• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.575-584
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• 2021

The aim of this study was to achieve optimal portal phase while reducing contrast medium by applying weight-based dose protocol compared to standard fixed dose protocol to performing of pediatric abdominal CT examination. Discovery 750HD (General Electric Medical Systems, Milwaukee, USA) was used, and a total of 167 children consisting of 85 men and 82 women under the age of 18 were studied. The group in which the 300 mgI/ml(Xenetix, Guerbet, France) contrast medium was fixedly injected at twice body weight and the group injected with physiological saline while gradually decreasing the injection amount by 10% while applying the weight-based protocol were distinguished. Also, the CT number and SNR of abdominal organs were compared and evaluated while changing the scan delay time. Subjective image quality of enhancement and beam-hardening artifacts of around the heart was assessed with five-point criterion. The group adapted weight-based protocol with 20% reduction in contrast medium was most similar in contrast enhancement in the group with fixed injection at twice body weight. Furthermore, the group with a delay time of 20% had the highest contrast enhancement effect, and the difference in CT attenuation coefficient from the group scanned immediately after injection of the contrast media. Therefore, the appropriate delay time after injection of the contrast agent increased the contrast enhancement of the parenchymal organ. In addition, the weight-based injection protocol with normal saline reduced artifacts around the heart, and the effect of contrast enhancement could be maintained. In conclusion, it is possible to reduce dosage of contrast media through the application of weight-based injection protocols and appropriate latency, and to characterize optimal portal phase imaging on pediatric abdominal CT.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2008

Because of the reason that the meningioma is enhanced lately, we started the study to maximally enhance the meningioma. we were to know the relation between meningioma and vessels in the skull and compared 3D CT angiography with the conventional angiography. we got the data from 6 patients performed by both 3D CT angiography and there were 5 cases in sphenoidal ridge and 1 case parasagittal sinus. Injecting the contrast media at 3 ml/sec, 120 ml and then the CT number reached 100, we started the study using the medical system Program(smart prep). The scan parameters were HS-Mode(1.25 mm / 7.5 mm) right after being injected all and reconstructed with 0.5 mm interval. We compared the study with the conventional angiography after reconstructing the images required by using 3D-Med software Program(Rapidia). Seeing the consequences, the maximum enhancing time in the menigioma is about 120~180 seconds after injecting the contrast media and we distinguished the relation between vessels and tumors at the time and 1 case showed us the aneurysm with a tumor clearly at the time too. It was very helpful to the operation that the 3D images required by injecting the contrast media to the patients with meningioma distingushed between tumors and vessels dimensionally.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.801-808
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• 2023

In order to minimize radiation exposure and secure diagnostic value images during CT examination of the head of children, the usefulness of volume axial mode is evaluated through comparison and analysis of exposure dose and images of volume axial mode, high pitch mode, and helical mode. Image evaluation and dose evaluation were performed in CT high pitch mode, helical mode, and volume axial mode for infants under the age of 1 according to the voltages of 70, 80, and 100 kVp tubes. The image evaluation was conducted by comparing image quality by setting ROI for each image, calculating SNR and CNR, using ONE-WAY (ANOVA) to evaluated statistical significance, and cross-examining the dose evaluation using DLP values displayed in the Dose Report. When inspected using volume axial mode, DLP values were generally low, and SNR and CNR values differed by ROI and kVp. When volume axial mode evaluated the quality of the image compared to other scan modes, the difference is not uniform. For the reason, certain modes are not considered excellent, but the exposure dose was reduced the most in terms of dose. In addition, the point that the volume axial mode can be examined at its original location, short scanning time and needless of table movement is useful for CT tests for children under 1 year of age with high radiation sensitivity.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.567-575
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• 2017

