• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.321-325
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• 1998

This paper presents a simple, practical, and efficient method for estimating the speed of sound in reflection mode in ultrasound medical imaging. Its accurate determination is indispensable in order to obtain both good resolution and correct geometrical and volumetric information about human organs such as heart and kidney. Up to now, there have been several methods available, but they all suffer from either poor performance or high complexity. The proposed method finds out an optimum focusing delay profile in such a way that the brightness in a region of interest is maximized using continuous dynamic focusing in receive under fixed transmit focusing. Experiments carried out on a real ultrasound medical phantom reveals that the method a quite simple and effective in providing good speed of sound estimation, hence improved resolution and images, adding to dignostic utility.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2024

The examination needle used in ultrasound biopsy is a medical device used to determine whether there is an abnormality in the tissue. Typically, stainless steel is the standard material used for such needles; however, this study wanted to identify a material that could better enhance sound compared to traditional stainless steel. In this study, six types of needle materials available with the biopsy gun were inserted into pork and ultrasound images according to the curved probe and linear probe were evaluated using ultrasound equipment. The findings revealed significant improvements in ultrasound acoustic enhancement with alternative materials compared to stainless steel (p<0.05). The results regarding the depth of each ultrasound image using the curved probe showed that tungsten and brass had high sound enhancement(p<0.05), while with the linear probe, sound enhancement was high in brass, pla, aluminum, and copper(p<0.05). Due to these results, the previously used stainless needle showed lower ultrasound acoustic enhancement than the five types of materials being compared. Consequently, the outcomes of this study provide valuable insights for the development of new needle technologies aimed at minimizing patient risks and improving diagnostic accuracy.

• Proceedings of the Acoustical Society of Korea Conference
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• spring
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• pp.393-396
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• 2002

비파괴검사, 수중탐지, 의료진단 등에 사용되는 초음파 탐촉자에 요구되는 가장 중요한 특성에는 높은 감도와 좋은 분해능이 있다. 본 연구에서는 압전초음파탐촉자의 구성요소(인덕터, 정합층, 후면재 등)가 감도와 분해능에 미치는 영향을 분석한 후, 광대역탐촉자의 구성 요소를 결정하였다. 또한 광대역탐촉자의 시작품을 제작하고 성능시험을 수행하여 이론예측과 실험결과가 잘 일치함을 보였다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.653-662
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• 2023

Purpose This study aimed to determine the incremental value of using a structured report (SR) for US examinations of the pediatric appendix. Materials and Methods Between January 2009 and June 2016, 1150 pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis who underwent US examinations of the appendix were included retrospectively. In November 2012, we developed a five-point scale SR for appendix US examinations. The patients were divided into two groups according to the form of the US report: free-text or SR. The primary clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups, including the rate of CT imaging following US examinations, the negative appendectomy rate (NAR), and the appendiceal perforation rate (PR). Results In total, 550 patients were included in the free-text group and 600 patients in the SR group. The rate of additional CT examinations decreased by 5.3% in the SR group (8.2%, p = 0.003), and the NAR decreased by 8.4% in the SR group (7.8%, p = 0.028). There was no statistical difference in the appendiceal PR (37.6% vs. 48.0%, p = 0.078). Conclusion The use of an SR to evaluate US examinations for suspected pediatric appendicitis results in lower CT use and fewer negative appendectomies without an increase in appendiceal PR.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 2002

In piezoelectric ultrasonic linear array transducers widely used for diagnosis, the cross talk caused by the structural cross-coupling between adjacent elements inside the transducer affects the probe performance in a significant manner. In this study, we constructed a finite element model of a piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer, and analyzed its cross talk level with respect to the shape of and materials inside the kerf, The results of this work can be utilized in optimal design of the transducers for medical diagonosis and treatment as well as W applications.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2011.05b
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• pp.802-805
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• 2011

본 연구는 갑상선암 초음파 수검의도에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 규명하기 위해 시도하였다. 자료는 2010년 12월 13일부터 2011년 1월 31일까지 한 종합병원 건강검진센타에 내원한 검진자 205명을 대상으로 설문 및 면접조사로 도출하였다. 연구결과 첫째, 보건의료에 따른 갑상선암 초음파수검의도는 수검의도가 있는 응답자의 경우 본인의 건강이 양호하다는 85.5%로 건강이 양호하지 못하다의 14.5%보다 유의하게 높았다($X^2$=6.73 p<.01). 둘째 갑상선암 초음파수검의도의 영향요인은 본인이 건강하다는 사람이 그렇지 않은 사람에 비해 2.53배 수검의도가 유의하게 높았다(95% Cl=1.39-12.7) 따라서 홍보를 통한 초음파검진에 대한 국민적 호응을 유도하는 것이 갑상선암의 조기발견을 위한 초음파검진 정책을 효율적으로 운영하는 대안이 될 것이다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.481-490
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• 2021

