• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2001

Purpose : Within a clinically acceptable time frame, we obtained the high resolution MR images of the human brain, knee, foot and wrist from 3T whole-body MRI system which was equipped with the world first 37 active shield magnet. Materials and Methods : Spin echo (SE) and Fast Spin Echo (FSE) images were obtained from the human brain, knee, foot and wrist of normal subjects using a homemade birdcage and transverse electromagnetic (TEM) resonators operating in quadrature and tuned to 128 MHz. For acquisition of MR images of knee, foot and wrist, we employed a homemade saddle shaped RF coil. Topical common acquisition parameters were as follows: matrix=$512{\times}512$, field of view (FOV) =20 cm, slice thickness = 3 mm, number of excitations (NEX)=1. For T1-weighted MR images, we used TR = 500 ms, TE = 10 or 17.4 ms. For T2-weighted MR images, we used TR=4000 ms, TE = 108 ms. Results : Signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 3T system was measured 2.7 times greater than that of prevalent 1.5T system. MR images obtained from 3T system revealed numerous small venous structures throughout the image plane and provided reasonable delineation between gray and white matter. Conclusion The present results demonstrate that the MR images from 3T system could provide better diagnostic quali\ulcorner of resolution and sensitivity than those of 1.5T system. The elevated SNR observed in the 3T high field magnetic resonance imaging can be utilized to acquire images with a level of resolution approaching the microscopic structural level under in vivo conditions. These images represent a significant advance in our ability to examine small anatomical features with noninvasive imaging methods.

• Communications of the Korean Institute of Information Scientists and Engineers
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.10-18
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• 2009

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2001

Purpose : Authors investigated the efficiency of preoperative MRI in suspicious glomus tumor and the clinical outcomes after marginal excision. Materials and Methods : In 10 cases of glomus tumors in the fingers, authors retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, including previous trauma, treatment history, preoperative symptoms, physical examination, plain radiography, MRI (9 cases), pathological findings and postoperative complications. Results : The patients had pain in 10 cases, tenderness in 9 cases, cold sensitivity in 3 cases and edema in one case. MRI showed low signal (3 cases) or iso-signal (5) intensity on T1 weighted image, high signal intensity (8) on T2 weighted image, and all the lesions were enhanced in gadolinium enhancement images. The exact locations of glomus tumors were median in 6 cases, lateral in 5, lateral fold in 2 and pulp in 3 in transverse section and nail bed in 5 cases and nail matrix in 5 in sagittal section. Marginal excision was performed by lateral approach in one case and transungual in 9 cases. Histologically, all 10 cases were composed of solid sheets of round cells interrupted by thin-walled blood vessels. Most of clinical symptoms were disappeared in all cases after operation. Nail deformity was found in one case, which was originated from nail matrix, however, there was no recurrence. Summary : Clinical symptom was the most impotant factor in diagnosis of glomus tumor in the fingers. However, preoperative MRIs were helpful in patients, who had obscure pain or prolonged clinical symptoms with suspicious glomus tumors. Preoperative MRI might be one of the most useful tools for establishing the exact diagnosis and detecting the location of glomus tumors, in spite of the relatively high expenses.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.104-104
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• 2002

목적： SAAV sequence를 이용하여 동시에 획득한 동맥과 정맥의 두 MRA 영상을 Color Mapping으로 동맥과 정맥을 구분하여 한 영상에 나타냄으로써 AVM 이나 DAVF 등과 같은 혈관질환의 임상적 진단 및 치료에 도움을 주고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법： 일반적으로 MRA 영상은 사전 포화방법(presaturation)을 이용한 2D TOF 기법을 통하여 동맥과 정맥을 구분하여 영상을 획득한다. 이러한 일반적인 사전포화방법을 응용한 SAAV 기법은 일정영역을 미리 포화(saturation)시킨 후 포화영역의 위, 아래의 영역을 한번에 영상화하여 동맥과 정맥의 구분된 영상을 한번에 획득할 수 있다. 마산 삼성병원의 0.3T MRI system(Megfinder, AILab. Korea)에서 SAAV sequence를 이용하여 정상적인 피험자로부터 목 부위의 동맥과 정맥 혈관영상을 동시에 얻었다. 이들의 각 2D 영상을 Color Mapping으로 조합한 후 Maximum Intensity Projection(MIP) 기법을 통해 3D Artery-Vein Color Mapping(AVCM) MRA 영상으로 재구성하였다. 3명의 피험자에 대한 SAAV MRA data를 256$\times$256$\times$64(resolution： 0.89$\times$0.89$\times$2㎣)로 획득하였다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2015

This study was to investigate the effects of the hot compress pack on alleviating local muscular discomfort, stiffness in limbs as well as the chronic pains such as migraine in terms of hemodynamics. In this study, the hot compress band was put on the neck and the local physiological change on the stimulation site and the cranial blood circulation change were examined. We recruited healthy volunteers (n=8, mean age: 32.13 (4.61)), who participated in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. Local skin color and temperature were measured for the local effect of the hot compress band and the changes of intra-cranial and extra-cranial blood vessels were examined with MR angiography (MRA) images. The skin temperature increased from $36.4^{\circ}C$ at the rest condition to $36.7^{\circ}C$ and $37.1^{\circ}C$ after 15 min and 30 min stimulation, respectively. The change of the extra-cranial blood vessels between pre-stimulation and post-stimulation of 30 min was significantly increased (+38.8%), while the change of the intra-cranial blood vessels was negligible. In this study, we demonstrated that the hot compress band on the neck yielded the increase of local skin temperature on the stimulation site and it made an effect on the extracranial circulation. In conclusion, the stimulation with a hot compress could facilitate the blood circulation, causing to relieve the muscular discomfort, stiffness in limbs as well as the chronic pains such as migraine.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2012

