• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-44
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• 1991

A Study on the distribution and types of the total 40 CT units, as of 1st October 1990, in Pusan area(29 for whole body CT units, 11 for brain CT units) were carried out during the period from January 1989 to December 1989 to find out the status of operation and utilization of whole body CT units. The results were as following ; 1. As of 1st October 1990 in Pusan area, a total of 40 CT units(29 for whole body CT units, 11 for brain CT units) were set up and operated. The number of cases of CT examination performed per day per unit were appeared to be less than 5 cases among 59.5% of CT units, and 2.7% of the total units has peformed more than 16 examinations. 2. The CT units under operation occupied 93.5% of the total and 2.6% of the total units was not properly been operated due to mechanical breakdown. This results is appeared to be better than other reports. 3. The average number of scanning per week for each CT were 35 cases and the average days under operation of the unit per week were 6.7 days. Consequently, the average days under operation of units was higher than that of the other reports, but the average number of scanning was lower. 4. The cases referred from other institutes to hospitals were 6.4% of total cases. 5. As a site of scanning, the brain appeared most frequently with 71.2% of the total cases and followed by spine 12.4%, abdomen 8.5%, and thorax 3.6%, respectively. 6. Positive rate by scanning was 70.8% of total cases, and it was 98.9% with thorax, abdomen 96.3%, spine 93.1%, and brain 38.4%, respectively. According to the results of this study, it is highly recommended that the regulations and the guidelines for setting-up of such high cost medical equipments as CT units be provided in order to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the system.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.59-69
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• 2021

Purpose: The relationship between computed tomography (CT) number and electron density (ED) has been investigated in previous studies. However, the role of these measures for guiding cancer treatment remains unclear. Methods: The CT number was plotted against ED for different imaging protocols. The CT number was imported into ED tables for the Pinnacle treatment planning system (TPS) and was used to determine the effect on dose calculations. Conversion tables for radiation dose calculations were generated and subsequently monitored using a dosimeter to determine the effect of different CT scanning protocols and treatment sites. These tables were used to retrospectively recalculate the radiation therapy plans for 41 patients after an incorrect scanning protocol was inadvertently used. The gamma index was further used to assess the dose distribution, percentage dose difference (DD), and distance-to-agreement (DTA). Results: For densities <1.1 g/cm³, the standard deviation of the CT number was ±0.6% and the greatest variation was noted for brain protocol conditions. For densities >1.1 g/cm³, the standard deviation of the CT number was ±21.2% and the greatest variation occurred for the tube voltage and head and neck (H&N) protocol conditions. These findings suggest that the factors most affecting the CT number are the tube voltage and treatment site (brain and H&N). Gamma index analyses for the 41 retrospective clinical cases, as well as brain metastases and H&N tumors, showed gamma passing rates >90% and <90% for the passing criterion of 2%/2 and 1%/1 mm, respectively. Conclusions: The CT protocol should be carefully decided for TPS. The correct protocol should be used for the corresponding TPS based on the treatment site because this especially affects the dose distribution for brain metastases and H&N tumor recognition. Such steps could help reduce systematic errors.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.209-216
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• 2012

