• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.255-267
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• 2011

Objective: The purpose of this study was to confirm the reliability of a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-generated panoramic view based on a CBCT 3D image and to find the most helpful 2D panoramic image compared with CBCT 3D image when examining the mesiodistal tooth axis. Methods: A test model was constructed according to cephalometric norms. The test model was repeatedly repositioned for CBCT and panoramic radiographic imaging. Panoramic radiographs were acquired at each of the following 3 occlusal plane positions: $-5^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$, and $+5^{\circ}$. Measurements of mesiodistal tooth axis in CBCT 3D image, CBCT-generated panoramic view, and panoramic radiographs were compared. Results: Compared with the CBCT-generated panoramic view, CBCT 3D image showed significant difference in the mesiodistal tooth axis in the premolars and no significant difference in the mesiodistal tooth axis in the incisors and canines. Mesiodistal tooth axis on the CBCT-generated panoramic view was significantly different from that on panoramic radiographs. Conclusions: CBCT-generated panoramic view can be a useful tool for evaluating mesiodistal tooth axis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2009

Purpose: Nowadays in the nuclear medicine, many studies and efforts are being made to reduce the scan time, as well as the waiting time to be needed to execute exams after injection of radionuclide medicines. Several methods are being used in clinic, such as developing new radionuclide compounds that enable to be absorbed into target organs more quickly and reducing acquisition scan time by increase the number of Gamma Camera detectors to examine. Each medical equipment manufacturer has improved the imaging process techniques to reduce scan time. In this paper, we tried to analyze the difference of image quality between FBP, 3D OSEM reconstruction methods that commercialized and being clinically applied, and Astonish reconstruction method (A kind of Iterative fast reconstruction method of Philips), also difference of image quality on scan time. Material and Methods: We investigated in 32 patients that examined the Bone SPECT from June to July 2008 at department of nuclear medicine, ASAN Medical Center in Seoul. 40sec/frame and 20sec/frame images were acquired that using Philips‘ PRECEDENCE 16 Gamma Camera and then reconstructed those images by using the Astonish (Philips’ Reconstruction Method), 3D OSEM and FBP methods. The blinded test was performed to the clinical interpreting physicians with all images analyzed by each reconstruction method for qualitative analysis. And we analyzed target to non target ratio by draws lesions as the center of disease for quantitative analysis. At this time, each image was analyzed with same location and size of ROI. Results: In a qualitative analysis, there was no significant difference by acquisition time changes in image quality. In a quantitative analysis, the images reconstructed Astonish method showed good quality due to better sharpness and distinguish sharply between lesions and peripheral lesions. After measuring each mean value and standard deviation value of target to non target ratio with 40 sec/frame and 20sec/frame images, those values are Astonish (40 sec-$13.91{\pm}5.62$ : 20 sec-$13.88{\pm}5.92$), 3D OSEM (40 sec-$10.60{\pm}3.55$ : 20 sec-$10.55{\pm}3.64$), FBP (40 sec-$8.30{\pm}4.44$ : 20 sec-$8.19{\pm}4.20$). We analyzed target to non target ratio from 20 sec and 40 sec images. And we analyzed the result, In Astonish (t=0.16, p=0.872), 3D OSEM (t=0.51, p=0.610), FBP (t=0.73, p=0.469) methods, there was no significant difference statistically by acquisition time change in image quality. But FBP indicates no statistical differences while some images indicate difference between 40 sec/frame and 20 sec/frame images by various factors. Conclusions: In the circumstance, try to find a solution to reduce nuclear medicine scan time, the development of nuclear medicine equipment hardware has decreased while software has marched forward at a relentless. Due to development of computer hardware, the image reconstruction time was reduced and the expanded capacity to restore enables iterative methods that couldn't be performed before due to technical limits. As imaging process technique developed, it reduced scan time and we could observe that image quality keep similar level. While keeping exam quality and reducing scan time can induce the reduction of patient's pain and sensory waiting time, also accessibility of nuclear medicine exam will be improved and it provide better service to patients and clinical physician who order exams. Consequently, those things make the image of department of nuclear medicine be improved. Concurrent Imaging - A new function that setting up each image acquisition parameter and enables to acquire images simultaneously with various parameters to once examine.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea CI
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• v.43 no.2 s.308
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• pp.63-71
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• 2006