There is no qualification system for sonographers in Korea. But the MEDICAL SERVICE TECHNOLOGISTS, ETC. ACT stipulates that radiological technologists can handle ultrasound equipment. However, there is controversy about the scope of the work allowed for radiological technologists to perform ultrasound examinations. Accordingly, the authoritative interpretation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea, the adjudication of administrative judgment, and the judgment of the courts were analyzed. As a result, the authoritative interpretation expresses that when a radiological technologist performs an ultrasound examination, a diagnosis and specific guidance should be made in real time while the doctor simultaneously watches the radiological technologist's images. In the adjudication of administrative judgment, it was decided that the handling of ultrasound-related equipment was the work of the radiological technologist. The court ruled that it was illegal for a radiological technologist to make a medical judgment on ultrasound examination. In the United States, Canada, etc., the sonographer independently conducts ultrasound examination according to the doctor's prescription, prepares a summary of what they saw and this is passed on to the doctor. Therefore, in Korea, there is a need for institutional improvement so that radiological technologists can perform ultrasound examinations according to doctors' prescriptions without real-time guidance.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.672-675
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• 2010

초음파 영상은 다른 의료 진단 방법에 비해 상대적으로 비용이 적게 들고 데이터 획득이 용이하기 때문에 널리 이용되고 있다. 초음파 영상은 획득 방법에 따라 화질이 차이가 난다. 고식적 초음파 영상에 비해 두 배의 주파수를 사용하는 하모닉 영상은 대조도나 해상도가 향상되고, 영상 내 잡음이 감소한다. 그래서 초음파 영상을 이용한 진단 과정에서 병변의 특징을 육안으로 정확하게 관찰할 수 있고, 이를 통해서 진단 결과의 정확성이 향상된다. 본 논문에서는 초음파 영상의 획득 방법의 차이에 따른 진단 성능의 차이를 컴퓨터를 이용한 병변 분류 성능을 통해서 비교했다. 이를 위해서 초음파를 통해서 획득한 영상에서 병변의 형태 및 질감 특징을 추출하고, 이를 바탕으로 병변을 분류하는 시스템 구성하였다. 실험을 통해서 하모닉 초음파 영상을 이용한 컴퓨터 기반 분류 방법이 고식적 초음파를 이용한 방법에 비해서 6% 정확성 향상이 있는 것을 확인하였다.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.429-440
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• 2023

This study explores recent research trends and potential applications of ultrasound optical imaging-based multimodal technology. Ultrasound imaging has been widely utilized in medical diagnostics due to its real-time capability and relative safety. However, the drawback of low resolution in ultrasound imaging has prompted active research on multimodal imaging techniques that combine ultrasound with other imaging modalities to enhance diagnostic accuracy. In particular, ultrasound optical imaging-based multimodal technology enables the utilization of each modality's advantages while compensating for their limitations, offering a means to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis. Various forms of multimodal imaging techniques have been proposed, including the fusion of optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic, fluorescence, fluorescence lifetime, and spectral technology with ultrasound. This study investigates recent research trends in ultrasound optical imaging-based multimodal technology, and its potential applications are demonstrated in the biomedical field. The ultrasound optical imaging-based multimodal technology provides insights into the progress of integrating ultrasound and optical technologies, laying the foundation for novel approaches to enhance diagnostic accuracy in the biomedical domain.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.466-472
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• 2016

In this work, a medical linear array ultrasonic transducer working in the range of 20 MHz has been developed for high-resolution ultrasonic imaging. After devising the structure of the transducer suitable for the transmission of high-frequency waves, we optimized the dimension of constituent components. Then, the process to fabricate the transducer was developed to realize the designed structure, and a prototype of the transducer was fabricated and characterized. The center frequency of the fabricated transducer was measured to be 19 MHz, and the fractional bandwidth to be 84.5 %, and the standard deviation of the sensitivity over the entire channels to be 0.74 dB. These measurement results showed good agreement with design data, which confirmed the validity of the high frequency ultrasonic transducer structure developed in this work. It was confirmed that the developed transducer with new structure had wider frequency bandwidth and uniform sensitivity than a conventional 20 MHz transducer.