• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2854-2863
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• 2023

Objective: To present a hybrid approach that incorporates a constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) and deep learning (DL)-based post-refinement for metal artifact reduction in dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: Constrained beam-hardening estimator (CBHE) is derived from a polychromatic X-ray attenuation model with respect to X-ray transmission length, which calculates associated parameters numerically. Deep-learning-based post-refinement with an artifact disentanglement network (ADN) is performed to mitigate the remaining dark shading regions around a metal. Artifact disentanglement network (ADN) supports an unsupervised learning approach, in which no paired CBCT images are required. The network consists of an encoder that separates artifacts and content and a decoder for the content. Additionally, ADN with data normalization replaces metal regions with values from bone or soft tissue regions. Finally, the metal regions obtained from the CBHE are blended into reconstructed images. The proposed approach is systematically assessed using a dental phantom with two types of metal objects for qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Results: The proposed hybrid scheme provides improved image quality in areas surrounding the metal while preserving native structures. Conclusion: This study may significantly improve the detection of areas of interest in many dentomaxillofacial applications.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.60-67
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• 2023

Background: In our study, a silver diamine fluoride (SDF) compound for the treatment of dental caries was synthesized to characterize its remineralization activity upon direct application to deciduous teeth. This study aimed to use microscopic computed tomography (microCT) and nanoindentation to evaluate whether SDF composite application could effectively arrest dental caries in five exfoliated primary molars. Methods: Carious teeth were extracted and visually examined using quantitative photofluorescence devices (Qraycam and QraypenTM). After performing microCT, the SDF composite was applied to the teeth according to the manufacturer's instructions. The researchers exchanged and precipitated the irritant saliva once daily for 1 week. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally through the centers of the mesial and distal surfaces, embedded, polished, and measured using nanoindentation. Thereafter, microCT was repeated. Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism software. Results: Following SDF composite application, a remineralized layer was observed on microCT images, and the hardness increased when measured using nanoindentation. We found that demineralized enamel presented with an increased number of irregular crystals in the deep carious lesion group compared with those in the shallow carious lesion group, resulting in a rougher surface. Conclusion: The SDF composite may be used for remineralization of early caries and cessation of advanced caries in primary molars.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1527-1532
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• 2023

The noise reduction algorithm using the non-local means (NLM) approach is very efficient in nuclear medicine imaging. In this study, the applicability of the NLM noise reduction algorithm in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images with a brain phantom and the optimization of the NLM algorithm by changing the smoothing factors according to various reconstruction methods are investigated. Brain phantom images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) and ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM). The smoothing factor of the NLM noise reduction algorithm determined the optimal coefficient of variation (COV) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) results at a value of 0.020 in the FBP and OSEM reconstruction methods. We confirmed that the FBP- and OSEM-based SPECT images using the algorithm applied with the optimal smoothing factor improved the COV and CNR by 66.94% and 8.00% on average, respectively, compared to those of the original image. In conclusion, an optimized smoothing factor was derived from the NLM approach-based algorithm in brain SPECT images and may be applicable to various nuclear medicine imaging techniques in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics B
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• v.29B no.11
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• pp.16-21
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• 1992

The validity of the application of the second-order Born equation to the ultrasound tomography algorithm is studied by comparing the scattered fields computed using the first-order Born equation, the first-order Rytove equation, and the second-order Born equation. The second-order Born equation turns out to provide more desirable results than the other two equations for a certain group of test objects. Phantom images with resolutions upto 1 pixel$\times$1 pixel are satisfactorily reconstructed using the second-order Born equation. It is shown that when the view angle is limited, good resonstruction results are also obtained using multi-frequency incident fields.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

Single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) and positron emission tomography(PET) are modern imaging techniques that allow for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of hemodynamic changes in cerebrovascular diseases. SPECT has been becoming an indispensable method to investigate regional cerebral blood flow because equipment and isotope are easily available in most general hospitals. Acetazolamide stress SPECT has also been proved to be useful to evaluate the cerebrovascular reserve of occlusive cerebrovascular diseases and to select surgical candidate. PET has gained wide spread clinical use in the evaluation of the hemodynamic and metabolic consequences of extracranial or intracranial arterial obstructive disease despite its complexity and limited availability. PET has been established as an invaluable tool in the pathophysilogy investigation of acute ischemic stroke. The potentials, limitations, and clinical applications of SPECT and PET in various cerebrovascular diseases will be discussed in this article with reviews of literatures.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.12-25
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• 2000

