• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.359-365
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• 2017

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most efficient diagnostic methods for stroke patients. The number of CT scanners in South Korea, however, is higher than in other countries, and may cause the overuse of this tool in healthcare. We aim to study the relationship between using CT and various patient and hospital characteristics among patients with cerebral infarction. Methods: We analyzed nationwide health insurance claims data for patients due to cerebral infarction during the second half of 2013 for up to 3 months. We performed multilevel analysis, including both inpatient and hospital-level variables, to determine how factors affect CT spending and utilization. Results: The data used in our study consisted of 17,046 hospitalizations at 583 hospitals. Inpatients who visited more than one hospital had higher CT utilization numbers and cost (number: ${\geq}3$: ${\beta}$ hospitals, 2.27; p < 0.05; 2 hospitals: ${\beta}$, 0.70; p < 0.05; cost: ${\geq}3$ hospitals: ${\beta}$, 251,108; p < 0.05; 2 hospitals: ${\beta}$, 77,299; p < 0.05). People who visited a general hospital had higher numbers and cost of CT utilization than people who visited a smaller hospital. Conclusion: Increased sharing of records and improved continuity of care between hospitals are needed to help curb the overuse of CT.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.25-32
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• 2017

Purpose: The use of computed tomography (CT) to evaluate acute abdominal complaints has increased over the past two decades. We investigated how the clinical practice of patients with intestinal perforation has changed with the increasing use of abdominal CT in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We compared ED arrival to CT time, ED arrival to surgical consultation time, and ED arrival to operation time according to the method of diagnosis from 2003-2004 and 2013-2014. Results: In patients with gastrointestinal perforation, time from ED arrival to CT was shorter ($111.4{\pm}66.2min$ vs. $199.0{\pm}97.5min$, p=0.001) but time to surgical consultation was longer ($135.1{\pm}78.8$ vs. $77.9{\pm}123.7$, p=0.006) in 2013-2014 than in 2003-2004. There was no statistically significant difference in time to operation for perforation confirmed either by plain film or CT between the two time periods. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital or ICU stay or mortality between the two groups. Conclusion: With the increasing use of abdominal CT in ED, ED arrival to CT time has decreased and ED arrival to surgical consultation time has increased in gastrointestinal perforation. These changes of clinical performance do not delay ED arrival to operation time or adversely influence patient outcome.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.123-129
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• 2014

Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify the concordance of the measurement values when the same cephalometric analysis method was used for two-dimensional (2D) cephalometric radiography and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT), and to identify which 3D Frankfort horizontal (FH) plane was the most concordant with FH plane used for cephalometric radiography. Materials and Methods: Reference horizontal plane was FH plane. Palatal angle and occlusal plane angle was evaluated with FH plane. Gonial angle (GA), palatal angle, upper occlusal plane angle (UOPA), mandibular plane angle (MPA), U1 to occlusal plane angle, U1 to FH plane angle, SNA and SNB were obtained on 2D cephalmetries and reconstructed 3D CT. The values measured eight angles in 2D lateral cephalometry and reconstructed 3D CT were evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficiency (ICC). It also was evaluated to identify 3D FH plane with high degree of concordance to 2D one by studying which one in four FH planes shows the highest degree of concordance with 2D FH plane. Results: ICCs of MPA (0.752), UOPA (0.745), SNA (0.798) and SNB (0.869) were high. On the other hand, ICCs of gonial angle (0.583), palatal angle (0.287), U1 to occlusal plane (0.404), U1 to FH plane (0.617) were low respectively. Additionally GA and MPA acquired from 2D were bigger than those on 3D in all 20 patients included in this study. Concordance between one UOPA from 2D and four UOPAs from 3D CT were evaluated by ICC values. Results showed no significant difference among four FH planes defined on 3D CT. Conclusion: FH plane that can be set on 3D CT does not have difference in concordance from FH plane on lateral cephalometry. However, it is desirable to define FH plane on 3D CT with two orbitales and one porion considering the reproduction of orbitale itself.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.595-602
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• 2018

