• 대한전자공학회논문지SP
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• 제47권5호
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• pp.117-126
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• 2010

산란선을 흡수하여 보다 선명한 x선 영상을 얻기 위하여 산란방지 그리드를 사용하여 투사영상을 얻는데, 이때 그리드로 인한 왜곡이 발생한다. 본 논문에서는 회전된 그리드를 사용하여 투사영상을 얻고 단순한 1차원 저역필터를 영상의 공간영역에서 각 축으로 별도로 적용하여 그리드 왜곡을 효율적으로 제거하는 방법을 제안하고 그 성능을 고찰해 보았다. 제안한 방법은 왜곡 주파수를 별도로 예측할 필요 없이, 회전된 그리드를 사용하여 획득한 영상에 단순한 1차원 필터를 주파수영역이 아닌 공간영역에서 적용하므로 매우 단순하여 쉽게 구현이 가능하며 빠른 계산 속도를 가지는 장점을 가지고 있으면서 그 성능은 주파수영역에서 2차원 필터를 적용한 경우와 유사하다.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.825-835
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• 2003

Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of joint angle errors mainly due to skin artifact and measurement errors during gait analysis. Joint angle errors lead to unreliable kinematics and kinetic analyses in the investigation of human motion. The purpose of this paper is to present the Joint Averaging Coordinate System (JACS) method for human gait analysis. The JACS method is based on the concept of statistical data reduction of anatomically referenced marker data. Since markers are not attached to rigid bodies, different marker combinations lead to slightly different predictions of joint angles. These different combinations can be averaged in order to provide a "best" estimate of joint angle. Results of a gait analysis are presented using clinically meaningful terminology to provide better communication with clinical personal. In order to verify the developed JACS method, a simple three-dimensional knee joint contact model was developed, employing an absolute coordinate system without using any kinematics constraint in which thigh and shank segments can be derived independently. In the experimental data recovery, the separation and penetration distance of the knee joint is supposed to be zero during one gait cycle if there are no errors in the experimental data. Using the JACS method, the separation and penetration error was reduced compared to well-developed existing methods such as ACRS and Spoor & Veldpaus method. The separation and penetration distance ranged up to 15 mm and 12 mm using the Spoor & Veldpaus and ACRS method, respectively, compared to 9 mm using JACS method. Statistical methods like the JACS can be applied in conjunction with existing techniques that reduce systematic errors in marker location, leading to an improved assessment of human gait.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.23-30
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm activated at different times during cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) acquisition on the magnitude of artifacts generated by a zirconium implant. Materials and Methods: Volumes were obtained with and without a zirconium implant in a human mandible, using the OP300 Maxio unit. Three modes were tested: without MAR, with MAR activated after acquisition, and with MAR activated before acquisition. Artifacts were assessed in terms of the standard deviation (SD) of gray values and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in 6 regions of interest with different distances (10 to 35 mm, from the nearest to the farthest) and angulations(70° to 135°) from the implant region. Results: In the acquisitions without MAR, the regions closer to the implant(10 and 15mm) had a higher SD and lower CNR than the farther regions. When MAR was activated (before or after), SD values did not differ among the regions (P>0.05). The region closest to the implant presented a significantly lower CNR in the acquisitions without MAR than when MAR was activated after the acquisition; however, activating MAR before the acquisition did not yield significant differences from either of the other conditions. Conclusion: Both modes of MAR activation were effective in decreasing the magnitude of CBCT artifacts, especially when the effects of the artifacts were more noticeable.

• 한국멀티미디어학회논문지
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.296-306
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• 2006

본 논문에서는 MPEG 복호 시스템에서 에지 신호에 적응적인 가변 필터를 이용하여 양자화 잡음(quantization noise)을 제거하는 방법을 제안하였다. 제안한 방법에서는 복호화된 영상에서 2D Mallat 웨이블릿 필터를 이용하여 에지맵 (Edge map) 및 국부 계수 최대치(Local Modulus Maxima, LMM)를 구한다. 그리고 에지맵에 따라 필터링 영역이 가변되는 가우시안 저역 통과 필터(Gaussian LPF)를 이용하여 블록간에서의 블록화 현상 (blocking artifact)을 제거한다. 그리고 국부 계수 최대치를 이용하여 2D SAF(signal adaptive filter)를 수행함으로써 블록 내에서의 링잉 현상(ringing artifact)을 제거한다. 제안한 방법의 성능을 평가하기 위한 모의 실험 결과에서 기존의 방법에 비하여 PSNR이 0.04-0.20 dB 정도 향상되었으며, 또한 주관적으로 화질이 우수함을 확인하였다.