Purpose : In an attempt to further improve the radiofrequency (RF) magnetic ($B_1$) field strength in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) imaging, a 4-channel spiral-loop coil array with RF circuitry was designed and compared with a 4-channel single-loop coil array in terms of $B_1$ field, RF transmit (${B_1}^+$), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and applicability to TMJ imaging in 7T MRI. Materials and Methods: The single- and 4-channel spiral-loop coil arrays were constructed based on the electromagnetic (EM) simulation for the investigation of $B_1$ field. To evaluate the computer simulation results, the $B_1$ field and ${B_1}^+$ maps were measured in 7T. Results: In the EM simulation result and MRI study at 7T, the 4-channel spiral-loop coil array found a superior $B_1$ performance and a higher ${B_1}^+$ profile inside the human head as well as a slightly better SNR than the 4-channel single-loop coil array. Conclusion: Although $B_1$ fields are produced under the influence of the dielectric properties of the subject rather than the coil configuration alone at 7T, each RF coil exhibited not only special but also specific characteristics that could make it suited for specific application such as TMJ imaging.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.15B no.6
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• pp.507-516
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• 2008

Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Quantification of cardiac function is performed by manually calculating blood volume and ejection fraction in routine clinical practice, but it requires high computational costs. In this study, an automatic left ventricle (LV) segmentation algorithm using short-axis cine cardiac MRI is presented. We compensate coil sensitivity of magnitude images depending on coil location, classify edge information after extracting edges, and segment LV by applying region-growing segmentation. We design a weighting function for intensity signal and calculate a blood volume of LV considering partial voxel effects. Using cardiac cine SSFP of 38 subjects with Cornell University IRB approval, we compared our algorithm to manual contour tracing and MASS software. Without partial volume effects, we achieved segmentation accuracy of $3.3mL{\pm}5.8$ (standard deviation) and $3.2mL{\pm}4.3$ in diastolic and systolic phases, respectively. With partial volume effects, the accuracy was $19.1mL{\pm}8.8$ and $10.3mL{\pm}6.1$ in diastolic and systolic phases, respectively. Also in ejection fraction, the accuracy was $-1.3%{\pm}2.6$ and $-2.1%{\pm}2.4$ without and with partial volume effects, respectively. Results support that the proposed algorithm is exact and useful for clinical practice.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2014

The aim of the study is to test a hypothesis that quasi-breath-hold (QBH) biofeedback improves the residual respiratory motion management in gated 3D thoracic MR imaging, reducing respiratory motion artifacts with insignificant acquisition time alteration. To test the hypothesis five healthy human subjects underwent two gated MR imaging studies based on a T2 weighted SPACE MR pulse sequence using a respiratory navigator of a 3T Siemens MRI: one under free breathing and the other under QBH biofeedback breathing. The QBH biofeedback system utilized the external marker position on the abdomen obtained with an RPM system (Real-time Position Management, Varian) to audio-visually guide a human subject for 2s breath-hold at 90% exhalation position in each respiratory cycle. The improvement in the upper liver breath-hold motion reproducibility within the gating window using the QBH biofeedback system has been assessed for a group of volunteers. We assessed the residual respiratory motion management within the gating window and respiratory motion artifacts in 3D thoracic MRI both with/without QBH biofeedback. In addition, the RMSE (root mean square error) of abdominal displacement has been investigated. The QBH biofeedback reduced the residual upper liver motion within the gating window during MR acquisitions (~6 minutes) compared to that for free breathing, resulting in the reduction of respiratory motion artifacts in lung and liver of gated 3D thoracic MR images. The abdominal motion reduction in the gated window was consistent with the residual motion reduction of the diaphragm with QBH biofeedback. Consequently, average RMSE (root mean square error) of abdominal displacement obtained from the RPM has been also reduced from 2.0 mm of free breathing to 0.7 mm of QBH biofeedback breathing over the entire cycle (67% reduction, p-value=0.02) and from 1.7 mm of free breathing to 0.7 mm of QBH biofeedback breathing in the gated window (58% reduction, p-value=0.14). The average baseline drift obtained using a linear fit was reduced from 5.5 mm/min with free breathing to 0.6 mm/min (89% reduction, p-value=0.017) with QBH biofeedback. The study demonstrated that the QBH biofeedback improved the upper liver breath-hold motion reproducibility during the gated 3D thoracic MR imaging. This system can provide clinically applicable motion management of the internal anatomy for gated medical imaging as well as gated radiotherapy.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.547-551
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• 2018

Three Stener-like lesions of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the fingers and a rupture of the first dorsal interosseous muscle mimicking the lesion in the index finger were observed. Two cases in the little fingers had a true Stener's lesion. In one case in the index finger, the ruptured ligament was retracted and located under the intact sagittal band, which was also observed by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Rupture of the first dorsal interosseous muscle was misdiagnosed preoperatively as a Stener's lesion in the index finger by ultrasonography. MRI should be an essential differential diagnostic exam for collateral ligament ruptures of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the fingers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.204-209
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• 2024

Mediastinal vascular malformations are rare and their diagnosis can be challenging. Imaging is vital for diagnosing mediastinal vascular malformations and can help avoid unnecessary invasive procedures. Herein, we report the detailed CT and MRI findings of a rare low-flow mediastinal vascular malformation in an asymptomatic 63-year-old male.