Purpose: The objectives of this study are to classify chronic subdural hematomas based on brain computerized tomographic scan (CT scan) findings and to determine the mechanism of evolution and treatment methods. Methods: One hundred thirty-nine patients who were diagnosed with a chronic subdural hematoma and who available for follow up assessment 6 months post-surgery were analyzed retrospectively. The presence of trauma and past medical history were reviewed and evaluation criteria based on brain CT scan findings were examined. Results: Initial brain CT scans revealed a chronic subdural hematoma in 106 patients, a subdural hygroma in 24 patients, and an acute subdural hematoma in 9 patients. In all cases where the initial acute subdural hematoma had progressed to a chronic subdural hematoma, final was a hypo-density chronic subdural hematoma. In case where the initial subdural hygroma had progressed to a chronic subdural hematoma, the most cases of hematoma were hyper-density and mixed-density chronic subdural hematoma. In total, 173 surgeries were performed, and they consisted of 97 one burr-hole drainages, 70 two burr-hole drainages and 6 craniotomies. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that rebleeding and osmotic effects are mechanisms for enlarging of a chronic subdural hematoma. In most cases, one burr-hole drainage is a sufficient for treatment. However, in cases of mixed or acute-on-chronic subdural hematomas, other appropriate treatment strategies are required.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to find the best protocol for balance of image quality and dose in brain CT scan. Images were acquired using dual-source CT and AAPM water phantom, noise and dose were measured, and effective dose was calculated using computer simulation program ALARA(S/W). In order to determine the ratio of image quality and dose by each protocol, FOM (figure of merits) equation with normalized DLP was presented and the result was calculated. judged that the ratio of image quality and dose was excellent when the FOM maximized. Experimental results showed that protocol No. 21(120 kVp, 10 mm, 1.5 pitch) was the best, the organ with the highest effective dose was the brain(33.61 mGy). Among organs with high radiosensitivity, the thyroid gland was 0.78 mGy and breast 0.05 mGy. In conclusion, the optimal parameters and the organ dose in the protocol were also presented from the experiment, It may be helpful to clinicians who want to know the protocol about the optimum state of image quality and dose.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2018

Brain perfusion CT scanning is often employed usefully in clinical conditions as it accurately and promptly provides information about the perfusion state of patients having acute ischemic stroke with a lot of time constraints and allows them to receive proper treatment. Despite those strengths of it, it also has a serious weakness that Lens may be exposed to a lot of dose of radiation in it. In this study, as a way to reduce the dose of radiation to Lens in brain perfusion CT scanning, this researcher conducted an experiment with Bismuth shielding and change of patients' position. TLD (TLD-100) was placed on both lens using the phantom (PBU-50), and then, in total 4 positions, parallel to IOML, parallel to IOML (Bismuth shielding), parallel to SOML, and parallel to SOML (Bismuth shielding), brain perfusion scanning was done 5 times for each position, and dose to Lens were measured. Also, to examine how the picture quality changed in different positions, 4 areas of interest were designated in 4 spots, and then, CT number and noise changes were measured and compared. According to the results of conducting one-way ANOVA on the doses measured, as the significance probability was found to be 0.000, so there was difference found in the doses of radiation to crystalline lenses. According to the results of Duncan's post-hoc test, with the scanning of being parallel to IOML as the reference, the reduction of 89.16% and 89.66% was observed in the scanning of being parallel to SOML and that of being parallel to SOML (Bismuth shielding) respectively, so the doses to Lens reduced significantly. Next, in the scanning of being parallel to IOML (Bismuth shielding), the reduction of 37.12% was found. According to the results, reduction in the doses of radiation was found the most significantly both in the scanning of being parallel to SOML and that of being parallel to SOML (Bismuth shielding). With the limit of the equivalent dose to Lens as the reference, this researcher conducted comparison with the dose to occupational exposure and dose to Public exposure in the scanning of being parallel to IOML and found 39.47% and 394.73% respectively; however in the scanning of being parallel to SOML (Bismuth shielding), considerable reduction was found as 4.08% and 40.8% respectively. According to the results of evaluation on picture quality, every image was found to meet the evaluative standards of phantom scanning in terms of the measurement of CT numbers and noise. In conclusion, it would be the most useful way to reduce the dose of radiation to Lens to use shields in brain perfusion CT scanning and adjust patients' position so that their lens will not be in the field of radiation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.279-285
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• 2015

The eye of human is a radiation sensitive organ and this organ should be shielded from radiation exposure during brain CT procedures. In the brain CT procedures, bismuth protector using to reduce the radiation exposure dose for eye. But protecting the bismuth always accompanies problem of the image quality reduction including artifact. This study aim is the eye radiation exposure dose and image quality evaluation of the new tube current modulation such as new organ based-tube current modulation, longitudinal-TCM, angular-TCM between shielding scan technique using bismuth and lead glasses. As a result, radiation dose of eye is reduced 25.88% in new OB TCM technique then reference scan technique and SNR new OB TCM is 6.05 higher than bismuth shielding scan technique and lower than reference scan technique. In clinical brain CT, new OB TCM technique will contribute to reduction of radiation dose for eye without decrease of image quality.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2008

