• 대한의용생체공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한의용생체공학회 1998년도 추계학술대회
• /
• pp.271-272
• /
• 1998

Contrast-enhanced CT has an important role in the assessment of liver lesions. However, the optimal protocol to get most effective result is not clear. The main principle for deciding injection protocol is to optimize lesion detectability by rapid scanning when lesion-to-liver contrast is maximum. For this purpose, we developed a physiological model of contrast medium enhancement based on the compartment modeling and pharmacokinetics. Blood supply to liver was modeled in two paths. This dual supply character distinguishes the CT enhancement of liver from that of the other organs. The first path is by hepatic artery and the second is by portal vein. It is assumed that only hepatic artery can supply blood to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compartment. It is known that this causes the difference of contrast enhancement between normal liver tissue and hepatic tumor. By solving differential equations for each compartment simultaneously using computer program Matlab, CT contrast-enhancement curves were simulated. Simulated enhancement curves for aortic, hepatic, portal vein, and HCC compartments were compared with mean enhancement curves from 24 patients exposed to the same protocols as simulation. These enhancement curves were in a good agreement. Furthermore, we simulated lesion-to-liver curves for various injection protocols, and analyzed the effects. These may help to optimize the scanning protocols for good diagnosis.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.173-182
• /
• 1999

조영 증강제를 이용한 나선식 CT는 간 질환을 진단하는데 있어 중요한 역할을 하고있음에도 불구하고 진단의 효율을 최적화하는 프로토콜은 명확하게 알려져 있지 않다. 따라서 나선식 CT에서의 간암-간 대조 곡선을 모의 실험(simulation) 하여 다양한 요소들이 시간-조영 곡선에 어떻게 영향을 미치는지 파악하고, 또한 CT 검사 전에 모의 실험을 하여 이론적으로 최적의 스캔을 할 수 있도록 하기 위하여 약동학(pharmacokinetics)에 기초한 compartment model을 구성하였다. 간암, 간, 대동맥 및 간문맥 등을 각 구획(compartment)으로 설정하여 각 구획에서의 미분방정식을 얻은 후 적분하여 Hounsfield unfit 값을 조영제 주입 후 시간의 함수로 얻었으며 각 구획의 시간-조영 곡선을 출력하였다. 구현한 프로그램에서는 간암의 크기 및 종양 혈관의 분포 등과 같은 간암의 성질, 간경화의 정도에 따른 간 혈관 공급의 양상 및 조영제의 부피, 농도, 주입 속도 등의 조영제 주입 방법, 환자의 몸무게, 키 등의 환자의 신체 계수, 그리고 심박출량 등의 환자의 혈역학적 계수 등을 입력 받아 간암을 비롯한 각 구획의 시간-조영 곡선 및 간-간암 대조 곡선을 출력할 수 있도록 하였다. 모델링을 통해 얻은 조영 증강 곡선은 같은 환경하에서 얻은 24명의 환자 데이터와 비교하여 유사한 결과를 얻을 수 있었으며, 조영 증강제 주입 방법의 변화가 간암-간 대조 곡선에 미치는 영향을 비교할 수 있었다.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제1권4호
• /
• pp.185-190
• /
• 2000

Objective: To document the imaging findings of hepatic cavernous hemangioma detected in cirrhotic liver. Materials and Methods: The imaging findings of 14 hepatic cavernous hemangiomas in ten patients with liver cirrhosis were retrospectively analyzed. A diagnosis of hepatic cavernous hemangioma was based on the findings of two or more of the following imaging studies: MR, including contrast-enhanced dynamic imaging (n = 10), dynamic CT (n = 4), hepatic arteriography (n = 9), and US (n = 10). Results: The mean size of the 14 hepatic hemangiomas was 0.9 (range, 0.5-1.5) cm in the longest dimension. In 11 of these (79%), contrast-enhanced dynamic CT and MR imaging showed rapid contrast enhancement of the entire lesion during the early phase, and hepatic arteriography revealed globular enhancement and rapid filling-in. On contrast-enhanced MR images, three lesions (21%) showed partial enhancement until the 5-min delayed phases. US indicated that while three slowly enhancing lesions were homogeneously hyperechoic, 9 (82%) of 11 showing rapid enhancement were not delineated. Conclusion: The majority of hepatic cavernous hemangiomas detected in cirrhotic liver are small in size, and in many, hepatic arteriography and/or contrast-enhanced dynamic CT and MR imaging demonstrates rapid enhancement. US, however, fails to distinguish a lesion of this kind from its cirrhotic background.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.52-55
• /
• 2015

