• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.165-173
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• 2009

Nuclear cardiology in Korea is less active, compared to nuclear oncology, but it has been specialized and ramified. Lately, sophisticated nuclear cardiac imaging methods provide more convenience for patients. It is necessary to accurately estimate the recent progress in the imaging devices for nuclear cardiology. Myocardial perfusion imaging is a well established study to evaluate heart function. Myocardial perfusion SPECT and PET have been used for assessment of coronary artery disease with various radiopharmaceuticals. And of late, the development of advanced imaging devices - multi-pinhole technique and high definition imaging technique - and software made the scanning time shorter and expanded the application field. Therefore, it is required to review the nuclear cardiology hardware/software for the clinical practice and research. In this review, the characteristics about recently-developed SPECT/PET and software for nuclear cardiology are described. It is hoped that this information would contribute to improving the activity of nuclear cardiac research in Korea where the research for the fusion imaging combining a and nuclear imaging is drawing more attention.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.111-114
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• 2004

Molecular imaging provides a visualization of normal as well as abnormal cellular processes at a molecular or genetic level rather than at a anatomical level. Conventional medical imaging methods utilize the imaging signals produced by nonspecific physico-chemical interaction. However, molecular imaging methods utilize the imaging signals derived from specific cellular or molecular events. Because molecular and genetic changes precede anatomical change in the course of disease development, molecular imaging can detect early events in disease progression. in the near future, through molecular imaging we can understand basic mechanisms of disease, and diagnose earlier and, subsequently, treat earlier intractable diseases such as cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, and immunologic disorders. In beginning period, nuclear medicine started as a molecular imaging, and has had a leading role in the field of molecular imaging. But recently molecular imaging has been rapidly developed. Besides nuclear imaging, molecular imaging methods such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging are emerging. Each imaging modalities have their advantages and weaknesses. The opportunities from molecular imaging look bright. We should try nuclear medicine continues to have a leading role in molecular imaging.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.1259-1265
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• 2021

In the present study, a large-area hybrid gamma imaging system was designed by adopting coded aperture imaging on the basis of a large-area Compton camera to achieve high imaging performance throughout a broad energy range (100-2000 keV). The system consisting of a tungsten coded aperture mask and monolithic NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors was designed through a series of Geant4 Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, in consideration of both imaging sensitivity and imaging resolution. Then, the performance of the system was predicted by Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations for point sources under various conditions. Our simulation results show that the system provides very high imaging sensitivity (i.e., low values for minimum detectable activity, MDA), thus allowing for imaging of low-activity sources at distances impossible with coded aperture imaging or Compton imaging alone. In addition, the imaging resolution of the system was found to be high (i.e., around 6°) over the broad energy range of 59.5-1330 keV.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2008

Nuclear medicine imaging has an unique advantage of absolute quantitation of radioactivity concentration in body. Tracer kinetic analysis has been known as an useful investigation methods in quantitative study of in-vivo physiological function. The use of nuclear medicine imaging and kinetic analysis together can provide more useful and powerful intuition in understanding biochemical and molecular phenomena in body. There have been many development and improvement in kinetic analysis methodologies, but the conventional basic concept of kinetic analysis is still essential and required for further advanced study using new radiopharmaceuticals and hybrid molecular imaging techniques. In this paper, the basic theory of kinetic analysis and imaging techniques for suppressing noise were summarized.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 2004

Small animal models are extensively utilized in the study of biomedical sciences. Current animal experiments and analysis are largely restricted to in vitro measurements and need to sacrifice animals to perform tissue or molecular analysis. This prevents researchers from observing in vivo the natural evolution of the process under study. Imaging techniques can provide repeatedly in vivo anatomic and molecular information noninvasively. Small animal imaging systems have been developed to assess biological process in experimental animals and increasingly employed in the field of molecular imaging studies. This review outlines the current developments in nuclear medicine imaging instrumentations including fused multi-modality imaging systems for small animal imaging.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.96-105
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• 2006

Molecular imaging has its root in nuclear medicine and gene therapy monitoring. Therefore, recent progress in the development of non-invasive imaging technologies, particularly nuclear medicine, should allow molecular imaging to play a major role in the field of gene therapy. These tools have recently been validated in gene therapy models for continuous quantitative monitoring of the location, magnitude, and time-variation of gene delivery and/or expression. This article reviews the use of radionuclide imaging technologies as they have been used in imaging gene delivery and gene expression for gene therapy applications. The studios published to date lend support that noninvasive imaging tools will help to accelerate pre-clinical model validation as well as allow for clinical monitoring of human gene therapy.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2009

Nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging is very effective in the evaluation of patients with suspicious acute coronary syndrome (ACS), for adequate diagnosis and treatment. There have been many clinical evidences to support the efficacy and cost-effectiveness. In addition, many authoritative guidelines support the utility of myocardial perfusion imaging in ACS with an appropriate diagnostic protocol. However, with the development of other cardiac imaging modalities, the choice of modality for the diagnosis of suspicious ACS now depends on the availability of each modality in each institute. Newly developed imaging technologies, especially including molecular imaging, are expected to have great potential not only for diagnosis but also for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of ACS.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2007

Radionuclide therapy has been an important field in nuclear medicine. In radionuclide therapy, relevant evaluation of Internally absorbed dose is essential for the achievement of efficient and sufficient treatment of incurable disease, and can be accomplish by means of accurate measurement of radioactivity in body and its changes with time. Recently, the advances of nuclear medicine imaging and multi modality imaging processing techniques can provide change of more accurate and easier measurement of the measures commented above, in cooperation of conventional imaging based approaches. in this review, basic concept for internal dosimetry using nuclear medicine imaging is summarized with several check points which should be considered In real practice.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.203-206
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• 2009

Nuclear cardiac imaging has been widely used to assess viable myocardium in patients with ischemic heart disease, The assessment of viable myocardium is important in selecting patients who will be benefit from revascularization. Although revascularization is indicated in patients with sufficient myocardium, patients with scar tissue should be treated medically. Nuclear imaging methods including myocardial perfusion SPECT and FDG PET have been shown to be effective modalities for identifying viable myocardium.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.193-199
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• 2006

Infectious and inflammatory bone diseases include a wide range of disease process, depending on the patient's age, location of infection, various causative organisms, duration from symtom onset, accompanied fracture or prior surgery, prosthesis insertion, and underlying systemic disease such as diabetes, etc. Bone infection may induce massive destruction of bones and joints, results in functional reduction and disability. The key to successful management is early diagnosis and proper treatment. Various radionuclide imaging methods including three phase bone scan, Ga-67 scan, WBC scan, and combined imaging techniques such as bone/Ga-67 scan, WBC/bone marrow scan add complementary role to the radiologic imaging modalities including plain radiography, CT and MRI. F-18 FDG PET imaging also has recently been introduced in diagnosis of infected prosthesis and chronic active osteomyelitis. Selection of proper nuclear medicine imaging method will improve the diagnostic accuracy of infections and inflammatory bone diseases, based on understading of pathogenesis and radiologic imaging findings.