• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.879-886
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• 2018

A 3-dimensional (D) printer is a device capable of outputting a three-dimensional solid object based on data modeled in a computer. These features are utilized in the bone model X - ray phantom production etc using CT data by fusing with the radiation science field. A bone model phantom was made using data obtained by CT scan of an existing Pelvis phantom, using PLA, Wood, XT-CF20, Glow fill, Steel filaments which are materials of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printer.Measure Hounsfield Unit (HU) with images obtained by CT scan of the existing Pelvis phantom and five material phantoms made with 3D printer under the same conditions,SI and SNR were measured using a diagnostic X-ray generator, and each phantom was compared and analyzed.As a result, the X - ray phantom in the X - ray examination condition of the limb was found to be most suitable for the glow fill filament.The characteristics of the filament can be known to the base of this research and the practicality of X - ray phantom fabrication was confirmed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2023

Computed tomography (CT) images are used as the basis for proton Bragg peak position estimation and treatment plan simulation. During the Hounsfield Unit (HU) based proton stopping power ratio (SPR) estimation, small differences in the patient's density and elemental composition lead to uncertainty in the Bragg peak positions along the path of the proton beam. In this study, we investigated the potential of dual-energy computed tomography image-based proton SPRs prediction accuracy to reduce the uncertainty of Bragg peak position prediction. Single- and dual-energy images of an electron density phantom (CIRS Model 062M electron density phantom, CIRS Inc., Norfolk, VA, USA) were acquired using a computed tomography system (Somatom Definition AS, Siemens Health Care, Forchheim, Germany) to estimate the SPRs of the proton beam. To validate the method, it was compared to the SPRs estimated from standard data provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The results show that the dual-energy image-based method has the potential to improve accuracy in predicting the SPRs of proton beams, and it is expected that further improvements in predicting the position of the proton's Bragg peak will be possible if a wider variety of substitutes with different densities and elemental compositions of the human body are used to predict the SPRs.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.86-90
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• 2014

Objective : The spot sign is related with the risk of hematoma expansion in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, not all spot sign positive patients undergo hematoma expansion. Thus, the present study investigates the specific factors enhancing the spot sign positivity in predicting hematoma expansion. Methods : We retrospectively studied 316 consecutive patients who presented between March 2009 to March 2011 with primary ICH and whose initial computed tomography brain angiography (CTA) was performed at our Emergency Department. Of these patients, 47 primary ICH patients presented spot signs in their CTA. We classified these 47 patients into two groups based on the presence of hematoma expansion then analyzed them with the following factors : gender, age, initial systolic blood pressure, history of anti-platelet therapy, volume and location of hematoma, time interval from symptom onset to initial CTA, spot sign number, axial dimension, and Hounsfield Unit (HU) of spot signs. Results : Of the 47 spot sign positive patients, hematoma expansion occurred in 26 patients (55.3%) while the remaining 21 (44.7%) showed no expansion. The time intervals from symptom onset to initial CTA were $2.42{\pm}1.24$ hours and $3.69{\pm}2.57$ hours for expansion and no expansion, respectively (p=0.031). The HU of spot signs were $192.12{\pm}45.97$ and $151.10{\pm}25.14$ for expansion and no expansion, respectively (p=0.001). Conclusions : The conditions of shorter time from symptom onset to initial CTA and higher HU of spot signs are the emphasizing factors for predicting hematoma expansion in spot sign positive patients.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2020

The aims of this study were to obtain the normal ranges of enhancement parameters for salivary gland in dynamic CT and to investigate the effects of fasting time on contrast enhancement in clinically normal beagle dogs. With five healthy beagle dogs, dynamic CT examination was performed according to fasting times (as fasting times, 12hours, 0 min, 20 min, 40 min, 1 hours, 6 hours, 24 hours). In normal beagles with 12hours fasting, enhancement parameters through the preliminary study were as follows: ImaxA - 472 .49 ± 19.01 HU; ImaxS - 138.95 ± 6.2 5 HU; TmaxA - 25.8 ± 1.79 sec; TmaxS - 69.0 ± 23.11 sec; Teq - 80.5 ± 6.61 sec; T-Aeq - 54.5 ± 5.51 sec (Imax - peak enhancement; Tmax - time to peak enhancement; Teq - time to equilibrium phase; T-Aeq - time between peak enhancement in the common carotid artery and onset of the equilibrium phase; A - common carotid; S - submandibular gland; HU - Hounsfield unit). Additionally, ImaxA and ImaxS were significantly increased in 40 min after eating. Because these results associated with postprandial hemodynamic changes can make the diagnosis of salivary gland diseases more difficult, sufficient fasting time is important for accurate diagnosis.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2021

