• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.47-47
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• 1997

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.203-209
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• 2006

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of ex vivo MR diffusion tensor imaging technique in order to observe the diffusion-contrast characteristics of human gastric tissues. On normal and pathologic gastric tissues, which have been fixed in a polycarbonate plastic tube filled with 10% formalin solution, laboratory made 3D diffusion tensor Turbo FLASH pulse sequence was used to obtain high resolution MR images with voxel size of $0.5{\times}0.5{\times}0.5mm^3\;using\;64{\times}32{\times}32mm^3$ field of view in conjunction with an acquisition matrix of $128{\times}64{\times}64$. Diffusion weighted- gradient pulses were employed with b values of 0 and $600s/mm^2$ in 6 orientations. The sequence was implemented on a clinical 3.0-T MRI scanner(Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with a home-made quadrature-typed birdcage Tx/Rx rf coil for small specimen. Diffusion tensor values in each pixel were calculated using linear algebra and singular value decomposition(SVD) algorithm. Apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) and fractional anisotropy(FA) map were also obtained from diffusion tensor data to compare pixel intensities between normal and abnormal gastric tissues. The processing software was developed by authors using Visual C++(Microsoft, WA, U.S.A.) and mathematical/statistical library of GNUwin32(Free Software Foundation). This study shows that 3D diffusion tensor Turbo FLASH sequence is useful to resolve fine micro-structures of gastric tissue and both ADC and FA values in normal gastric tissue are higher than those in abnormal tissue. Authors expect that this study also represents another possibility of gastric carcinoma detection by visualizing diffusion characteristics of proton spins in the gastric tissues.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

The purpose of this study would evaluate if having clinical effects on diffusion image with quantitative analysis through ADC values of brain's normal tissue and lesions before and after contrast injections using a 3.0T. From November in 2007 until December in 2008, a total of 32 patient was performed on 3.0T(Signa Excite, GE Medical System, USA) with the normal or lesions in the patient who requests diffusion weighted image with 8channel head coil. The pulse sequence was used with spin echo EPI(TR: 10000msec, TE: 72.2 msec, Matrix: 128*128, FOV: 240 mm, NEX: 1, diffusion direction: 3, b-value: 1000). Measurement results of ADC values on lesions, CSF, white matter, gray matter, lesions after contrast injection were measured less 75% than before contrast injection, infarction: 100%, CSF: 78%(high), white matter: 71.4%(low), gray matter: 50%(high, low). The results of paired t-test on the deference of ADC values which statically is significant in three(lesions, CSF, white matter)regions except for white matter(p<0.05). Quantitative analysis of lesions, CSF, white matter, gray matter have difference on all regions. ADC values were low in lesions and white matter, normal CSF after contrast injection commonly is high than before contrast injection, ADC values which white matter were high and low (50:50) after contrast injection. 3.0T diffusion weighted image clinically supposed that performing DWI examination after contrast injection was not desirable because of having effects on brain tissue.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.791-800
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• 2019

Objective: To compare various models of diffusion-weighted imaging including monoexponential apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), biexponential (fast diffusion coefficient [D_f], slow diffusion coefficient [D_s], and fraction of fast diffusion), stretched-exponential (distributed diffusion coefficient and anomalous exponent term [α]), and kurtosis (mean diffusivity and mean kurtosis [MK]) models in the differentiation of renal solid masses. Materials and Methods: A total of 81 patients (56 men and 25 women; mean age, 57 years; age range, 30-69 years) with 18 benign and 63 malignant lesions were imaged using 3T diffusion-weighted MRI. Diffusion model selection was investigated in each lesion using the Akaike information criteria. Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used for statistical evaluations. Results: Goodness-of-fit analysis showed that the stretched-exponential model had the highest voxel percentages in benign and malignant lesions (90.7% and 51.4%, respectively). ADC, D_s, and MK showed significant differences between benign and malignant lesions (p < 0.05) and between low- and high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) (p < 0.05). α was significantly lower in the benign group than in the malignant group (p < 0.05). All diffusion measures showed significant differences between ccRCC and non-ccRCC (p < 0.05) except D_f and α (p = 0.143 and 0.112, respectively). α showed the highest diagnostic accuracy in differentiating benign and malignant lesions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.923, but none of the parameters from these advanced models revealed significantly better performance over ADC in discriminating subtypes or grades of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with conventional diffusion parameters, α may provide additional information for differentiating benign and malignant renal masses, while ADC remains the most valuable parameter for differentiation of RCC subtypes and for ccRCC grading.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.313-323
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• 2009

