• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2003

Contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) gradually occupies its position as a primary evaluation tool forsteno-occlusive disease of supra-aortic cervical arteries. It has several advantages over time-of-flight (TOF) technique such as shorter imaging time, less saturation effect, and less flow- and motion-related artifacts. Diverse methods of k-space sampling, imaging sequences, and strategies for image acquisitiontiming have been introduced since its early clinical application. Especially, methods of k-space sampling and image acquisition timing are very important to achieve maximal arterial enhancement and suppress venous signal while maintaining large scan coverage and high spatial resolution. In addition, regardless of several advantages over TOF technique, it still has a tendency to overestimate the degree of stenosis in patients with carotid or vertebralartery disease. In this exhibit, we will overview the current techniques of CE-MRA with special attention to methods of k-space sampling and image acquisition timing. We will also discuss diagnostic accuracy of CE-MRA in patients with supra-aortic cervical artery stenosis and artifacts frequently misinterpreted as steno-occlusive lesion on CE-MRA.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the tracing of optic nerve tract using manganese enhanced magnetic resonance Imaging. Materials and Methods: After injecting $30{\mu}l$ of $MnCl_2(1mol)$ (1 mol) Into the retina of female New Zealand white rabbit, the contrast enhancements at major anatomical structures of optic nerve tract were evaluated by high resolution T1-weighted Images 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours after $MnCl_2(1mol)$ Injection using 3D FSPGR (Fast Speiled Gradient Recalled echo) pulse sequence at 1.5T clinical MR scanner with high performance gradient system. Also, for quantitative evaluation, the signal-to-noise ratios of circular ROI on anatomical locations were measured. Results: The major structures on the optic nerve tract were enhanced after injecting $MnCl_2(1mol)$. The structures, which showed enhancement, were right optic nerve, optic chiasm, left optic tract, left lateral geniculate nucleus, left superior colliculus. The structures on the contralateral optic pathway to the right retina were enhanced whereas the structures on the ipsilateral pathway did not show enhancement. Conclusion: The Mn transport through axonal pathway of optic nerve sys)em was non- invasively observed after injecting injecting $MnCl_2$ at the retina, which is the end terminal of optic nerve system. This Mn transport seems to occur by voltage gated calcium $(Ca^{2+})$ channel and In case of direct Injection Into the retina, the fast transpori pathway of voltage gated calcium channel seems to be responsible for Mn transport.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was designed to optimize the flip angle (FA) and scan timing of the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) using the 3D T1-weighted, gradient-echo (GRE) imaging with controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) technique on gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3T liver MR imaging. Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3T liver MR imaging were included in this study. Four 3D T1-weighted GRE imaging studies using the CAIPIRINHA technique and FAs of $9^{\circ}$ and $13^{\circ}$ were acquired during HBP at 15 and 20 min after intravenous injection of gadoxetic acid. Two abdominal radiologists, who were blinded to the FA and the timing of image acquisition, assessed the sharpness of liver edge, hepatic vessel clarity, lesion conspicuity, artifact severity, and overall image quality using a five-point scale. Quantitative analysis was performed by another radiologist to estimate the relative liver enhancement (RLE) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The scores of the HBP with an FA of $13^{\circ}$ during the same delayed time were significantly higher than those of the HBP with an FA of $9^{\circ}$ in all the assessment items (P < 0.01). In terms of the delay time, images at the same FA obtained with a 20-min-HBP showed better quality than those obtained with a 15-min-HBP. There was no significant difference in qualitative scores between the 20-min-HBP and the 15-min-HBP images in the non-liver cirrhosis (LC) group except for the hepatic vessel clarity score with $9^{\circ}$ FA. In the quantitative analysis, a statistically significant difference was found in the degree of RLE in the four HBP images (P = 0.012). However, in the subgroup analysis, no significant difference in RLE was found in the four HBP images in either the LC or the non-LC groups. The SNR did not differ significantly in the four HBP images. In the subgroup analysis, 20-min-HBP imaging with a $13^{\circ}$ FA showed the highest SNR value in the LC-group, whereas 15-min-HBP imaging with a $13^{\circ}$ FA showed the best value of SNR in the non-LC group. Conclusion: The use of a moderately high FA improves the image quality and lesion conspicuity on 3D, T1-weighted GRE imaging using the CAIPIRINHA technique on gadoxetic acid, 3T liver MR imaging. In patients with normal liver function, the 15-min-HBP with a $13^{\circ}$ FA represents a feasible option without a significant decrease in image quality.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.588-592
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• 2010