Supradiaphragmatic liver is a rare condition. Establishing an accurate preoperative diagnosis is difficult. Operative exploration is necessary to differentiate this lesion from intrathoracic masses, such as a pleural based tumor, diaphragmatic tumor and peripheral lung tumor. However, with the aid of the hepatocyte-specific magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA), functional hepatocytes in the lesion can be identified in the hepatobiliary phase, potentially allowing an accurate and non-invasive diagnosis. We report a case of supradiaphragmatic liver diagnosed by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제23권4호
• /
• pp.402-412
• /
• 2022

Objective: To evaluate the image quality and lesion detectability of lower-dose CT (LDCT) of the abdomen and pelvis obtained using a deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) algorithm compared with those of standard-dose CT (SDCT) images. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 123 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 63 ± 11 years; male:female, 70:53) who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT between May and August 2020 and had prior SDCT obtained using the same CT scanner within a year. LDCT images were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (h-IR) and DLIR at medium and high strengths (DLIR-M and DLIR-H), while SDCT images were reconstructed with h-IR. For quantitative image quality analysis, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were measured in the liver, muscle, and aorta. Among the three different LDCT reconstruction algorithms, the one showing the smallest difference in quantitative parameters from those of SDCT images was selected for qualitative image quality analysis and lesion detectability evaluation. For qualitative analysis, overall image quality, image noise, image sharpness, image texture, and lesion conspicuity were graded using a 5-point scale by two radiologists. Observer performance in focal liver lesion detection was evaluated by comparing the jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristic figures-of-merit (FOM). Results: LDCT (35.1% dose reduction compared with SDCT) images obtained using DLIR-M showed similar quantitative measures to those of SDCT with h-IR images. All qualitative parameters of LDCT with DLIR-M images but image texture were similar to or significantly better than those of SDCT with h-IR images. The lesion detectability on LDCT with DLIR-M images was not significantly different from that of SDCT with h-IR images (reader-averaged FOM, 0.887 vs. 0.874, respectively; p = 0.581). Conclusion: Overall image quality and detectability of focal liver lesions is preserved in contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic LDCT obtained with DLIR-M relative to those in SDCT with h-IR.

• 대한자기공명의과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한자기공명의과학회 2001년도 제6차 학술대회 초록집
• /
• pp.108-108
• /
• 2001

Purpose： To correlate the histological differentiation of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with finding on triple contrast-enhanced MR imaging using gadolinium-chelates, superparamganetic ire oxides (SPIO), and mangafodipir trisodium. Method： Ten patients with proven HCC underwent triple contrast-enhanced MRI befo surgical resection. Subjective ratings of the enhancement pattern and degree were compare with the histological grades determined on surgical specimen. Quantitative measurements signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the lesion and the lesion-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio C/N on the enhanced MR images, and the degree of S/N and C/N changes between the unenhanced and enhanced images were also correlated with the histological grades.

• 한국정보처리학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국정보처리학회 2007년도 춘계학술발표대회
• /
• pp.326-327
• /
• 2007

We investigated whether the CT images of hepatic lesions could be analyzed by computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool. We retrospectively reanalyzed 14 liver CT images (10 hepatocellular cancers and 4 benign liver lesions; patients who presented with hepatic masses). The hepatic lesions on CT were segmented by rectangular ROI technique and the morphologic features were extracted and quantitated using fractal texture analysis. The contrast enhancement of hepatic lesions was also quantified and added to the differential diagnosis. The best discriminating function combining the textural features and the values of contrast enhancement of the lesions was created using linear discriminant analysis. Textural feature analysis showed moderate accuracy in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions, but statistically insignificant. Combining textural analysis and contrast enhancement value resulted in improved diagnostic accuracy, but further studies are needed.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제2권4호
• /
• pp.210-215
• /
• 2001