To demonstrate possible influences of general bone density on the mandible, histomorphometric analysis was carried out in mandibles and iliac bones and the correlation of the two bone densities was tested. Comparison of bony density in women and men over 60 years in the mandible was carried out too. Quantitative computed tomography(QCT) was taken in cross-section of mandibles at the same site where histomorphometric analysis was peformed to evaluate the reliability of QCT. The analysis included 40 cadavers with no known diseases affecting the bones. The subjects consisted of 15 females and 25 males with a mean age of 60.3 years. Spearman correlation analysis and Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed. The results were as follows. 1. There was statistically no correlation between the mandible and iliac bone in the values of corrected cortical width(CCW), cortical porosity(POR) in cortex, and total bone volume(TBV), mean trabecular plate thickness(MTPT), mean trabecular plate density(MTPD), and mean trabecular plate separation(MTPS) in trabecular bone. 2. Comparison of women and men over 60 years, men had statistically higher bone density than women except fir POR of buccal and lingual cortex, and WTPD of alveolar trabeculae in mandible. 3. There was statistically significant correlation between TBV of trabecular bone and CT No., but not between POR and CT No. in mandible. According to the results above, there was no correlation between mandible and iliac bone density and between mandibular bony density and age. Further studies are required to support the results. A more noninvasive method to be able to measure the bone density of mandible should be developed and it is necessary to accumulate data on the normal values of bone density of mandible according to age and sex. Further study should be carried out about QCT to measure mandibular bony density using QCT.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2014

Purpose: A method detecting change of jaw or alveolar bone density may be helpful in periodontal care, implant dentistry and evaluation of bone density of whole body. Materials and methods: In this study, bone density of intraoral periapical radiography using phantom-integrated XCP is compared with that of quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Results: Bone density of intraoral periapical radiography and the one measured by QCT showed high correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.92, P<.001) in alveolar bone, and relatively high correlation (0.73, P<.001) in cancellous bone. Conclusion: This study revealed possibility of scoring of bone density by intraoral periapical radiography.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2012

Objective : The purpose of this study was to elucidate the anatomical development of physiologic suture closure processes in infants using three dimensional reconstructed computed tomography (CT). Methods : A consecutive series of 243 infants under 12 months of age who underwent three dimensional CT were included in this study. Four major cranial sutures (sagittal, coronal, lambdoidal and metopic suture) were classified into four suture closure grades (grade 0=no closure along the whole length, grade 1=partial or intermittent closure, grade 2=complete closure with visible suture line, grade 3=complete fusion (ossification) without visible suture line), and measured for its closure degree (suture closure rates; defined as percentage of the length of closed suture line divided by the total length of suture line). Results : Suture closure grade under 12 months of age comprised of grade 0 (n=195, 80.2%), grade 1 (n=24, 9.9%) and grade 2 (n=24, 9.9%) in sagittal sutures, whereas in metopic sutures they were grade 0 (n=61, 25.1%), grade 1 (n=167, 68.7%), grade 2 (n=6, 24%) and grade 3 (n=9, 3.7%). Mean suture closure rates under 12 months of age was 58.8% in metopic sutures, followed by coronal (right : 43.8%, left : 41.1%), lambdoidal (right : 27.2%, left : 25.6%) and sagittal sutures (15.6%), respectively. Conclusion : These quantitative descriptions of cranial suture closure may help understand the process involved in the cranial development of Korean infants.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.323-330
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the results of fractal analysis can be used as criteria for midpalatal suture maturation evaluation. Methods: The study included 131 subjects aged over 18 years of age (range 18.1-53.4 years) who underwent cone-beam computed tomography. Skeletonized images of the midpalatal suture were obtained via image processing software and used to calculate fractal dimensions. Correlations between maturation stage and fractal dimensions were calculated using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Optimal fractal dimension cut-off values were determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The distribution of maturation stages of the midpalatal suture according to the cervical vertebrae maturation index was highly variable, and there was a strong negative correlation between maturation stage and fractal dimension (-0.623, p < 0.001). Fractal dimension was a statistically significant indicator of dichotomous results with regard to maturation stage (area under curve = 0.794, p < 0.001). A test in which fractal dimension was used to predict the resulting variable that splits maturation stages into ABC and D or E yielded an optimal fractal dimension cut-off value of 1.0235. Conclusions: There was a strong negative correlation between fractal dimension and midpalatal suture maturation. Fractal analysis is an objective quantitative method, and therefore we suggest that it may be useful for the evaluation of midpalatal suture maturation.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2001

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the slice thickness and the size of region of interest (ROI) on CT number using quantitative CT phantom Materials and Methods: The phantom containing 150 mg/cc, 75 mg/cc and 0 mg/cc calcium hydroxyapatite was scanned with 1, 3, 5 and 10 mm slice thicknesses by single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT). CT numbers were measured on center position of the phantom. Shape of ROI was circular and sizes were 1, 3, 5, 11, 16, 21, 26 and 33 mm². ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison method were performed for statistical comparison of CT numbers according to different slice thicknesses. Coefficient of variation of CT number measured in each size of ROI was evaluated in same slice thickness. Results : CT numbers had statistically significant difference according to slice thicknesses (p<0.05). As the slice thickness increased, CT number also increased. As the density of phantom became lower and the size of ROI became smaller, the coefficient of variation of CT number increased. When the size of ROI was more than 11 mm² in 1 mm slice thickness, 5 mm² in 3 mm slice thickness and 3 mm² in 5 mm slice thickness, the coefficient of variation became consistent. In 10 mm slice thickness, the size of ROI had little effect on the coefficient of variation. Conclusion: CT number had variation according to the slice thickness and the size of ROI although the object was homogeneous. The slice thickness and the size of ROI are critical factors in precision of the CT number measurements.