• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2016

Purpose: Sufficient area in the interforaminal region is required for dental implant placement, and the anterior loop of the mandibular canal is located within the limits of this area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of the anterior loop in a Brazilian sample population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: CBCT images from 250 patients (500 hemimandibles) obtained for various clinical indications were randomly selected and evaluated to determine the presence and length of the anterior loop. The length of the anterior loop was then compared based on gender, age, and the side of the mandible. The data were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test and linear regression analysis. Results: An anterior loop was identified in 41.6% of the cases, and its length ranged from 0.25 mm to 4.00 mm (mean, $1.1{\pm}0.8mm$). The loop had a greater mean length and was significantly more prevalent in males (p=0.014). No significant differences were found between the right and left sides regarding length (p=0.696) or prevalence (p=0.650). Conclusion: In this study, a high prevalence of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal was found, and although its length varied greatly, in most cases it was less than 1 mm long. Although this is a prevalent anatomical variation, safety limits for the placement of implants in this region cannot be established before an accurate evaluation using imaging techniques in order to identify and preserve the neurovascular bundles.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.39-44
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• 2012

Purpose: Special care is necessary to avoid invading important anatomic structures during surgery when presurgical planning is made based on radiographs. However, none of these types of radiography represents a perfect modality. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of presurgical planning based on the use of two types of radiographic image (digital panoramic radiography [DPR] and cone-beam computed tomography [CBCT]) by beginner dentists to place implants, and to quantify differences in measurements between radiographic images and real specimens. Methods: Ten fresh cadavers without posterior teeth were used, and twelve practitioners who had no experience of implant surgery performed implant surgery after 10 hours of basic instruction using conventional surgical guide based on CBCT or DPR. Two types of measurement error were evaluated: 1) the presurgical measurement error, defined as that between the presurgical and postsurgical measurements in each modality of radiographic analysis, and 2) the measurement error between postsurgical radiography and the real specimen. Results: The mean presurgical measurement error was significantly smaller for CBCT than for DPR in the maxillary region, whereas it did not differ significantly between the two imaging modalities in the mandibular region. The mean measurement error between radiography and real specimens was significantly smaller for CBCT than for DPR in the maxillary region, but did not differ significantly in the mandibular region. Conclusions: Presurgical planning can be performed safely using DPR in the mandible; however, presurgical planning using CBCT is recommended in the maxilla when a structure in a buccolingual location needs to be evaluated because this imaging modality supplies buccolingual information that cannot be obtained from DPR.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.251-260
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• 2021

Purpose: Dental implants are widely used for the rehabilitation of edentulous sites. This study investigated the occurrence of dental implant malpositioning as shown on post-implantation cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to identify related factors. Materials and Methods: Samples with at least 1 malpositioned dental implant were collected from a central radiology clinic in Tehran, Iran from January 2017 to January 2019. Variables such as demographic characteristics, length and diameter of implants, type of implant, sites of implant insertion, different types of implant malpositioning problems (cortical plate perforation, interference with anatomical structures), angulation of the implant, and the severity of malpositioning were assessed. In addition, the incidence of implant fracture and over-drilling was evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed using the chi-square test, 1-sample t-test, and Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: In total, 252 patients referred for implant postoperative CBCT evaluations were assessed. The cases of implant malpositioning included perforation of the buccal cortical plate (19.4%), perforation of the lingual cortical plate (14.3%), implant proximity to an adjacent implant (19.0%), implant proximity to an adjacent tooth (3.2%), interference with anatomical structures(maxillary sinus: 18.3%, mandibular canal: 11.1%, nasal cavity: 6.3%, mental foramen: 5.6%, and incisive canal: 0.4%). Implant fracture and over-drilling were found in 1.6% and 0.8% of cases, respectively. Severity was categorized as mild (9.5%), moderate (35.7%), severe (37.7%), and extreme (17.1%), and 52.4% of implants had inappropriate angulation. Conclusion: CBCT imaging is recommended for detecting dental implant malpositioning. The most common and severe type of malpositioning was buccal cortex perforation.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2016

