• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.115-125
• /
• 2023

Arteriovenous fistula flow dysfunction is the leading cause of vascular access thrombosis and loss in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, data regarding the influence of access flow rate measurements on the long-term outcomes of access are limited. This study aims to identify accesses at a high risk of thrombosis and loss among patients undergoing hemodialysis by measuring the access flow rate and exploring an optimal threshold value for predicting future access thrombosis. We enrolled 220 patients with arteriovenous fistula undergoing hemodialysis. The primary outcome was the occurrence of access thrombosis. Access flow rates were measured monthly using the ultrasound dilution method and were averaged using all measurements from patients with patent access. In patients experienced access thrombosis, those immediately before the thrombosis were selected. Using these data, we calculated the access flow rate threshold for thrombosis occurrence by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the patients were divided into two groups according to whether access flow rates were higher or lower than 400 mL/min. During a median follow-up period of 3.1 years, 4,510 access flows were measured (median measurements per patient, 33 times; interquartile range, 11-54). A total of 65 access thromboses and 19 abandonments were observed. Access thrombosis and loss were higher in the lowflow group than in the high-flow group. This study revealed that low access flow rates are strongly associated with access thrombosis occurrence and subsequent loss of arteriovenous fistulas in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.21 no.9
• /
• pp.1045-1054
• /
• 2020

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of combining the quantitative parameters of shear wave elastography (SWE) and superb microvascular imaging (SMI) to breast ultrasound (US) to differentiate between benign and malignant breast masses. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 pathologically confirmed breast lesions in 192 patients were retrospectively reviewed using breast US with B-mode imaging, SWE, and SMI. Breast masses were assessed based on the breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) and quantitative parameters using the maximum elasticity (Emax) and ratio (Eratio) in SWE and the vascular index in SMI (SMI_VI). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of B-mode alone versus the combination of B-mode US with SWE or SMI of both parameters in differentiating between benign and malignant breast masses was compared, respectively. Hypothetical performances of selective downgrading of BI-RADS category 4a (set 1) and both upgrading of category 3 and downgrading of category 4a (set 2) were calculated. Results: Emax with a cutoff value of 86.45 kPa had the highest AUC value compared to Eratio of 3.57 or SMI_VI of 3.35%. In set 1, the combination of B-mode with Emax or SMI_VI had a significantly higher AUC value (0.829 and 0.778, respectively) than B-mode alone (0.719) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.047, respectively). B-mode US with the addition of Emax, Eratio, and SMI_VI had the best diagnostic performance of AUC value (0.849). The accuracy and specificity increased significantly from 68.0% to 84.0% (p < 0.001) and from 46.1% to 79.1% (p < 0.001), respectively, and the sensitivity decreased from 97.6% to 90.6% without statistical loss (p = 0.199). Conclusion: Combining all quantitative values of SWE and SMI with B-mode US improved the diagnostic performance in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions.

• Korean Circulation Journal
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.30-39
• /
• 2024

Background and Objectives: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) evaluation of coronary artery morphology is based on the lumen and vessel segmentation. This study aimed to develop an automatic segmentation algorithm and validate the performances for measuring quantitative IVUS parameters. Methods: A total of 1,063 patients were randomly assigned, with a ratio of 4:1 to the training and test sets. The independent data set of 111 IVUS pullbacks was obtained to assess the vessel-level performance. The lumen and external elastic membrane (EEM) boundaries were labeled manually in every IVUS frame with a 0.2-mm interval. The Efficient-UNet was utilized for the automatic segmentation of IVUS images. Results: At the frame-level, Efficient-UNet showed a high dice similarity coefficient (DSC, 0.93±0.05) and Jaccard index (JI, 0.87±0.08) for lumen segmentation, and demonstrated a high DSC (0.97±0.03) and JI (0.94±0.04) for EEM segmentation. At the vessel-level, there were close correlations between model-derived vs. experts-measured IVUS parameters; minimal lumen image area (r=0.92), EEM area (r=0.88), lumen volume (r=0.99) and plaque volume (r=0.95). The agreement between model-derived vs. expert-measured minimal lumen area was similarly excellent compared to the experts' agreement. The model-based lumen and EEM segmentation for a 20-mm lesion segment required 13.2 seconds, whereas manual segmentation with a 0.2-mm interval by an expert took 187.5 minutes on average. Conclusions: The deep learning models can accurately and quickly delineate vascular geometry. The artificial intelligence-based methodology may support clinicians' decision-making by real-time application in the catheterization laboratory.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.187-193
• /
• 2016

