleaning tools for hygiene management of ultrasound probes, the presence or absence of wearing glove as a personal protective equipment, and the awareness of ultrasound probe hygiene. Parts 154 questionnaire about people working in the ultrasound room were surveyed and analyzed. The single gel removal tool of the ultrasound probe was most frequently used with a 48.7% cotton towel, and for double gel removal tools, the first gel removal tool was 42.4% cotton towel and the second gel removal tool was used with 57.6% wet tissue. Antimicrobial wipes were the most commonly used drug and instrument used in ultrasound hygiene management at 58.4%. According to the survey of the presence or absence of wearing glove during ultrasound examination, 46.8% were found to be unworn. When examining the intracavity ultrasound, 30.9% of those who do not wear glove and 61.0% of hygiene awareness of ultrasound probes are 'normal'. According to age, ultrasound probe gel removal tool was not significant difference(p>0.05). According to the working organization and the working department, it was significant difference to wearing gloves during ultrasound examination(p<0.05). Therefore, in order to properly sanitize the ultrasound probe, it is considered that a guideline for hygiene management of the ultrasound probe that fits the situation in Korea is necessary, and it is considered that thorough hygiene management training for inspector is necessary for efficient hygiene management of the ultrasound probe.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2010

The setting parameters of ultrasound scanner give influences to change of image. Sonographers have used a Matlab program to make Low Contrast Sensitivity(LCS) value and compared original images in order to evaluate the use of the supersonic diagnosis machinery. We confirmed the change of image in Grayscale values using Photoshop program. Experiment equipment of our research used A Medison Accuvix V10, A Multi-Tissue Ultrasound Phantom(040 GSE) of CHRIS Company, A Adobe Photoshop CS4 Program, A Convex Probe, A USB memory stick, A Probe Fixation Equipment. The method used Gain, Dynamic Range(DR) of the setting parameters of ultrasound scanner and researched Gain and DR was set to 10 dB. We changed the different settings to see the changes of images using Grayscale values of a Photoshop program about tissue images of a phantom. This study evaluated DR and Gain whether it is an image controller to get the optimum contrast to produce an image to see the how effect on the images. We did not use Gateway in supersonic diagnosis machinery. We can easily open to open the files through Photoshop program before we get Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine(DICOM) files use USB memory stick in supersonic diagnosis machinery. When we diagnosed the lesion of the patient with ultrasound, the contrast and the Gray scale value of image are very important. In this research, we determined the optimum setting parameters that provided useful information to diagnose disease and evaluated the change of improved images.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.162-168
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• 2015

In this study, we suggested the performance and safety testing guideline for low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) represented by the ultrasound fracture treatment device and cartilage treatment device and low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) represented by ultrasonic face lifting device. For these study, the international standards and management regulations of Korea, Japan and United State were analyzed. And the usefulness and applicability were evaluated by testing with commercial equipment and reflecting the views of the industry and experts. As a result of this study, the safety and performance test guidelines for low intensity therapeutic ultrasound device were proposed by presenting the 10 items for LIPUS and 12 items for LIFU. The suggested guidelines are considered a high utilization in the domestic testing and approval authorities. And they are also thought to be useful to new technology development.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.308-321
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• 2022

Transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) is useful in all aspects of lesion screening, monitoring activity, or treating/diagnosing any related complications of inflammatory bowel disease. Its ability to screen or diagnose complications is almost the same as that of other methods, such as CT or MRI. Moreover, its noninvasiveness makes it a first-line examination method. A TAUS image depicting ulcerative colitis will show large intestinal wall thickening that is continuous from the rectum, which is mainly due to mucosal layer thickening, while for Crohn's disease, a TAUS image is characterized by a diversity in the areas affected, distribution, and layer structure. Indicators of activity monitoring include wall thickness, wall structure, and vascular tests that use Doppler ultrasound or contrast agents. While all of these have been reported to be useful, at this time, no single parameter has been established as superior to others; therefore, a comprehensive evaluation of these parameters is justified. In addition, evaluating the elasticity of lesions using elastography is particularly useful for distinguishing between fibrous and inflammatory stenoses. However, the lack of objectivity is the biggest drawback of using ultrasound. Standardizing and popularizing the ultrasound process will be necessary, including scanning methods, equipment settings, and image analysis.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2021

The use of ultrasonography has recently been increasing in musculoskeletal diagnosis or intervention treatment. Ultrasound guided procedure offers a reliable alternative to fluoroscopy or computed tomography for lumbar medial branch block, facet joint block and peripheral nerves of lower extremity. Further, there is no exposure to radiation and additional equipment necessary for the protection against radiation is required. And ultrasound guided procedure needs smaller space than fluoroscopy guided procedure with real time images in the outpatient department. This article reviews ultrasound guided procedure at lumbar vertebra and peripheral nerves of lower extremity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.474-477
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• 2002

Equipment to cauterize tumors by an electrically heated Kanthal wire is under development. The wire( alloy of iron, chromium and Aluminum) keeps sufficient strength up to 1400 degrees in Celsius. Although AC 50Hz current source is used in the prototype experiment, RF current will be used in future. The diameter of the Kanthal wire was 0.3 mm which was connected to Kanthal wire of 0.8 mm. The thicker wire was used as a leading wire. The possibility of application of the heating wire in combination with an ultrasound endoscope was determined, where ultrasound endoscope is to be used to monitor the location on the wire and an extent of a tumor in digestive organs. This procedure requires the wire to be applied inside ultrasound transmitting media. First, the wire was applied in the degassed water in which a chicken liver sample was submerged. The wire, however, burned out in water soon after it became red-hot at 12 A. The reason is that large current is required for the wire to become red-hot due to strong convection. Starch paste of 3 weight percent was employed instead of water. This made the wire red-hot approximately at 6 A, showing the increased viscosity of the starch decreased the convection and the wire was cover by the steam. The liver sample was cauterized successively, while the location of the wire and the liver was monitored by an ultrasound diagnosis equipment outside the plastic vessel of the starch paste.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.37-42
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• 2011

Purpose: The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the power output of ultrasound in Korean clinics and compare the value with Korean and global standards. Methods: A total of 69 units were measured for ultrasound power output. The normal range of power output level was ${\pm}30%$ of the output set according to KFDA standards. Device model, manufacturer, ERA, and BNR were obtained via simple questionnaires. A portable ultrasound power meter was used for output measurement. Results: 37 machines, with reported ERA values, were assessed for power output per unit area. Of these machines, 13 (37.14%) were considered to be compliant with US FDA standards at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, $20W/cm^2$ and 18 (51.43%) were considered within KFDA standards. The remainder of the machines were outside the standard error and evidenced irregular output levels, even though most of them were the same model. Conclusion: Appropriate ultrasound intensity is incredibly important for safety and effective use. Therefore, the KFDA standards regarding ultrasound may require revision in light of global standards, including BNR and ERA additionally, attention should be paid to regular calibration for safe use in clinical practice.