• 방송공학회논문지
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.45-55
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• 1997

본 논문에서는 웨이브렛 기반 블록화 현상 제거에 대한 고속 알고리듬과 적응 역치화 기법을 제안하였다. 제안된 고속 알고리듬에서는 웨이브렛 변환 영역의 첫번째 스케일과 2번째 스케일에서의 처리와 동일한 효과를 갖는 모든 처리를 공간 영역에서 수행한다. 제안된 적응 역치화 기법은 블록 경계 영역을 분류할 때 사용하는 역치를 공간 영역에서 구할 수 있는 블록 경계와 블록 중앙의 웨이브렛 변환 신호의 통계적 특성을 이용하여 처리하고자 하는 영상에 적응적으로 선택할 수 있도록 하였다. 실험 결과, 제안된 고속 알고리듬은 웨이브렛 변환에 의한 방법에 비하여 약 10배의 속도 개선이 있고, 적응 역치화에 의한 후처리는 어떤 영상의 높은 압축률에서 가장 좋은 성능을 가지는 고정된 역치에 의한 후처리에 비하여 낮은 압축률에서도 PSNR 성능과 주관적 화질이 개선됨을 알 수 있었다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.215-223
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• 2016

Purpose: The management of metal-induced field inhomogeneities is one of the major concerns of distortion-free magnetic resonance images near metallic implants. The recently proposed method called "Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction (SEMAC)" is an effective spin echo pulse sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) near metallic implants. However, as SEMAC uses the noisy resolved data elements, SEMAC images can have a major problem for improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) without compromising the correction of metal artifacts. To address that issue, this paper presents a novel reconstruction technique for providing an improvement of the SNR in SEMAC images without sacrificing the correction of metal artifacts. Materials and Methods: Low-rank approximation in each coil image is first performed to suppress the noise in the slice direction, because the signal is highly correlated between SEMAC-encoded slices. Secondly, SEMAC images are reconstructed by the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE), also known as Gauss-Markov or weighted least squares. Noise levels and correlation in the receiver channels are considered for the sake of SNR optimization. To this end, since distorted excitation profiles are sparse, $l_1$ minimization performs well in recovering the sparse distorted excitation profiles and the sparse modeling of our approach offers excellent correction of metal-induced distortions. Results: Three images reconstructed using SEMAC, SEMAC with the conventional two-step noise reduction, and the proposed image denoising for metal MRI exploiting sparsity and low rank approximation algorithm were compared. The proposed algorithm outperformed two methods and produced 119% SNR better than SEMAC and 89% SNR better than SEMAC with the conventional two-step noise reduction. Conclusion: We successfully demonstrated that the proposed, novel algorithm for SEMAC, if compared with conventional de-noising methods, substantially improves SNR and reduces artifacts.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.55-62
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• 2021