Purpose: To investigate the reliability of CT and MRI for quantitative and qualitative analyses of lumbar paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration (PSFI) and correlation of PSFI with intervertebral disc pathology. Materials and Methods: Lumbar spine CT and MRI of 36 subjects were reviewed retrospectively. Two observers independently outlined lumbar paraspinal muscles at each mid-intervertebral disc level. Paraspinal muscles on CT and MRI were graded according to the Goutallier grading system (GGS). The area, mean value, and standard deviation (SD) of the Hounsfield unit (HU) were obtained. Intervertebral discs were assessed on axial image of T2WI at each level. Correlations between qualitative and quantitative data and intervertebral disc pathology, age, and sex were evaluated. Results: Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on MRI were substantial (κ = 0.79) and moderate (κ = 0.59), respectively. Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on CT were almost perfect (κ = 0.88) and substantial (κ = 0.66), respectively. Quantitative measurements of HU showed almost perfect inter- and intra-observer reliabilities (κ = 0.82 and κ = 0.99, respectively). There were statistically significant correlations between intervertebral disc pathology and PSFI at L1-2, L2-3, and L4-5 levels on MRI and at L1-2 and L3-4 levels on CT. Age showed significant correlation with results of GGS at all levels on CT and MRI. Conclusion: This study showed that GGS results and HU measurements could be useful for evaluating PSFI because they showed correlations with intervertebral disc pathology results at certain levels.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.211-218
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex and menopausal age on the thickness and density of squamous portion of the temporal bone as the membranous bone. Patients who visited a general hospital in Chungnam and had a computed tomography (CT) examination of the head. A retrospective study was conducted with 120 subjects (30 men under 55 years old, 30 men over 56 years old, 30 women under 55 years old, and 30 women over 56 years old). Axial images of the squamous portion in the temporal bone were obtained from CT of the head. For this image, a slice sensitive profile (SSP) was acquired with an image analysis program and these were evaluated. The thickness was measured by using a digital ruler to measure the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the SSP, and the density was measured in hounsfield unit (HU). These by gender were measured to be about 0.5 mm thinner in the temporal bone in men than in women, and there was a significant difference. The density was measured to be about 200 HU higher in women than in men of it, and there was a significant difference. As a result, it in women was thicker and had a lower density. The thickness of it in men and women over 56 years of age was 0.8 mm or more thicker in women and less than 400 HU in density. As a result, the women group over the age of 56 showed a distinct increase in thickness and decrease in density, different from other target groups. It is expected that the results of this study could be used as basic data for a new bone density measurement site study.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.92-98
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• 2021