In this study, we performed the carotid artery ultrasound targeting 140 subjects who have conducted to evaluate the changes in intima-media thickness(IMT) and plaque correlated with the presence or absence of a hematological test of the carotid artery. Considering that the IMT thickness more than 1mm is abnormal based on the carotid artery ultrasound to assess the presence or absence of plaque, and examined the correlation by classifying the blood lipid value and the fasting blood glucose level through the serum test. Consequently, the fasting blood glucose level is being analyzed as independent predictors of causing dental plaque(p=0.033), cut off value was determined as 126 mg/dL(sensitivity 56.25%, specificity 68.38%) in ROC curve analysis. Furthermore, the odds ratio appeared 1.01 times the value in the Logistic regression. Therefore, it seemed that the necessity to prospective studies in a number of subjects are considered, and also taking into account a number of blood test values along with the sonography of the carotid artery as a valuable part for effective primary prevention and follow-up observation of the cardiac and brain vascular disease is highly recommended.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.274-277
• /
• 2004

The heterotopic pancreas is defined as the presence of pancreatic tissue lacking anatomical and vascular continuity from the main body of pancreas. Its incidence has been reported as widely ranging from 0.55~13.7% in autopsy studies and 0.2% in upper abdominal laparotomies. The most common sites are the antrum of stomach, duodenum and proximal jejunum. But, lesions have also been found in the ileum, Meckel diverticulum, common bile duct and the esophagus. Most cases are incidentally encountered during surgery, and on rare occasions, epigastric pain, hemorrhage, gastric outlet obstruction and intussusception have been directly attributable to the presence of the heterotopic pancreas. A 3-month-old boy presented with 1-day history of vomiting and irritability. Intussusception was confirmed on ultrasound scan. At laparotomy there was an irreducible ileoileal intussusception, the intussuscepted portion of ileum was resected and end to end anastomosis was performed. Histologically, the mass was found to be composed of pancreatic tissue.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.660-664
• /
• 2005

Infantile hemangioendothelioma(IHE) of the liver is the most common vascular tumor in infants before the age of 6 months. It is a histologically benign tumor with potentially life-threatening complications. The clinical manifestations are variable, ranging from asymptomatic forms to intractable high-output heart failure. In addition, abdominal mass, intraperitoneal hemorrhage due to rupture of mass, respiratory distress, hematologic abnormalities and jaundice can occur. Diagnostic work-up is through doppler ultrasound sonography, computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography. Treatment consists of medical treatment, interventional therapy, surgical resection and liver transplantation. We experienced symptomatic IHE in a premature neonate who presented with high output heart failure and respiratory distress. Initial medical treatment and steroid therapy failed to improve his condition. Coil embolization of left hepatic artery resulted in improvement of respiratory symptoms. However, a left lobectomy was performed because the mass size was not decreased with development of collateral vessels. The infant was well, after a successful discharge from the hospital.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2002.08a
• /
• pp.717-720
• /
• 2002

The present study is to evaluate the performances of flow velocity and wall shear stress in the stenosed coronary artery using human in vivo hemodynamic Parameters and computer simulation. Initial and follow-up coronary angiographics in the patients with angulated coronary stenosis are performed. Follow-up coronary angiogram demonstrated significant difference in the percent of diameter in the stenosed coronary between two groups ($Group\;1:\;40.3{\%},\;Group\;2:\;25.5{\%}$). Flow-velocity wave obtained from in vivo intracoronary Doppler ultrasound data is used for the boundary condition for the computer simulation. Spatial and temporal variations of flow velocity vector and recirculation area are drawn throughout the selected segment of coronary models. The WSS of pre- and post-intracoronary stenting are calculated from three-dimensional computer simulation. Then negative shear stresses area on 3D simulation we noted on the inner wall of the post-stenotic area before stenting. The negative WSS is disappeared after stenting. High spatial and temporal WSS before stenting fell into within physiologic WSS after stenting. This finding was prominent in Model 2. The present study suggest that hemodynamic forces exerted by pulsatile coronary circulation termed WSS might affect on the evolution of atherosclerosis within the angulated vascular curvature. The local recirculation area which has low or negative WSS, might lead to progression of atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.418-424
• /
• 2023