Purpose: This study evaluated the influence of a metal artifact reduction (MAR) tool in a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) device on the diagnosis of vertical root fractures (VRFs) in teeth with different root filling materials. Materials and Methods: Forty-five extracted human premolars were classified into three subgroups; 1) no filling; 2) gutta-percha; and 3) metallic post. CBCT images were acquired using an Orthopantomograph 300 unit with and without a MAR tool. Subsequently, the same teeth were fractured, and new CBCT scans were obtained with and without MAR. Two oral radiologists evaluated the images regarding the presence or absence of VRF. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and diagnostic tests were performed. Results: The overall area under the curve values were 0.695 for CBCT with MAR and 0.789 for CBCT without MAR. The MAR tool negatively influenced the overall diagnosis of VRFs in all tested subgroups, with lower accuracy (0.45-0.72), sensitivity (0.6-0.67), and specificity (0.23-0.8) than were found for the images without MAR. In the latter group, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values were 0.68-0.77, 0.67-083, and 0.53-087, respectively. However, no significant difference was found between images with and without MAR for the no filling and gutta-percha subgroups (P>0.05). In the metallic post subgroup, CBCT showed a significant difference according to MAR use (P<0.05). Conclusion: The OP 300 MAR tool negatively influenced the detection of VRFs in teeth with no root canal filling, gutta-percha, or metallic posts. Teeth with metallic posts suffered the most from the negative impact of MAR.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess artifacts generated in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) of 3 types of dental implants using 3 metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm conditions (pre-acquisition MAR, post-acquisition MAR, and no MAR), and 2 peak kilovoltage (kVp) settings. Materials and Methods: Titanium-zirconium, titanium, and zirconium alloy implants were placed in a dry mandible. CBCT images were acquired using 84 and 90 kVp and at normal resolution for all 3 MAR conditions. The images were analyzed using ImageJ software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD) to calculate the intensity of artifacts for each combination of material and settings. A 3-factor analysis of variance model with up to 3-way interactions was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in the mean intensity of artifacts associated with each factor. Results: The analysis of all 3 MAR conditions showed that using no MAR resulted in substantially more severe artifacts than either of the 2 MAR algorithms for the 3 implant materials; however, there were no significant differences between pre- and post-acquisition MAR. The 90 kVp setting generated less intense artifacts on average than the 84 kVp setting. The titanium-zirconium alloy generated significantly less intense artifacts than zirconium. Titanium generated artifacts at an intermediate level relative to the other 2 implant materials, but was not statistically significantly different from either. Conclusion: This in vitro study suggests that artifacts can be minimized by using a titanium-zirconium alloy at the 90 kVp setting, with either MAR setting.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.83-88
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• 2023

Metal artifacts cause inaccuracies in target delineation, radiation treatment planning, and delivery when computed tomography images of a radiotherapy patient implanted with a high-density material in the body are acquired. In this study, we investigated the possibility of obtaining improved images in clinical trials through metal artifact reduction using silicon impression materials without the need for a specific metal artifact reduction algorithm. A silicon impression material exhibiting a constant Hounsfield unit (HU) value according to the mixing ratio of the catalysts and bases was selected. The material did not exhibit any change in weight or shape over time. For both the instances of inserting the metal material and applying the silicon impression material, the HU value and dose were compared with homogeneous cases filled with water-equivalent materials. When the silicon impression material was applied to the region where the high-density material was located, the HU value was within 5% and the dose was within 3% compared with those of the homogeneous cases. In this study, the silicon impression materials reduced metal artifacts. However, because the composition, shape, size, and location of high-density materials differ, further studies are required to consider these factors in clinical applications.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.139-145
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• 2024

Purpose: This study examined the influence of a metal artifact reduction (MAR) tool, sharpening filters, and their combination on the diagnosis of vertical root fracture (VRF) in teeth with metallic posts using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Twenty single-rooted human premolars - 9 with VRF and 11 without - were individually placed in a human mandible. A metallic post composed of a cobalt-chromium alloy was inserted into the root canal of each tooth. CBCT scans were then acquired under the following parameters: 8 mA, a 5×5 cm field of view, a voxel size of 0.085 mm, 90 kVp, and with MAR either enabled or disabled. Five oral and maxillofacial radiologists independently evaluated the CBCT exams under each MAR mode and across 3 sharpening filter conditions: no filter, Sharpen 1×, and Sharpen 2×. The diagnostic performance was quantified by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. These metrics were compared using 2-way analysis of variance with a significance level of α=5%. Intra- and inter-examiner agreement were assessed using the weighted kappa test. Results: Neither MAR nor the application of sharpening filters significantly impacted AUC or specificity (P>0.05). However, sensitivity increased when MAR was combined with Sharpen 1× and Sharpen 2× (P=0.015). The intra-examiner agreement ranged from fair to substantial (0.34-0.66), while the inter-examiner agreement ranged from fair to moderate (0.27-0.41). Conclusion: MAR in conjunction with sharpening filters improved VRF detection; therefore, their combined use is recommended in cases of suspected VRF.