Denoising and reconstruction of color images are extensively studied in the field of computer vision and image processing. Especially, denoising and reconstruction of color face images are more difficult than those of natural images because of the structural characteristics of human faces as well as the subtleties of color interactions. In this paper, we propose a denoising method based on PCA reconstruction for removing complex color noise on human faces, which is not easy to remove by using vectorial color filters. The proposed method is composed of the following five steps: training of canonical eigenface space using PCA, automatic extraction of facial features using active appearance model, relishing of reconstructed color image using bilateral filter, extraction of noise regions using the variance of training data, and reconstruction using partial information of input images (except the noise regions) and blending of the reconstructed image with the original image. Experimental results show that the proposed denoising method maintains the structural characteristics of input faces, while efficiently removing complex color noise.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2012

Purpose : In conventional PET image reconstruction, iterative reconstruction methods such as OSEM (Ordered Subsets Expectation Maximization) have now generally replaced traditional analytic methods such as filtered back-projection. This includes improvements in components of the system model geometry, fully 3D scatter and low noise randoms estimates. SharpIR algorithm is to improve PET image contrast to noise by incorporating information about the PET detector response into the 3D iterative reconstruction algorithm. The aim of this study is evaluation of SharpIR reconstruction method in PET/CT. Materials and Methods: For the measurement of detector response for the spatial resolution, a capillary tube was filled with FDG and scanned at varying distances from the iso-center (5, 10, 15, 20 cm). To measure image quality for contrast recovery, the NEMA IEC body phantom (Data Spectrum Corporation, Hillsborough, NC) with diameters of 1, 13, 17 and 22 for simulating hot and 28 and 37 mm for simulating cold lesions. A solution of 5.4 kBq/mL of $^{18}F$-FDG in water was used as a radioactive background obtaining a lesion of background ratio of 4.0. Images were reconstructed with VUE point HD and VUE point HD using SharpIR reconstruction algorithm. For the clinical evaluation, a whole body FDG scan acquired and to demonstrate contrast recovery, ROIs were drawn on a metabolic hot spot and also on a uniform region of the liver. Images were reconstructed with function of varying iteration number (1~10). Results: The result of increases axial distance from iso-center, full width at half maximum (FWHM) is also increasing in VUE point HD reconstruction image. Even showed an increasing distances constant FWHM. VUE point HD with SharpIR than VUE point HD showed improves contrast recovery in phantom and clinical study. Conclusion: By incorporating more information about the detector system response, the SharpIR algorithm improves the accuracy of underlying model used in VUE point HD. SharpIR algorithm improve spatial resolution for a line source in air, and improves contrast recovery at equivalent noise levels in phantoms and clinical studies. Therefore, SharpIR algorithm can be applied as through a longitudinal study will be useful in clinical.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 1999

In this paper, we study two important topics in stereoscopic image communication system. One is a disparity estimation (DE) method to obtain the depth information of a scene at the transmitter and the other is an intermediate view reconstruction(IVR) method at the receiver. We propose a new DE method using an edge-preserving directional regularization technique. The proposed DE method smooths disparity vectors in smooth regions and preserves edges without over-smoothing problem. It provides better reconstructed stereoscopic images and improved coding efficiency than the existing regularization techniques. In addition. we propose a new IVR method using interpolation and extrapolation techniques. The proposed IVR method preserves edge regions as well as occlusion regions well. Thus. it gives better intermediate views than the existing IVR methods.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.523-529
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• 1999

방출컴퓨터단층영상술을 위한 영상재구성법에 있어서 기대값 최대화(EM)를 사용한 maximum likeihood 방법이 기존의 filtered backprojection 방법에 비해 현저한 장점을 지니고 있다는 점에서 지속적으로 그 가치가 인정되어 왔다. 그러나, 이러한 방법은 projection 및 backprojection 의 반복계산을 요하므로 영상재구성을 위한 총 계산시간이 projector 및 backprojector 의 성능에 크게 좌우된다. 본 논문에서는 EM에 근거한 영상재구성 알고리즘의 계산량을 감소시키는 방법에 관하여 논한다. 특히, projection 및 backprojection 계산을 위한 행렬의 원소중 중요한 양들을 구하는 방법과 이들을 미리 계산하여 적절한 양의 메모리에 저장하는 방법에 관하여 고찰한다. 실험에서 제안된 방법을 사용할 경우 EM 알고리즘의 계산시간을 92%까지 현저히 감소시킬 수있음을 보였다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.297-303
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• 2023