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in combating infections and tumors. However, their therapeutic application in solid tumors is hindered by challenges, such as limited lifespan, tumor penetration, and delivery precision. Our research introduces a novel ultrasonic actuation technique to navigate NK cells more effectively in the vascular system, particularly at vessel bifurcations where targeted delivery is most problematic. We use a hemispherical ultrasonic transducer array that generates phase-modulated traveling waves, focusing on an ultrasound beam to steer NK cells using blood-flow dynamics and a focused acoustic field. This method enables the precise obstruction of non-target vessels and efficiently directs NK cells toward the tumor site. The simulation results offer insights into the behavior of NK cells under various conditions of cell size, radiation pressure, and fluid velocity, which inform the optimization of their trajectories and increase targeting efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this ultrasonic approach for enhancing NK cell targeting, suggesting a potential leap forward in solid tumor immunotherapy. This study represents a significant step in NK cell therapeutic strategies, offering a viable solution to the existing limitations and promising enhancement of the efficacy of cancer treatments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.385-392
• /
• 2023

Caroli's disease is a fibrocystic liver disease. Autosomal recessive disorder is characterized by congenital multiple dilatation of the bile duct. Computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, cholangiography and ultrasound are among the methods for diagnosing caroli disease. Computerized tomography is essential for detecting and distinguishing fibroplastic liver disease and is useful for determining intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. However, awareness of the possible side effects of using contrast mediums is necessary. A typical method of magnetic resonance cholangiography is used for magnetic resonance imaging. A non-invasive examination can reduce the pain of the patient, and the anatomical structure of the bile pancreatic duct and the presence or absence of lesions can be easily and quickly observed. Biliary contrast is an effective diagnostic method that can directly visualize various cystic dilatations throughout the enlarged bile duct. However, since this procedure is also an invasive procedure, it is recommended not for diagnosis but for treatment purposes. Ultrasonography can confirm similar findings to computerized tomography. The hepatic artery root is difficult to prove with conventional grayscale ultrasound. However, it is of clinical value in that it can not only describe dilated bile ducts with vascular roots in the tube but also easily identify color Doppler signals in the tube. With the development of video diagnostics, early diagnosis has become possible through computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, cholangiography, and ultrasound. In order to further contribute to the development of video diagnostics so that long-term prognosis can be improved after treatment through early diagnosis, we examined what aspects of each test's caroli disease appear.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.309-317
• /
• 2022

It is reported that social distancing caused by the corona pandemic has resulted in a decrease in physical activity, and a decrease in muscle mass due to this increases the risk of vascular disease. Therefore, in this study, the risk of carotid intima media thickness was evaluated by measuring the thickness of CIMT, and the differences in variables according to gender were analyzed. From January 2022 to May 2022, a total of 220 people (121 males, 99 females) who performed blood tests, carotid ultrasound, and body composition analysis among those who visited the health check-up center of Busan H Hospital were included in this study. Significant differences in risk factors according to gender were analyzed using the chi-square test. The cut-off values of variables that can predict the risk of carotid intima media thickness were calculated, and the accuracy was evaluated by calculating the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity. As a result of the difference analysis, the higher the total cholesterol in men and the appendicular skeletal muscle index in women, the higher the risk of carotid intima media thickness. The cut-off value for predicting the risk of carotid intima media thickness was calculated to be greater than 199 mg/dL of total cholesterol in the male group and less than 5.9 kg/m² of the appendicular skeletal muscle index in the female group. As a result of this study, the higher the total cholesterol in men and the lower the appendicular skeletal muscle index in women, the higher the risk of increased CIMT. Therefore, in women, the appendicular skeletal muscle index is expected to serve as an indicator to predict and prevent vascular changes at an early stage.