Quality control (QC) of Computed Tomography (CT) devices is based on image quality measurement on AAPM CT phantom which is a standard phantom. Although it is possible to control the accuracy of the CT apparatus, it is expensive and has a disadvantage of low penetration rate. Therefore, in this study, we make image quality measurement phantom at low cost using FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) type three-dimensional printer and try to analyze the usefulness, compare it with existing standard phantom. To print a phantom, We used three-dimensional printer of the FFF system and PLA (Poly Lactic Acid, density: $1.24g/cm^3$) filament, and the CT device of 64 MDCT (Aquilion CX, Toshiba, Japan). In addition, we printed a phantom using three-dimensional printer after design using various tool based on existing standard phantom. For image quality evaluation, AAPM CT phantom and self-generated phantom were measured 10 times for each block. The measured data were analyzed for significance using the Mannwhiteney U-test of SPSS (Version 22.0, SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). As a result of the analysis, phantom fabricated with three-dimensional printer and standard phantom showed no significant difference (p>0.05). Furthermore, we confirmed that image quality measurement performance of a phantom using three-dimensional printer is similar to the existing standard phantom. In conclusion, we confirmed the possibility of low cost phantom fabrication using three dimensional printer.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: We aimed to measure the head dimensions on computed tomography (CT) images, to compare them to directly measured head dimensions, and to predict a new parameter of bone thickness for aiding bone conduction implant (BCI) placement. Subjects and Methods: We reviewed the facial and mandibular bone CT images of 406 patients. Their head sizes were analyzed using five parameters included in the 6th Size Korea project, and they were divided into age groups (ranging from the 10s to the 80s). We compared the head length, head width, sagittal arc, bitragion arc, and head circumference in the CT and Size Korea groups. We also added the parameter bone thickness for aiding BCI placement. Results: All the head size parameters measured using CT were significantly smaller than those measured directly, with head length showing the smallest difference at 7.85 mm. The differences in the other four parameters between the two groups according to patient age were not statistically significantly different. Bone thickness had the highest value of 4.89±0.93 mm in the 70s and the lowest value of 4.10±0.99 mm in the 10s. Bone thickness also significantly correlated with head width (p=0.038). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the CT and direct measurements yielded consistent data. Moreover, CT enabled the measurement of bone sizes, including bone thickness, that are impossible to measure directly. CT measurements may complement direct measurements in the Size Korea data when used for developing bone conduction hearing devices (BCIs and headsets) for the Korean population.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: We aimed to measure the head dimensions on computed tomography (CT) images, to compare them to directly measured head dimensions, and to predict a new parameter of bone thickness for aiding bone conduction implant (BCI) placement. Subjects and Methods: We reviewed the facial and mandibular bone CT images of 406 patients. Their head sizes were analyzed using five parameters included in the 6th Size Korea project, and they were divided into age groups (ranging from the 10s to the 80s). We compared the head length, head width, sagittal arc, bitragion arc, and head circumference in the CT and Size Korea groups. We also added the parameter bone thickness for aiding BCI placement. Results: All the head size parameters measured using CT were significantly smaller than those measured directly, with head length showing the smallest difference at 7.85 mm. The differences in the other four parameters between the two groups according to patient age were not statistically significantly different. Bone thickness had the highest value of 4.89±0.93 mm in the 70s and the lowest value of 4.10±0.99 mm in the 10s. Bone thickness also significantly correlated with head width (p=0.038). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the CT and direct measurements yielded consistent data. Moreover, CT enabled the measurement of bone sizes, including bone thickness, that are impossible to measure directly. CT measurements may complement direct measurements in the Size Korea data when used for developing bone conduction hearing devices (BCIs and headsets) for the Korean population.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2018

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a standard procedure to evaluate suspicious lymph node involvement of lung cancer because computed tomography (CT) and $^{18}F$-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) have limitations in their sensitivity and specificity. There are a number of benign causes of false positive lymph node such as anthracosis or anthracofibrosis, pneumoconiosis, old or active tuberculosis, interstitial lung disease, and other infectious conditions including pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible causes of false positive lymph node detected in chest CT or PET-CT. Methods: Two hundred forty-seven patients who were initially diagnosed with lung cancer between May 2009 and December 2012, and underwent EBUS-TBNA to confirm suspicious lymph node involvement by chest CT or PET-CT were analyzed for the study. Results: Of 247 cases, EBUS-TBNA confirmed malignancy in at least one lymph node in 189. The remaining 58 patients whose EBUS-TBNA results were negative were analyzed. Age ${\geq}65$, squamous cell carcinoma as the histologic type, and pneumoconiosis were related with false-positive lymph node involvement on imaging studies such as chest CT and PET-CT. Conclusion: These findings suggest that lung cancer staging should be done more carefully when a patient has clinically benign lymph node characteristics including older age, squamous cell carcinoma, and benign lung conditions.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.329-332
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• 2014

A dog (Chihuahua, 2-year-old, intact female) was referred to us because of cluster seizure. She had history of falling from height few days before presentation. Brain computed tomography (CT) results demonstrated fracture line on right temporal bone and hypodense, edematous changes of the adjacent brain parenchyma on right cerebral parenchyma. Based on history, clinical signs, and diagnostic imaging findings, this patient was diagnosed to traumatic brain injury. After diagnosis, the patient was well controlled with anti-inflammatory drug and anti-epileptic drugs. When 30, 480, and 1260 days after initial brain CT examination, we performed serial brain CT rechecks. This case report describes serial clinical and brain CT findings after traumatic brain injury.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.545-548
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• 1998

Sialolithiasis is the formation of calcareous concretions within ductal system of a major or minor salivary gland. They are formed by deposition of calcium salts around a central nidus which may consist of desquamated epithelial cells, bacteria, foreign bodies, or products of bacterial decomposition. An 11-year-old boy complained of pain during meals and intermittent mild swelling in the right submandibular region. Although it was not detected in true occlusal radiograph, panoramic radiograph showed a round radiopaque mass 3mm in diameter. Computed tomography(CT) was taken for locating the stone and 3-dimensional reconstruction was performed. Under general anesthesia, sialoadenectomy was done through extraoral approach. Diagnosis of submandibular sialolithiasis using high-resolution CT with reconstructions was helpful for surgical decisions, namely radical removal of the submandibular gland and its duct.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.581-586
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• 2018

This study was conducted to analyze factors Influencing Protective Behavior against Radiation Exposure using questionnaires for 231 radiological technologists working in Computed Tomography(CT) examination room with high radiation dose in diagnostic radiology field. Statistical analysis of the collected data revealed that the reasons for partially shielding the examination part in the CT scan were the lack of protective equipment, securing of radiation justification, being annoying and maybe not being harm to adults in order. It was also revealed that the variables influencing the protective behavior were protective behavior against radiation harm, self-efficacy, protective environment, organization culture, protective knowledge and protective instrument in order. The higher the radiological protective environment(${\beta}=0.245$) and the lower the radiological protective knowledge(${\beta}=-0.034$), the more influential the protective behavior against radiation harm was. In this study, it was shown that non examination parts were not shielded in the CT scan. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the level of protective environment, to cultivate knowledge to improve the protective behavior against radiation harm and to have an intervention strategy for concrete action.