Purpose: This study automatically discriminates homogeneous and structure edge regions on computed tomography (CT) images, and it evaluates the noise level and edge preservation ratio (EPR) according to the different types of iterative reconstruction (IR). Methods: The dataset consisted of CT scans of 10 patients reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), statistical IR (iDose⁴), and iterative model-based reconstruction (IMR). Using the 10th and 85th percentiles of the structure coherence feature, homogeneous and structure edge regions were localized. The noise level was estimated using the averages of the standard deviations for five regions of interests (ROIs), and the EPR was calculated as the ratio of standard deviations between homogeneous and structural edge regions on subtraction CT between the FBP and IR. Results: The noise levels were 20.86±1.77 Hounsfield unit (HU), 13.50±1.14 HU, and 7.70±0.46 HU for FBP, iDose⁴, and IMR, respectively, which indicates that iDose⁴ and IMR could achieve noise reductions of approximately 35.17% and 62.97%, respectively. The EPR had values of 1.14±0.48 and 1.22±0.51 for iDose⁴ and IMR, respectively. Conclusions: The iDose⁴ and IMR algorithms can effectively reduce noise levels while maintaining the anatomical structure. This study suggested automated evaluation measurements of noise levels and EPRs, which are important aspects in CT image quality with patients' cases of FBP, iDose⁴, and IMR. We expect that the inclusion of other important image quality indices with a greater number of patients' cases will enable the establishment of integrated platforms for monitoring both CT image quality and radiation dose.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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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.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.624-633
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the reliability of CT measurements of muscle quantity and quality using variable CT parameters. Materials and Methods: A phantom, simulating the L2-4 vertebral levels, was used for this study. CT images were repeatedly acquired with modulation of tube voltage, tube current, slice thickness, and the image reconstruction algorithm. Reference standard muscle compartments were obtained from the reference maps of the phantom. Cross-sectional area based on the Hounsfield unit (HU) thresholds of muscle and its components, and the mean density of the reference standard muscle compartment, were used to measure the muscle quantity and quality using different CT protocols. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were calculated in the images acquired with different settings. Results: The skeletal muscle area (threshold, -29 to 150 HU) was constant, regardless of the protocol, occupying at least 91.7% of the reference standard muscle compartment. Conversely, normal attenuation muscle area (30-150 HU) was not constant in the different protocols, varying between 59.7% and 81.7% of the reference standard muscle compartment. The mean density was lower than the target density stated by the manufacturer (45 HU) in all cases (range, 39.0-44.9 HU). The SNR decreased with low tube voltage, low tube current, and in sections with thin slices, whereas it increased when the iterative reconstruction algorithm was used. Conclusion: Measurement of muscle quantity using HU threshold was reliable, regardless of the CT protocol used. Conversely, the measurement of muscle quality using the mean density and narrow HU thresholds were inconsistent and inaccurate across different CT protocols. Therefore, further studies are warranted in future to determine the optimal CT protocols for reliable measurements of muscle quality.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.269-278
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• 2012

Aquaplast Thermoplastic (AT) is a tissue-equivalent oral compensator that has been developed to improve dose uniformity at the common boundary and around the treated area during radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. In order to assess the usefulness of AT, the degree of improvement in dose distribution and physical properties were compared to those of oral compensators made using paraffin, alginate, and putty, which are materials conventionally used in dental imprinting. To assess the physical properties, strength evaluations (compression and drop evaluations) and natural deformation evaluations (volume change over time) were performed; a Gafchromic EBT2 film and a glass dosimeter inserted into a developed phantom for dose verification were used to measure the common boundary dose and the beam profile to assess the dose delivery. When the natural deformation of the oral compensators was assessed over a two-month period, alginate exhibited a maximum of 80% change in volume from moisture evaporation, while the remaining tissue-equivalent properties, including those of AT, showed a change in volume that was less than 3%. In a free-fall test at a height of 1.5 m (repeated 5 times as a strength evaluation), paraffin was easily damaged by the impact, but AT exhibited no damage from the fall. In compressive strength testing, AT was not destroyed even at 8 times the force needed for paraffin. In dose verification using a glass dosimeter, the results showed that in a single test, the tissue-equivalent (about 80 Hounsfield Units [HU]) AT delivered about 4.9% lower surface dose in terms of delivery of an output coefficient (monitor unit), which was 4% lower than putty and exhibited a value of about 1,000 HU or higher during a dose delivery of the same formulation. In addition, when the incident direction of the beam was used as a reference, the uniformity of the dose, as assessed from the beam profile at the boundary after passing through the oral compensators, was 11.41, 3.98, and 4.30 for air, AT, and putty, respectively. The AT oral compensator had a higher strength and lower probability of material transformation than the oral compensators conventionally used as a tissue-equivalent material, and a uniform dose distribution was successfully formed at the boundary and surrounding area including the mouth. It was also possible to deliver a uniformly formulated dose and reduce the skin dose delivery.