Purpose: Facial asymmetry has been measured by the severity of deviation of the menton (Me) on posteroanterior (PA) cephalograms and three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT). This study aimed to compare PA cephalograms and 3D CT regarding the severity of Me deviation and the direction of the Me. Materials and Methods: PA cephalograms and 3D CT images of 35 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery (19 males and 16 females, with an average age of $22.1{\pm}3.3years$) were retrospectively reviewed in this study. By measuring the distance and direction of the Me from the midfacial reference line and the midsagittal plane in the cephalograms and 3D CT, respectively, the x-coordinates ($x_1$ and $x_2$) of the Me were obtained in each image. The difference between the x-coordinates was calculated and statistical analysis was performed to compare the severity of Me deviation and the direction of the Me in the two imaging modalities. Results: A statistically significant difference in the severity of Me deviation was found between the two imaging modalities (${\Delta}x=2.45{\pm}2.03mm$, p<0.05) using the one-sample t-test. Statistically significant agreement was observed in the presence of deviation (k=0.64, p<0.05) and in the severity of Me deviation (k=0.27, p<0.05). A difference in the direction of the Me was detected in three patients (8.6%). The severity of the Me deviation was found to vary according to the imaging modality in 16 patients (45.7%). Conclusion: The measurement of Me deviation may be different between PA cephalograms and 3D CT in some patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.983-993
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate the image quality of ultralow-dose CT (ULDCT) of the chest reconstructed using a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN)-based deep learning method in the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Between June 2019 and November 2019, 103 patients (mean age, 40.8 ± 13.6 years; 61 men and 42 women) with pulmonary tuberculosis were prospectively enrolled to undergo standard-dose CT (120 kVp with automated exposure control), followed immediately by ULDCT (80 kVp and 10 mAs). The images of the two successive scans were used to train the CycleGAN framework for image-to-image translation. The denoising efficacy of the CycleGAN algorithm was compared with that of hybrid and model-based iterative reconstruction. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed to compare the objective measurements and the subjective image quality scores, respectively. Results: With the optimized CycleGAN denoising model, using the ULDCT images as input, the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index improved by 2.0 dB and 0.21, respectively. The CycleGAN-generated denoised ULDCT images typically provided satisfactory image quality for optimal visibility of anatomic structures and pathological findings, with a lower level of image noise (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 19.5 ± 3.0 Hounsfield unit [HU]) than that of the hybrid (66.3 ± 10.5 HU, p < 0.001) and a similar noise level to model-based iterative reconstruction (19.6 ± 2.6 HU, p > 0.908). The CycleGAN-generated images showed the highest contrast-to-noise ratios for the pulmonary lesions, followed by the model-based and hybrid iterative reconstruction. The mean effective radiation dose of ULDCT was 0.12 mSv with a mean 93.9% reduction compared to standard-dose CT. Conclusion: The optimized CycleGAN technique may allow the synthesis of diagnostically acceptable images from ULDCT of the chest for the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2018

Chronic lateral ankle instability is a major complication of acute ankle sprains, which can cause discomfort in both daily and sports activity. In addition, it may result in degenerative changes to the ankle joint in the long term. An accurate diagnostic approach and successful treatment plan can be established based on a comprehensive understanding of the concept of functional and mechanical instability. The patients' history and correct physical examination would be the first and most important step. The hindfoot alignment, competence of the lateral ligaments, and proprioceptive function should be evaluated. Additional information can be gathered using standard and stress radiographs. In addition, concomitant pathologic conditions can be investigated by magnetic resonance imaging. Conservative rehabilitation composed of the range of motion, muscle strengthening, and proprioceptive exercise is the main treatment for functional instability and mechanical instability. Regarding the mechanical instability, surgical treatment can be considered for irresponsible patients after a sufficient period of rehabilitation. Anatomic repair (modified $Brostr{\ddot{o}}m$ operation) is regarded as the gold standard procedure. In cases with poor prognostic factors, an anatomical reconstruction or additional procedures can be chosen. For combined intra-articular pathologies, arthroscopic procedures should be conducted, and arthroscopic lateral ligament repair has recently been introduced. Regarding the postoperative management, early functional rehabilitation with short term immobilization is recommended.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2002

