• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.151-159
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• 2014

Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most widely used medical imaging modality. However, substantial x-ray dose exposed to the human subject during the CT scan is a great concern. Region-of-interest (ROI) CT is considered to be a possible solution for its potential to reduce the x-ray dose to the human subject. In most of ROI-CT scans, the ROI is set to a circular shape whose diameter is often considerably smaller than the full field-of-view (FOV). However, an arbitrarily shaped ROI is very desirable to reduce the x-ray dose more than the circularly shaped ROI can do. We propose a new method to make a non-circular convex-shaped ROI along with the image reconstruction method. To make a ROI with an arbitrary convex shape, dynamic collimations are necessary to minimize the x-ray dose at each angle of view. In addition to the dynamic collimation, we get the ROI projection data with slightly lower sampling rate in the view direction to further reduce the x-ray dose. We reconstruct images from the ROI projection data in the compressed sensing (CS) framework assisted by the exterior projection data acquired from the pilot scan to set the ROI. To validate the proposed method, we used the experimental micro-CT projection data after truncating them to simulate the dynamic collimation. The reconstructed ROI images showed little errors as compared to the images reconstructed from the full-FOV scan data as well as little artifacts inside the ROI. We expect the proposed method can significantly reduce the x-ray dose in CT scans if the dynamic collimation is realized in real CT machines.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.305-308
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• 2002

More complex radiotherapy techniques using multi leaf collimation(MLC) such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) has been increasing the significance of verification of leaf position and motion. Due to the reliability and robustness, quality assurance(QA) of MLC is usually performed with portal films. However, the advantage of ease of use and capability of providing digital data of electronic portal imaging devices(EPIDs) have attracted many attentions as alternatives of films for routine quality assurance in spite of the concerns about their clinical feasibility, efficacy, and the cost to benefit ratio. In our work, the method of routine QA of MLC using electronic portal imaging(EPI) was developed. The verification of availability of EPI images for routine QA was performed by comparison with those of the portal films which were simultaneously obtained when radiation was delivered and known prescription input to MLC controller. Specially designed test patterns of dynamic MLC were applied to image acquisition. Quantitative off-line analysis using edge detection algorithm enhanced the verification procedure in addition to on-line qualitative visual assessment. In conclusion, the EPI is available enough for routine QA with the accuracy of portal films.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.14-19
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• 2007

Angle sensors based on the principle of autocollimation, which are usually called autocollimators, can accurately measure small tilt angles of a light-reflecting flat surface. This paper describes a prototype micro-angle sensor that is based on the laser autocollimation technique. The new angle sensor is compact and consists of a laser diode as the light source and a quadrant photodiode as a position-sensing device. Because of its concise design, the microangle sensor facilitates dynamic measurements of the angular error motions of a precision stage without influencing the original dynamic properties of the stage. This is because the sensor only requires a small extra target mirror to be mounted on the stage. The sensitivity of the angle detection is independent of the focal length of the objective lens; therefore, an objective lens with a relatively short focal length is employed to reduce the size of the device. The micro-angle sensor uses a single lens for the both the laser collimation and focusing, which distinguishes it from the conventional laser autocollimation method that has separate collimate and objective lenses. The new micro-angle sensor has dimensions of $15.1\times22.0\times14.0mm$ and its resolution is better than 0.1 arc-second The optical design and performance of this micro-angle sensor were verified by experimental results.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.151-160
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• 2003

The application of more complex radiotherapy techniques using multileaf collimation (MLC), such as 3D conformal radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), has increased the significance of verifying leaf position and motion. Due to thier reliability and empirical robustness, quality assurance (QA) of MLC. However easy use and the ability to provide digital data of electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) have attracted attention to portal films as an alternatives to films for routine qualify assurance, despite concerns about their clinical feasibility, efficacy, and the cost to benefit ratio. In this study, we developed method for daily QA of MLC using electronic portal images (EPIs). EPID availability for routine QA was verified by comparing of the portal films, which were simultaneously obtained when radiation was delivered and known prescription input to MLC controller. Specially designed two-test patterns of dynamic MLC were applied for image acquisition. Quantitative off-line analysis using an edge detection algorithm enhanced the verification procedure as well as on-line qualitative visual assessment. In conclusion, the availability of EPI was enough for daily QA of MLC leaf position with the accuracy of portal films.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 2000

Patient dose verification is one of the most important parts in quality assurance of the treatment delivery for radiation therapy. The dose distributions may be meaningfully improved by modulating two dimensional intensity profile of the individual high energy radiation beams In this study, a new method is presented for the pre-treatment dosimetric verification of these two dimensional distributions of beam intensity by means of a charge coupled device video camera-based fluoroscopic device (henceforth called as CCD-VCFD) as a radiation detecter with a custom-made software for dose calculation from fluorescence signals. This system of dosimeter (CCD-VCFD) could reproduce three dimensional (3D) relative dose distribution from the digitized fluoroscopic signals for small (1.0$\times$1.0 cm$^2$ square, ø 1.0 cm circular ) and large (30$\times$30cm$^2$) field sizes used in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). For the small beam sizes of photon and electron, the calculations are performed In absolute beam fluence profiles which are usually used for calculation of the patient dose distribution. The good linearity with respect to the absorbed dose, independence of dose rate, and three dimensional profiles of small beams using the CCD-VCFD were demonstrated by relative measurements in high energy Photon (15 MV) and electron (9 MeV) beams. These measurements of beam profiles with CCD-VCFD show good agreement with those with other dosimeters such as utramicro-cylindrical (UC) ionization chamber and radiographic film. The study of the radiation dosimetric technique using CCD-VCFD may provide a fast and accurate pre-treatment verification tool for the small beam used in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and can be used for verification of dose distribution from dynamic multi-leaf collimation system (DMLC).

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2002

This study was done to implement intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for the treatment of primary prostate cancer and to compare this technique with conventional treatment methods. A 72-year-old male patient with prostate cancer stage T2a was treated with IMRT delivered with dynamic multi-leaf collimation. Treatment was designed using an inverse planning algorithm, which accepts dose and dose-volume constraints for targets and normal structures. The IMRT plan was compared with a three-dimensional (3D) plan using the same 6 fields technique. Lower normal tissue doses and improved target coverage were achieved using IMRT at current dose levels, and facilitate dose escalation to further enhance locoregional control and organ movement during radiotherapy is an important issue of IMRT in prostate cancer.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.2-12
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• 2002

The small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) beamline BL4C1 at the 2.5 GeV storage ring of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) has been in its first you of operation since August 2000. During this first stage it could meet the basic requirements of the rapidly growing domestic SAXS user community, which has been carrying out measurements mainly on various polymer systems. The X-ray source is a bending magnet which produces white radiation with a critical energy of 5.5 keV. A synthetic double multilayer monochromator selects quasi-monochromatic radiation with a bandwidth of ca. 1.5%. This relatively low degree of monochromatization is sufficient for most SAXS measurements and allows a considerably higher flux at the sample as compared to monochromators using single crystals. Higher harmonics from the monochromator are rejected by reflection from a flat mirror, and a slit system is installed for collimation. A charge-coupled device (CCD) system, two one-dimensional photodiode arrays (PDA) and imaging plates (IP) are available its detectors. The overall performance of the beamline optics and of the detector systems has been checked using various standard samples. While the CCD and PDA detectors are well-suited for diffraction measurements, they give unsatisfactory data from weakly scattering samples, due to their high intrinsic noise. By using the IP system smooth scattering curves could be obtained in a wide dynamic range. In the second stage, stating from August 2001, the beamline will be upgraded with additional slits, focusing optics and gas-filled proportional detectors.