In this study, when diagnosis pancreatic cancer by dual time point PET/CT, we propose SUVm 2.52 as the threshold value for performing the dual time point PET/CT exam. The hypothesis of normal distribution was adopted through data conversion of 60 pancreatic diseases. The proposed SUVm2.52 boundary value showed a significance level that could be applied to both 120 and 180 minutes of delay time scan for pancreatic cancer determination (p<0.05). C-value variation shows that delay time 2 hour test is more useful than delay time 3 hour test. When the SUVm 2.52 is set to the boundary value and the double-time point PET/CT exam is performed, the probability of distinguishing cancer from inflammation in the delayed image is 95%. When the delayed test is performed with the proposed boundary value SUVm 2.52, Compared with general PET / CT scans, it is thought that it may be helpful to distinguish pancreatic cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2008

Purpose: The evaluation of SUV (Standardized Uptake Values) for quantitative analysis in PET exam is the most significant. In PET exam, we make attenuation correction images by using $^{68}Ge$, $^{137}Cs$ or CT data. At this time, a distorted attenuation map affects quantitative analysis. After the exam using barium-sulfate and high density of barium contrast make attenuation map distorted. And then it brings bed influences on SUV. The aim of this study is to verify the relationship between high density barium-sulfate and SUV in PET exam. Materials and Methods By using $^{18}F$-FDG, we made barium-sulfate powder, density of 0, 1.5, 3, 5, 10 and 15% respectively and acquired PET and PET/CT images per each density. And we examined SUV variations from PET and PET/CT images according to differences of barium's density. Moreover, we finally calculated SUV causing variations in HU (Hounsfield Units) values to justify whether the differences of barium density bring any changes in PET/CT exam. Results: From PET images acquired from transmission scan with $^{68}Ge$, we got SUV figures from 6.46 to 6.8 in barium density between 0 to 15 percent. On the other hand, In PET images acquired from Tx scan that using CT, SUV was 6.77 to 23.73, derived from the same barium density. And CT HU values range from 29 to 2004. Conclusion: PET images from Tx data using $^{68}Ge$ weren't affected by barium density and had no differences in SUV. But in the PET/CT images using CT Tx data, there's considerable variations in HU and SUV values according to a difference of barium density in HU values. To perform a precise examination, barium sulfate should be removed from a human body before performing a PET exam.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.71-75
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• 2013

Purpose: Currently, decrement revision using LDCT is used in PET/CT. But cold artifacts are often found in decrement revision image by mismatch between LDCT image and Emission image near diaphragm due to patient's respiration. This research studied reduction of cold artifact by patient's respiration using CTAC Shift among revision methods. Materials and Methods: From March to September in 2012, 30 patients who had cold artifacts by respiration were targeted using PET/CT Discovery 600 (GE Healthcare, MI, USA) equipment. Patients with cold artifacts were additionally scan in diaphragm area, and the image shown cold artifacts at whole body test were revised using CTAC Shift. Cold artifacts including image, additional scan image and CTAC Shift revision image were evaluated as 1~5 points with naked eye by one nuclear medicine expert, 4 radiotechnologists with over 5 year experience. Also, standard uptake value of 3 images was compared using paired t-test. Results: Additional scan image and CTAC Shift revision image received relatively higher score in naked eye evaluation than cold artifacts including image. The additional scan image and CTAC Shift revision image had high correlation as the results of ANOVA test of standard uptake value and did not show significant difference. Conclusion: When cold artifacts are appeared by patient's respiration at PET/CT, it causes not only patient inconvenience but troubles in test schedule due to extra radiation exposure and time consumption by additional scan. But if CTAC Shift revision image can be acquired with out additional scan, it is considered to be helped in exact diagnosis without unnecessary extra radiation exposure and additional scan.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.134-138
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• 2007