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of gadobenate dimeglumine (GdBOPTA) enhanced MR imaging for the detection of liver lesions in patients with primary malignant hepatic neoplasms. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one patients with histologically proven primary malignancy of the liver were evaluated before and after administration of GdBOPTA at dose 0.05 or 0.10 mmol/kg. T1-weighted spin echo (T1W-SE) and gradient echo (T1W-GRE) images were evaluated for lesion number, location, size and confidence by three off-site independent reviewers and the findings were compared to reference standard imaging (intraoperative ultrasound, computed tomography during arterial portography or lipiodol computed tomography). Results were analyzed for significance using a two-sided McNemar's test. Results: More lesions were identified on Gd-BOPTA enhanced images than on unenhanced images and there was no significant difference in lesion detection between either concentration. The largest benefit was in detection of lesions under 1 cm in size (7 to 21, 9 to 15, 16 to 18 for reviewers A, B, C respectively). In 68% of the patients with more than one lesion, Gd-BOPTA increased the number of lesions detected. Conclusion: Liver MR imaging after Gd-BOPTA increases the detection of liver lesions in patients with primary malignant hepatic neoplasm.

• 대한디지털의료영상학회논문지
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.31-35
• /
• 2012

To test the real image quality of a spectral attenuated inversion-recovery (SPAIR) fat-suppression (FS) techniquein clinical abdominal MRI by comparison to turbo spin echo inversion-recovery (TSEIR) fat-suppression (FS) technique. 3.0T MRI studies of the abdomen were performed in 30 patients with liver lesions (hemangiomas n: 15; HCC n: 15). T2W sequences were acquired using SPAIR TSEIR. Measurements included retroperitoneal and mesenteric fat signal-to-noise (SNR) to evaluate FS; liver lesion contrast-to-noise (CNR) to evaluate bulk water signal recovery effects; and bowel wall delineation to evaluate susceptibility and physiological motion effects. SPAIR-TSEIR images produce significantly improved FS and liver lesion CNR. The mean SNR of the retroperitoneal and mesenteric fat for SPAIR were 20.5, 10.2 and TSEIR were 43.2, 24.1 (P<0.05). SPAIR-TSEIR images produced higher CNR for both hemangiomas CNR 164.88 vs 126.83 (P<0.05) and metastasis CNR 75.27 vs 53.19 (P<0.05). Bowel wall visualization was significantly improved using in both SPAIR-TSEIR (P< 0.05). The real image quality of SPAIR was better than over conventional TSEIR FS on clinical abdominal MRI scans.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
• /
• 제38권2호
• /
• pp.115-120
• /
• 2015

Gadoxetic acid (GA) 조영증강 자기공명(MR) 영상에서 일반적으로 많이 이용되는 숙임각(flip angle, FA) $11^{\circ}$와 비교하여 FA $30^{\circ}$를 이용한 3분, 10분 및 15분 영상에서 국소성 간 병변 검출 차이를 알아보고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법 : 3.0T MR 기기로 GA 조영증강지연기 MR영상을 시행 받은 69명의 환자를 대상으로 하였다. 대상 환자는 간세포암 23명과 전이암 12명으로 총 35명(남성 23, 여성12, 평균연령 60.4세)이었다. GA 주입 후 3분, 10분, 15분의 영상에서 각각 FA $11^{\circ}$와 $30^{\circ}$ 영상을 획득하였다. 각각의 영상에서 정량적평가와 정성적평가를 한 뒤 독립표본 T검정을 이용하여 통계적 분석을 하였다. 정량적 평가와 정성적 평가 모두 조영제 주입 후 3분과 10분 영상에서 FA $30^{\circ}$ 영상이 FA $11^{\circ}$ 영상보다 약간 우수하였으나 통계적 유의성은 없었다. 그러나 15분 영상에서는 FA $30^{\circ}$ 영상이 FA $11^{\circ}$ 영상보다 통계적으로 유의하게 우수하였다(p<0.05). GA 조영증강 후 15분 MR영상에서 FA $30^{\circ}$ 영상은 기존의 FA $11^{\circ}$ 영상보다 간 병변을 민감하게 검출해낼 수 있다.