The plasmid pJB01, a member of the pMV158 family isolated from Enterococcus faecium JC1, contains three open reading frames, copA, repB, and repC. Plasmids included in this family produce counter-transcribed RNA (ctRNA) that contributes to copy number control. The pJB01 ctRNA, a transcript which consists of 54 nucleotides (nts), is encoded on the opposite strand from the copA/repB intergenic region and partially overlaps an atypical ribosome binding site (ARBS) for repB. The ARBS is integrated by the two underlined conserved regions: 5'-TTTTTGTNNNNTAANNNNNNNNNATG-3', and the ctRNA is complementary only to the 5' conserved sequence 5'-TTTTTGT-3'. This complementary sequence is located at a distance from the terminal loop of the ctRNA secondary structure. The ctRNA structure predicted by the mfold program suggests the possible generation of a terminal and an internal hairpin loop. The amount of in vitro translation product of repB mRNA was inversely proportional to the ctRNA concentration. Mutations in the terminal and internal hairpin loops of the ctRNA had inhibitory effects on its binding to the target mRNA. We propose that the intact structures of the terminal and internal hairpin loops, respectively, play important roles in forming the initial kissing and extending complexes between the ctRNA and target mRNA and that these regulate the copy number of this plasmid.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.165-169
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• 1993

Functional cerebral impairments have been verified objectively by brain SPECT and q-EEG (quantitative electroencephalography). Microcerebral circulatory defects without anatomical changes can-not be detected by the brain CT or MRI. Brain SPECT using $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO (Hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime) as a key radioisotope may be accepted as the useful method for identifying functional cerebral impairments. We studied 25 patients with mild head trauma to define whether the SPECT was helpful in detecting cerebral impairment. Results were as follows: The SPECT was positive in 23 patients out of 25, q-EEG positive in 16 patients and brain CT was positive in 3 cases. SPECT and q-EEG were more sensitive than CT, SPECT would be more useful method than brain CT to investigate cerebral function after head injury.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2021

The CT can accurately present the anatomical structure of an organ in the human body, and the resolution of the image is excellent. On Brain CT examination, the radiation sensitivity of the orbit is high and it is subject to many exposure effects. To reduce exposure dose of lens, this study compares change of exposure dose and shielding rate about non-shielding and shielding in a way of using two shielding materials, bismuth and tungsten. In this study, we used bismuth and tungsten filament as shielding materials made by 3D printing to measure the exposure dose according to the materials thickness and each of slices. To compare each shielding rate, 1 mm to 5 mm of two materials was measured with the head phantom fixed and the Magicmax universal dosimeter placed on the eye when the shielding material is not placed, and the shielding material is placed on it. In the 1 mm thick filament, the bismuth filament showed 26.8% and the tungsten filament showed 43.1% shielding rate. Therefore, tungsten presents much greater shielding effect than bismuth.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.450-453
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• 2002

In radiotherapy treatment planning, it is critical to deliver the radiation dose to tumor and protect surrounding normal tissue. Recent developments in functional imaging and radiotherapy treatment technology have been raising chances to control tumor saving normal tissues. A brain phantom which could be used for image registration technique of CT-MR and CT-SPECT images using surface matching was developed. The brain phantom was specially designed to obtain imaging dataset of CT, MR, and SPECT. The phantom had an external frame with 4 N-shaped pipes filled with acryl rods, Pb rods for CT, MR, and SPECT imaging, respectively. 8 acrylic pipes were inserted into the empty space of the brain phantom to be imaged for geometric evaluation of the matching. For an optimization algorithm of image registration, we used Downhill simplex algorithm suggested as a fast surface matching algorithm. Accuracy of image fusion was assessed by the comparison between the center points of the section of N-shaped bars in the external frame and the inserted pipes of the phantom and minimized cost functions of the optimization algorithm. Technique with partially transparent, mixed images using color on gray was used for visual assessment of the image registration process. The errors of image registration of CT-MR and CT-SPECT were within 2mm and 4mm, respectively. Since these errors were considered within a reasonable margin from the phantom study, the phantom is expected to be used for conventional image registration between multimodal image datasets..