The current PET/CT system with high quality CT images not only increases diagnostic value by providing anatomic localization, but also shortens the acquisition time for attenuation correction than primary PET system. All commercially available PET/CT system uses the CT scan for attenuation correction instead of the transmission scan using radioactive source such as $^{137}Cs,\;^{68}Ge$. However the CT scan may substantially increase the patient dose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate quality of PET images reconstructed by CT attenuation map using various tube currents. in this study, images were acquired for 3D Hoffman brain phantom and cylindrical phantom using GE DSTe PET/CT system. The emission data were acquired for 10 min using phantoms after injecting 44.03 MBq of $^{18}F-FDG$. The CT images for attenuation map were acquired by changing tube current from 10 mA to 95 mA with fixed exposure time of 8 sec and fixed tube voltage of 140 kVp. The PET images were reconstructed using these CT attenuation maps. Image quality of CT images was evaluated by measuring SD (standard deviation) of cylindrical phantom which was filled with water and $^{18}F-FDG$ solution. The PET images were evaluated by measuring the activity ratio between gray matter and white matter in Hoffman phantom images. SDs of CT images decrease by increasing tube current. When PET images were reconstructed using CT attenuation maps with various tube currents, the activity ratios between gray matter and white matter of PET images were almost same. These results indicated that the quality of the PET images using low dose CT data were comparable to the PET images using general dose CT data. Therefore, the use of low dose CT is recommended than the use of general dose CT, when the diagnostic high quality CT is not required. Further studies may need to be performed for other system, since this study is limited to the GE DSTe system used in this study.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.213-223
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• 2022

Although the number of computed tomography(CT) is increasing every year, it is insufficient to establish appropriate workload calculation standards of radiologic technologist to provide optimal medical services to patients, such as patient safety management and infection management. The purpose of this study is to present guidelines for calculating the appropriate workload of radiologic technologist by analyzing the work flow of CT procedures and the time required for CT examination in major hospitals. As for the study subjects and methods, the appropriate process for each step of CT examination was investigated to systematically present the process and time required for the actual examination, and the CT procedure time of 104,105 adult patients and 465 pediatric patients under the age of 6 were analyzed. For the time required, data according to the use of contrast medium, procedure type, and adult/child were collected and compared. The test time of CT examination using contrast medium took about 13 minutes when one radiologic technologist worked and about 9 minutes when two radiologic technologists worked. The time required for the procedures were statistically significant depending on the presence or absence of contrast medium, multi-phase procedure, and patient age (considering pediatric patients). As a result, in order to thoroughly perform patient safety and infection management, the appropriate workload increased by about 40% when there were two radiologic technologists. The limit workload was an average of 32 people per day with one radiologic technologist per 15 minutes, and 48 people per day with two radiologic technologist per 10 minutes. This is a marginal workload, and in the case of procedures that require more time to acquire radiographic images, the interval between reservations should be widened.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.505-507
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• 2009

A 60-year-old woman, who had non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in left lower lobe underwent brain F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) for evaluation of cerebral metastasis. On follow-up FDG-PET/CT, only hypometaolic lesion was detected and progressed in right frontal lobe at 6 months and 10 months, later. Hypermetabolic metastasis was not detected even at last scan time of FDG-PET/CT. Brain MRI showed brain metastasis in right frontal lobe. As might be expected, the physician should take cerebral metastasis into consideration even though there is only hypometabolic change on subsequent FDG-PET/CT in patients with NSCLC.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2008

This purpose of this study was to describe and compare the radiographic and computed tomographic(CT) appearance of the experimentally induced Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease(LCPD) in dogs. LCPD was experimentally induced at the left femoral head in 7 litters of a dog. The lesions were evaluated with radiography, CT, and contrast CT every week from day 7 to day 70 after operation. Histopathologic examination was performed on 92th day after operation. Every images were evaluated according to the staging system of the osteonecrosis published by Association Research of Circulation Osseous in 1997 and the scoring(0-4). On CT scan, diffuse porotic lesion and focal sclerotic lesion were detected on day 14 and on day 21 after operation, respectively. Subchondral fracture, articular collapse and crescent sign with decreased attenuation were shown on day 28 after operation for the first time and no change of the sign were detected from operation day 9 to day 70 after operation. Focal porotic lesion and irregular radiopacity of femoral head were detected on day $41{\pm}7.48$ and on day $51{\pm}5.29$ after operation respectively on radiographs. In scoring evaluation, 2.00 was scored on day 14 after operation on CT scan, on day 56 after operation on radiographs, respectively This study has shown that CT is more suitable for early diagnosis of LCPB and has superior sensitivity than radiography. Also, CT has been expected to be important for staging and treatment of LCPD.