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of threshold value of computed tomography on the accuracy of rapid prototyping (RP) medical model Material and Methods : CT datas of a human dry skull were transferred from CT scanner via compact disk to a personal computer (PC). 3-dimensional image reconstruction on PC by V-works/sup TM/ 3.0 (CyberMed. Inc.) software and RP models fabrication were followed. 2-RP models were produced by threshold value of 500 and 800 selected in surface rendering process. Linear measurements between arbitrary 12 anatomical landmarks on dry skull, 3-D image model, and 2-RP models were done and compared. Thus, the accuracy of 500 RP and 800RP models was respectively evaluated. Results: There was mean difference (% difference) in absolute value of 2.27 mm (2.73%) between linear measurements of dry skull and 500 RP model. There was mean difference (% difference) in absolute value of 1.94 mm (2.52%) between linear measurements of dry skull and 800 RP model. Conclusion: Slight difference of threshold value in rendering process of 3-D modelling made a influence on the accuracy of RP medical model.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.53-57
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• 2011

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of dental students in detection of mandibular condyle fractures and the effectiveness of reference panoramic images. Materials and Methods : Forty-six undergraduates evaluated 25 panoramic radiographs for condylar fractures and the data were analyzed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. After a month, they were divided into two homogeneous groups based on the first results and re-evaluated the images with (group A) or without (group B) reference images. Eight reference images included indications showing either typical condylar fractures or anatomic structures which could be confused with fractures. Paired t-test was used for statistical analysis of the difference between the first and the second evaluations for each group, and student�fs t-test was used between the two groups in the second evaluation. The intra- and inter-observer agreements were evaluated with Kappa statistics. Results : Intra- and inter-observer agreements were substantial (k=0.66) and moderate (k=0.53), respectively. The area under the ROC curve (Az) in the first evaluation was 0.802. In the second evaluation, it was increased to 0.823 for group A and 0.814 for group B. The difference between the first and second evaluations for group A was statistically significant (p<0.05), however there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the second evaluation. Conclusion : Providing reference images to less experienced clinicians would be a good way to improve the diagnostic ability in detecting condylar fracture.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.190-193
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• 1999

Benign fibrous histiocytoma is characteristically composed of fibroblastic and histiocytic cells. Most commonly, this tumor occurs in the dermis and superficial subcutis, but it is uncommon in the knee. We experienced a case of deep benign fibrohistiocytoma in a 38-year-old woman who complained of palpable tender mass on the medial aspect of the right knee. MR imaging findings included a well-delineated oval mass with low signal intensity on T1-weighted and high-signal intensity of T2-weighted images, as well as a marked peripheral contrast enhancement. Histopathologically, the lesion contained a mixture of fibroblastic and histiocytic cells that were often arranged in a cartwheel or storiform pattern and accompanied by varying numbers of inflammatory cells, foam cells, and siderophages. After surgical removal of the lesion, no recurrence was observed.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2007

Purpose : This study aimed to identify the range of normal facial asymmetry using three-dimensional CT and to develop a simple method of diagnosis of facial asymmetry. Materials and Methods : Twenty eight adults with normal occlusion (16 males and 12 females; mean age 24 years and 1 month) were selected whose faces were assessed to be symmetric by an orthodontist. Three-dimensional reconstructions were obtained utilizing spiral CT scans and an oral and maxillofacial radiologist evaluated nineteen anatomic landmarks in three-dimensional coordinates. Facial asymmetry index of each landmark was caluculated. Results : The range of normal facial asymmetry of each landmark was identified using mean and standard deviation of facial asymmetry index. Conclusions : The range of normal facial asymmetry identified in this study may be used as a diagnostic standard for facial asymmetry analysis.