A 15-year-old neutered male Yorkshire terrier was presented with a gait disorder of the pelvic limbs. For differential diagnosis of neural disease, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scan were performed. CT showed bone defect in the 4th lumbar vertebra and adjacent soft tissue mass. MRI revealed a mass in left side of the 4th lumbar vertebra. The mass was uniformly enhanced on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (T1W1). Excision of the mass alleviated back pain. Vertebral osteosarcoma was identified by the histopathological examination. Therefore, CT and MRI were helpful to diagnose vertebral osteosarcoma in the dog and to plan surgical excision of the mass.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1152-1162
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether there are regional differences in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability of cognitively normal elderly participants and to identify factors influencing BBB permeability with a clinically feasible, 10-minute dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI protocol. Materials and Methods: This IRB-approved prospective study recruited 35 cognitively normal adults (26 women; mean age, 64.5 ± 5.6 years) who underwent DCE T1-weighted imaging. Permeability maps (K_trans) were coregistered with masks to calculate the mean regional values. The paired t test and Friedman test were used to compare Ktrans between different regions. The relationships between K_trans and the factors of age, sex, education, cognition score, vascular risk burden, vascular factors on imaging, and medial temporal lobar atrophy were assessed using Pearson correlation and the Spearman rank test. Results: The mean permeability rates of the right and left hippocampi, as assessed with automatic segmentation, were 0.529 ± 0.472 and 0.585 ± 0.515 (K_trans, x 10^-3 min^-1), respectively. Concerning the deep gray matter, the K_trans of the thalamus was significantly greater than those of the putamen and hippocampus (p = 0.007, p = 0.041). Regarding the white matter, the K_trans value of the occipital white matter was significantly greater than those of the frontal, cingulate, and temporal white matter (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0007, p = 0.0002). The variations in K_trans across brain regions were not related to age, cognitive score, vascular risk burden, vascular risk factors on imaging, or medial temporal lobar atrophy in the study group. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated regional differences in BBB permeability (K_trans) in cognitively normal elderly adults using a clinically acceptable 10-minutes DCE imaging protocol. The regional differences suggest that the integrity of the BBB varies across the brains of cognitively normal elderly adults. We recommend considering regional differences in K_trans values when evaluating BBB permeability in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2007

Marjolin's ulcer is a rare and often-aggressive cutaneous malignancy that arises in previously traumatized or chronically inflamed skin, particularly after burns. We experienced two cases after burns. Case I involved a forty eight year-old man who had suffered from a flame burn at the parietal scalp area, where had been initially described three years earlier as a full-thickness wound including the pericranium. The man consulted us for a persistent ulcerative and infected wound on the burned lesion during the last 24 months, which turned out on the contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to be the squamous cell carcinoma with involving the skull and the dura mater. Although the posterior auricular lymph node was enlarged on the ipsilateral side, recent positron emission tomography (PET) CT did not show any metastatic lesion. It was impossible for us to resect the intracranial involvement of the tumor radically, and the postoperative PET CT still showed a focal fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake around the wall of the superior sagittal sinus. We think that an aggressive combined approach is essential for treatment in early stages for a high success rate, before the intracranial structures are involved because there is no consensus on the treatment for advanced disease, and the results are generally poor. Case 1 also did not involve a radical resection because of the intracranial invasion to the wall of superior sagittal sinus and the possibility of damage to the major cortical veins. He received adjuvant radiotherapy and must be followed periodically. Case 2 involved an eighty six year-old women who suffered from a painful scalp ulcer lesion after flame burns three years earlier. Unlike case 1, neither tumor infiltration into the dura nor lymph node enlargement was observed on the contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) CT. We did a radical resection of the tumor, including the involved bone, and a cranioplasty with bone cement.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.218-223
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• 2015

Purpose: To investigate whether volumetric analysis based on T2WI and contrast-enhanced (CE) T1WI can distinguish between isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 mutation-positive ($IDH1^P$) and -negative ($IDH1^N$) glioblastomas (GBMs). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 109 patients with histopathologically proven GBMs after surgery or stereotactic biopsy and preoperative MR imaging. We measured the whole-tumor volume in each patient using a semiautomatic segmentation method based on both T2WI and CE T1WI. We compared the tumor volumes between $IDH1^P$ (n = 12) and $IDH1^N$ (n = 97) GBMs using an unpaired t-test. In addition, we performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for the differentiation of $IDH1^P$ and $IDH1^N$ GBMs using the tumor volumes based on T2WI and CE T1WI. Results: The mean tumor volume based on T2WI was larger for $IDH1^P$ GBMs than $IDH1^N$ GBMs ($108.8{\pm}68.1$ and $59.3{\pm}37.3mm^3$, respectively, P = 0.0002). In addition, $IDH1^P$ GBMs had a larger tumor volume on CE T1WI than did $IDH1^N$ tumors ($49.00{\pm}40.14$ and $22.53{\pm}17.51mm^3$, respectively, P < 0.0001). ROC analysis revealed that the tumor volume based on T2WI could distinguish $IDH1^P$ from $IDH1^N$ with a cutoff value of 90.25 (P < 0.05): 7 of 12 $IDH1^P$ (58.3%) and 79 of 97 $IDH1^N$ (81.4%). Conclusion: Volumetric analysis of T2WI and CE T1WI could enable $IDH1^P$ GBMs to be distinguished from $IDH1^N$ GBMs. We assumed that secondary GBMs with $IDH1^P$ underwent stepwise progression and were more infiltrative than those with $IDH1^N$, which might have resulted in the differences in tumor volume.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze three-dimensional images of the arterial supply to the temporo-mandibular joint. Materials and Methods: Ten patients (five men and five women, mean age 36 years) without signs or symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scanning with intravenous contrast, were studied. The direct volume rendering technique of CT images was used, and a data set of images to visualize the vasculature of the human temporomandibular joint in three dimensions was created. After elaboration of the data through post-processing, the arterial supply of the temporomandibular joint was studied. Results: The analysis revealed the superficial temporal artery, the anterior tympanic artery, the deep temporal artery, the auricular posterior artery, the transverse facial artery, the middle meningeal artery, and the maxillary artery with their branches as the main arterial sources for the lateral and medial temporomandibular joint. Conclusion: The direct volume rendering technique was found to be successful in the assessment of the arterial supply to the temporomandibular joint. The superficial temporal artery and maxillary artery ran along the lateral and medial sides of the condylar neck, suggesting that these arteries are at increased risk during soft-tissue procedures such as an elective arthroplasty of the temporomandibular joint.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.208-217
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• 2003