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been demonstrated to be a practical method for the diagnosis of various brain diseases such as acute infarction, brain tumor, and white matter disease. In this study, we used two techniques to examine the average signal intensity (SI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the brains of patients who ranged in age from 10 to 60 years. Our results indicated that the average SI was the highest in amygdala (as derived from DWI), whereas that in the cerebrospinal fluid was the lowest. The average ADC was the highest in the cerebrospinal fluid, whereas the lowest measurement was derived from the pons. The average SI and ADC were higher in $T_2^*$-DW-EPI than in FLAIR-DW-EPI. The higher the b-value, the smaller the average difference in both imaging techniques; the lower the b-value, the greater the average difference. Also, comparative analysis of the brains of patients who had experienced cerebral infarction showed no distinct lesion in the general MR image over time. However, there was a high SI in apparent weighted images. Analysis of other brain diseases (e.g., bleeding, acute, subacute, chronic infarction) indicated SI variance in accordance with characteristics of the two techniques. The higher the SI, the lower the ADC. Taken together, the value of SI and ADC in accordance with frequently occurring areas and various brain disease varies based on the b-value and imaging technique. Because they provide additional useful information in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with various brain diseases through signal recognition, the proper imaging technique and b-value are important for the detection and interpretation of subacute stroke and other brain diseases.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.118-128
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• 2021

Purpose: To investigate the value of MR textural analysis, including use of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to differentiate malignant from benign soft-tissue tumors on 3T MRI. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 69 patients (25 men, 44 women, ages 18 to 84 years) with pathologically confirmed soft-tissue tumors (29 benign, 40 malignant) who underwent pre-treatment 3T-MRI. We calculated MR texture, including mean, standard deviation (SD), skewness, kurtosis, mean of positive pixels (MPP), and entropy, according to different spatial-scale factors (SSF, 0, 2, 4, 6) on axial T1- and T2-weighted images (T1WI, T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1WI (CE-T1WI), high b-value DWI (800 sec/mm²), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. We used the Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for statistical analysis. Results: Malignant soft-tissue tumors had significantly lower mean values of DWI, ADC, T2WI and CE-T1WI, MPP of ADC, and CE-T1WI, but significantly higher kurtosis of DWI, T1WI, and CE-T1WI, and entropy of DWI, ADC, and T2WI than did benign tumors (P < 0.050). In multivariate logistic regression, the mean ADC value (SSF, 6) and kurtosis of CE-T1WI (SSF, 4) were independently associated with malignancy (P ≤ 0.009). A multivariate model of MR features worked well for diagnosis of malignant soft-tissue tumors (AUC, 0.909). Conclusion: Accurate diagnosis could be obtained using MR textural analysis with DWI and CE-T1WI in differentiating benign from malignant soft-tissue tumors.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 2020

Background: Previous studies showed neurography and tractography of the greater occipital nerve (GON). The purpose of this study was determining diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of bilateral GONs and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in unilateral cervicogenic headache as well as the grading value of DTI for severe headache. The correlation between DTI parameters and clinical characteristics was evaluated. Methods: The fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in bilateral GONs and cervical DRG (C2 and C3) were measured. Grading values for headache severity was calculated using a receiver operating characteristics curve. The correlation was analyzed with Pearson's coefficient. Results: The FA values of the symptomatic side of GON and cervical DRG (C2 and C3) were significantly lower than that of the asymptomatic side (all the P < 0.001), while the ADC values were significantly higher (P = 0.003, P < 0.001, and P = 0.003, respectively). The FA value of 0.205 in C2 DRG was considered the grading parameter for headache severity with sensitivity of 0.743 and specificity of 0.999 (P < 0.001). A negative correlation and a positive correlation between the FA and ADC value of the GON and headache index (HI; r = -0.420, P = 0.037 and r = 0.531, P = 0.006, respectively) was found. Conclusions: DTI parameters in the symptomatic side of the C2 and C3 DRG and GON were significantly changed. The FA value of the C2 DRG can grade headache severity. DTI parameters of the GON significantly correlated with HI.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1078-1088
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• 2022