Pediatric Computed Tomography (CT) examinations can often result in exam failures or the need for frequent retests due to the difficulty of cooperation from young patients. Deep Learning Image Reconstruction (DLIR) methods offer the potential to obtain diagnostically valuable images while reducing the retest rate in CT examinations of pediatric patients with high radiation sensitivity. In this study, we investigated the possibility of applying DLIR to reduce artifacts caused by respiration or motion and obtain clinically useful images in pediatric chest CT examinations. Retrospective analysis was conducted on chest CT examination data of 43 children under the age of 7 from P Hospital in Gyeongsangnam-do. The images reconstructed using Filtered Back Projection (FBP), Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR-50), and the deep learning algorithm TrueFidelity-Middle (TF-M) were compared. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn on the right ascending aorta (AA) and back muscle (BM) in contrast-enhanced chest images, and noise (standard deviation, SD) was measured using Hounsfield units (HU) in each image. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (ver. 22.0), analyzing the mean values of the three measurements with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the SD values for AA were FBP=25.65±3.75, ASIR-50=19.08±3.93, and TF-M=17.05±4.45 (F=66.72, p=0.00), while the SD values for BM were FBP=26.64±3.81, ASIR-50=19.19±3.37, and TF-M=19.87±4.25 (F=49.54, p=0.00). Post-hoc tests revealed significant differences among the three groups. DLIR using TF-M demonstrated significantly lower noise values compared to conventional reconstruction methods. Therefore, the application of the deep learning algorithm TrueFidelity-Middle (TF-M) is expected to be clinically valuable in pediatric chest CT examinations by reducing the degradation of image quality caused by respiration or motion.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.434-442
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• 2008

The parallel beam SPECT acquires projection data by using parallel hole collimators in conjunction with photon detectors. Those projection data of the parallel beam SPECT are, however, contaminated by the distance dependent blurring because of the inaccuracy of the point response function of the collimator that is used to define the range of directions where photons can be detected. Thus an efficient aperture correction is required. In this paper we propose a distance dependent backprojection method to overcome the time limitation of iterative aperture correction methods and the performance limitation of Fourier-Distance Relation based method. The proposed method achieves aperture correction and fast image reconstruction by replacing the distance independent backprojection of the direct image reconstruction with the distance dependent one. We conducted several simulations to compare the performance of the proposed method with that of the conventional Fourier-Distance Relation based method. The simulation result shows that the proposed method outperforms the Fourier-Distance Relation based method in spatial resolution and robustness against noise.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.285-295
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• 2023

With the development of technology, efforts to reduce the exposure dose received by patients in CT scans are continuing with the development of new reconstruction techniques. Recently, deep learning reconstruction techniques have been developed to overcome the limitations of repetitive reconstruction techniques. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of images according to reconstruction techniques in pediatric chest CT images. Patient study conducted a study on 85 pediatric patients who underwent chest CT scan at P-Hospital in Gyeongsangnam-do from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. The phantom used in the Phantom Study is the Pediatrics Whole Body Phantom PBU-70. After the test, the images were reconstructed with FBP, ASIR-V (50%) and DLIR (TF-Medium, High), and the images were evaluated by obtaining SNR and CNR values by setting ROI of the same size. As a result, TF-H of deep learning reconstruction techniques had the lowest noise value compared to ASIR-V (50%) and TF-M in all experiments, and SNR and CNR had the highest values. In pediatric chest CT scans, TF images with deep learning reconstruction techniques were less noisy than ASiR-V images with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction techniques, CNR and SNR were higher, and the quality of images was improved compared to conventional reconstruction techniques.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1371-1376
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• 2016

In this paper, an iterative method is proposed to perform attenuation correction and image reconstruction simultaneously for positron emission tomography, by using the time-of-flight information. Numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate an improved performance of the proposed method in attenuation correction and image reconstruction.