Introduction: Soft-tissue impingement syndrome is now increasingly recognized as a significant cause of the chronic ankle pain. As a method to detect soft-tissue ankle impingement, a characteristic history and physical examination, routine MR imaging, and direct MR arthrography were used. The efficacy of routine MR imaging has been controversial for usefulness because of low sensitivity and specificity. Direct MR artrhography was recommaned for diagnosis because of the highest sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, but it requires an invasive procedure. The purpose of this study is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of Fat suppressed, contrast enhanced, three-dimensional fast gradient recalled acquisition in the steady state with rediofrequency spoiling magnetic resonance imaging(CE 3D-FSPGR MRI) and to evaluate the clinical outcome of the arthroscopic treatment in assessing soft-tissue impingement associated with trauma of the ankle. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 38 patients who had arthroscopic evaluations and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies(3D-FSPGR MRI) for post-traumatic chronic ankle pain between January 2000 and August 2002. Among them, 24 patients had osteochondral lesion, lateral instability, loose body, malunion of lateral malleoli, and peroneal tendon dislocation. The patient group consisted of 23 men and 15 women with the average age of 34 years(16-81 years). The mean time interval from the initial trauma to the operation was 15.5 months(3 to 40 months), The mean follow-up duration of the assessment was 15.6months(12-48 months). MRI was simultaneously reviewed by two radiologists blinded to the clinical diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI was obtained from radiologic and arthroscopic finding. Arthroscopic debridement and additional operation for associated disease were performed. We used a standard protocol to evaluate patients before the operation and at follow-up which includes American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Score. Results: For the assessment of the synovitis and soft tissue impingement, fat suppressed CE 3D-FSPGR MR imaging had the sensitivity of 91.9%, the specificity of 84.4 and the accuracy of 87.5%. AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot Score of preoperative state was 69.2, and the mean score of the last follow-up was 89.1. These were assessed as having 50% excellent(90-100) and 50% good(75-89). The presence of other associated disease didn't show the statistically significant difference(>0.05). Conclusion: Fat suppressed CE 3D-FSPGR MR imaging is useful method comparable to MR arthrography for diagnosis of synovitis or soft-tissue impingement, and arthroscopic debridement results in good clinical outcome.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-98
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• 2000

This study is designed to evaluate the clinical implications of Gd-DPTA (Gadolinium-diethyl enetriamine pentacetic acid) enhanced MRI(Magnetic resonance imaging) in Bell's palsy and find it's usefulness in Oriental Medicine In this study, 25 outparients with Bell's palsy were studied that MRI was performed. To evaluate degree of facial palsy, H-B(House-Brackmann) Grade was used. In Oriental Medical therapy, Acupuncture and Herbal medicine were treated. Subjective cause was divided into exposure to chill, fatigue, stress, mixed cases. Enhanced site was compared with symptoms which were disorder of eye, hearing, taste, and facial muscle palsy. Also, Relation between time which was performed MRI and enhancement was analyzed. The enhanced lesion in MRI was divided into five segments; Internal audiitory canal, Labyrinthine segment, Geniculate ganglion, Tympanic segment, Mastoid segment. In Bell's palsy, 20 of 25 patients(80%) had abnormal contrast enhancement of the facial nerve. The H-B grade and interval performed MRI from onset were directly proportionate to enhancement. That is to say, Severe facial palsy short interval show high possibility of enhancement. There was no relation between subjective causes and enhanced site of facial nerve in MRI. Also Clinical symptoms didn't coincide with MRI findings.