Objective: To develop and validate a model using radiomics features from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map to diagnose local tumor recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 285 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 62 ± 12 years; 220 male, 77.2%), including 215 for training (n = 161) and internal validation (n = 54) and 70 others for external validation, with newly developed contrast-enhancing lesions at the primary cancer site on the surveillance MRI following definitive treatment of HNSCC between January 2014 and October 2019. Of the 215 and 70 patients, 127 and 34, respectively, had local tumor recurrence. Radiomics models using radiomics scores were created separately for T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1WI), and ADC maps using non-zero coefficients from the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator in the training set. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of each radiomics score and known clinical parameter (age, sex, and clinical stage) in the internal and external validation sets. Results: Five radiomics features from T2WI, six from CE-T1WI, and nine from ADC maps were selected and used to develop the respective radiomics models. The area under ROC curve (AUROC) of ADC radiomics score was 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-0.89) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.65-0.88) in the internal and external validation sets, respectively. These were significantly higher than the AUROC values of T2WI (0.53 [95% CI, 0.40-0.67], p = 0.006), CE-T1WI (0.53 [95% CI, 0.40-0.67], p = 0.012), and clinical parameters (0.53 [95% CI, 0.39-0.67], p = 0.021) in the external validation set. Conclusion: The radiomics model using ADC maps exhibited higher diagnostic performance than those of the radiomics models using T2WI or CE-T1WI and clinical parameters in the diagnosis of local tumor recurrence in HNSCC following definitive treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.388-390
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• 2020

Objectives: The nigrostriatal tract (NST) connect from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the striatum. A few previous studies have reported on the NST in the Parkinson's disease using a proboblistic tractography method. However, no study has been conducted for identification of the NST using streamline DTT technique. In the current study, we used streamline DTI technique to investigate the reconstruction method and characteristics of the NST in normal subjects. Methods: Eleven healthy subjects were recruited in this study. The NST from the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the striatum of basal ganglia was reconstructed using DTI data. Fractional anisotropy, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and fiber numbers of the NST were measured. Results: In all subjects, the NST between the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the striatum. Mean values for FA, ADC, and tract volume were 0.460, 0.818, and 154.3 in the right NST, and 0.485, 0.818, and 176.3 in the left NST respectively. Conclusions: we reconstructed the NRT from the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the striatum of the basal ganglia using streamline tractography method. We believe that the findings and the proposed streamline reconstruction method of this study would be useful in future researches on the NST of the human brain.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.88-98
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• 2015

Purpose: To compare the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values using contrast-enhanced (CE) T1 weighted image (WI) and T2WI as structural images between manual and semiautomatic segmentation methods. Materials and Methods: Between January 2011 and May 2013, 28 patients who underwent brain MR with diffusion weighted image (DWI) and were pathologically confirmed as having glioblastoma participated in our study. The ADC values were measured twice in manual and semiautomatic segmentation methods using CE-T1WI and T2WI as structural images to obtain interobserver and intraobserver reliability. Moreover, intraobserver reliabilities of the different segmentation methods were assessed after subgrouping of the patients based on the MR findings. Results: Interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities were high in both manual and semiautomatic segmentation methods on CE-T1WI-based evaluation, while interobserver reliability on T2WI-based evaluation was not high enough to be used in a clinical context. The intraobserver reliability was particularly lower with the T2WI-based semiautomatic segmentation method in the subgroups with involved $lobes{\leq}2$, with partially demarcated tumor borders, poorly demarcated inner margins of the necrotic portion, and with perilesional edema. Conclusion: Both the manual and semiautomatic segmentation methods on CE-T1WI-based evaluation were clinically acceptable in the measurement of mean ADC values with high interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities.