• International journal of thyroidology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 2017

Background and Objectives: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performances of grayscale ultrasound (US) and quantitative parameters obtained from texture analysis of grayscale US and elastography images in evaluating patients with diffuse thyroid disease (DTD). Materials and Methods: From September to December 2012, 113 patients (mean age, $43.4{\pm}10.7years$) who had undergone preoperative staging US and elastography were included in this study. Assessment of the thyroid parenchyma for the diagnosis of DTD was made if US features suggestive of DTD were present. Nine histogram parameters were obtained from the grayscale US and elastography images, from which 'grayscale index' and 'elastography index' were calculated. Diagnostic performances of grayscale US, texture analysis using grayscale US and elastography were calculated and compared. Results: Of the 113 patients, 85 (75.2%) patients were negative for DTD and 28 (24.8%) were positive for DTD on pathology. The presence of US features suggestive of DTD showed significantly higher rates of DTD on pathology, 60.7% to 8.2% (p<0.001). Specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value was highest in US features, 91.8%, 84.1%, and 87.6%, respectively (all ps<0.05). Grayscale index showed higher sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) than US features. All diagnostic performances were higher for grayscale index than the elastography index. Area under the curve of US features was the highest, 0.762, but without significant differences to grayscale index or mean of elastography (all ps>0.05). Conclusion: Diagnostic performances were the highest for grayscale US features in diagnosis of DTD. Grayscale index may be used as a complementary tool to US features for improving sensitivity and NPV.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.801-810
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate imaging biomarkers of microperfusion in contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Materials and Methods: The CIN model was fabricated by administering indomethacin (10 mg/kg), L-NAME (15 mg/kg), and iopamidol (10 mL/kg) to Sprague-Dawley rats. After 24 hours, CEUS was performed on CIN (n = 6) and control (n = 6) rats with sulphur hexafluoride microbubbles (SonoVue). From time-intensity curves obtained from the kidney arriving time (AT), acceleration time (AC), time to peak (TTP), and peak enhancement (PE) were measured and compared between the groups. After CEUS, the rats were sacrificed, and cell apoptosis markers were evaluated to confirm the development of CIN. Results: Among CEUS parameters, AT (7.8 ± 1.6 vs. 4.2 ± 0.5 s, p = 0.002), AC (4.7 ± 1.4 vs. 2.0 ± 0.4 s, p = 0.002), and TTP (12.5 ± 2.9 vs. 6.2 ± 0.6 s, p = 0.002) were significantly prolonged in the CIN group compared to controls. PE was significantly higher in the control group than in the CIN group (17.1 ± 1.9 vs. 12.2 ± 2.0 dB, p = 0.004). In kidney tissue, mRNA and protein levels of the apoptotic makers were significantly higher in the CIN group than in the control group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002). Conclusion: CEUS parameters can be used as imaging biomarkers for microperfusion in CIN. In rats with CIN, AT, AC, and TTP were significantly prolonged, while PE was significantly lower compared to controls.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2024

Background and Objectives: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) evaluation of coronary artery morphology is based on the lumen and vessel segmentation. This study aimed to develop an automatic segmentation algorithm and validate the performances for measuring quantitative IVUS parameters. Methods: A total of 1,063 patients were randomly assigned, with a ratio of 4:1 to the training and test sets. The independent data set of 111 IVUS pullbacks was obtained to assess the vessel-level performance. The lumen and external elastic membrane (EEM) boundaries were labeled manually in every IVUS frame with a 0.2-mm interval. The Efficient-UNet was utilized for the automatic segmentation of IVUS images. Results: At the frame-level, Efficient-UNet showed a high dice similarity coefficient (DSC, 0.93±0.05) and Jaccard index (JI, 0.87±0.08) for lumen segmentation, and demonstrated a high DSC (0.97±0.03) and JI (0.94±0.04) for EEM segmentation. At the vessel-level, there were close correlations between model-derived vs. experts-measured IVUS parameters; minimal lumen image area (r=0.92), EEM area (r=0.88), lumen volume (r=0.99) and plaque volume (r=0.95). The agreement between model-derived vs. expert-measured minimal lumen area was similarly excellent compared to the experts' agreement. The model-based lumen and EEM segmentation for a 20-mm lesion segment required 13.2 seconds, whereas manual segmentation with a 0.2-mm interval by an expert took 187.5 minutes on average. Conclusions: The deep learning models can accurately and quickly delineate vascular geometry. The artificial intelligence-based methodology may support clinicians' decision-making by real-time application in the catheterization laboratory.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.284-291
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• 2013

The importance of ultrasound examination in the field of medical imaging has been emphasized and the interest in sonographic image evaluation is growing. However image evaluations by the non-standardized criteria and methods, so establishment of legal provisions and objective evaluation criteria are needed. In this study, we used SNR to find out more quantitative way and supplement the limitations of the existing phantom image evaluation. The results of acquired 8 images using ATS-539 multipurpose phantom were compared in SNR of sensitivity and gray-scale dynamic range. In the result of the experiment, excellent equipment of existing phantom images are G1, S1 and G2 in regular sequence. In SNR of sensitivity, G1, S1 and G2 and in SNR of gray-scale dynamic range, S1 G1 and G2 in order. In the conclusion, all the experiment results did not show big difference and regular pattern neither. Therefore, the new evaluation measures should be used with the existing phantom image evaluation method for more objective and quantitative evaluation of the ultrasound imaging device.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to compare the MI using SonoVue along with different machines output and to infer the meaning of the signal difference under the same condition. All of the comparative instruments showed strong signal values at early stage as MI value increased. Over time, the inter-instrumental signal values showed signal attenuation under all conditions except for 10 min of the condition of MI 0.1 of RS85A. E9 and EPIQ7 showed signal degradation due to microbubble collapse over time at all MI values. In the comparison of equipment, the signal strengths of MI 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 were high in order of EPIQ7, RS85A and E9. In the quantitative analysis, there were statistically significant from the SNR and CNR that were obtained from RS85A and E9 (P-value<0.05). In the quantitative analysis, Epiq7 was statistically significant except for CNR as the MI value was changed In the contrast-enhanced ultrasound, even though MI value was low (MI <0.05), it will be helpful for diagnosis, controlling the MI and scan time because a difference in signal intensity was shown between the three machines.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2013

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of cortical bone on acoustic properties of trabecular bone, such as speed of sound (SOS) and normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation (nBUA), in bovine femur in vitro. Twelve trabecular bone samples and three cortical bone plates with thicknesses of 1.00, 1.47, and 2.00 mm were extracted from the proximal end of two bovine femurs. The correlations between acoustic properties and trabecular apparent bone density were also examined before and after attaching a cortical bone plate to the trabecular bone samples. SOS increased linearly with increasing thickness of the cortical plate attached to one side of ultrasonic incidence of the trabecular bone samples, whereas nBUA showed a nonlinear dependence on the thickness of the cortical plate. All the SOS (r = 0.95-0.97) and nBUA (r = 0.53-0.73) measurements with and without the cortical bone plate with various thicknesses were found to exhibit high correlations with the trabecular apparent bone density. These results imply that the acoustic properties measured in the femur with lateral cortical layers in vitro can be useful indices for the prediction of trabecular bone mineral density.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.490-492
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• 2016

Pancreatic ultrasound imaging is used to diagnose pancreatic hyperplasia, pancreatic steatosis, pancreatic cancer and the like. If the diagnosis of pancreatic steatosis is pancreatic parenchyma echo shades splashes spleen than in the pancreas ultrasound it determines that the fat is deposited. And research on ultrasound imaging of pancreatic cancer but is actively conducted research studies on pancreatic steatosis is insufficient In addition, pancreatic steatosis is often an error in accordance with the diagnostic criteria are vague and subjective diagnosis of the artisan. This study was a quantitative analysis using the feature value extracting a feature of an image extracted by applying a parameter to the algorithm GLCM image of the normal and pancreatic fat. Setting a region of interest ($5{\times}5pixel$) in the mild 89 case, moderate 89 case, severe 89 case, total image 267 case using GLCM algorithm, and using the Autocorrelation, Sum average, Sum of squares, Sum varience 4 kinds parameter in each image It was analyzed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1057-1065
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• 2023

Non-invasive liver fibrosis diagnosis is crucial for patients with chronic liver diseases. Many patients cannot undergo liver tissue biopsy, so predicting the degree of liver fibrosis early through meaningful methods can reduce complications related to chronic liver diseases, such as liver cell carcinoma and cirrhosis. This study compared and analyzed the quantitative measurement of liver fibrosis using shear wave elastography in conjunction with liver ultrasound findings and their associations with serum biomarkers (p<0.05). The results showed that the shear wave elastography measurement in the normal group was 4.55 ± 0.69 kPa, while the abnormal contrast group with echogenic patterns had a measurement of 8.27 ± 1.83 kPa. The hepatitis B carrier group exhibited higher shear wave elastography measurements, and among serum biomarkers, AST, ALT, GGT, and PT showed statistically significant positive correlations with fibrosis severity according to SWE categories (p<0.05), while ALP and TB did not demonstrate statistically significant differences (p=0.163, p=0.567). Conversely, Albumin and PLT showed significant negative correlations (p<0.05). Clinically, utilizing shear wave elastography measurements through liver ultrasound in the tracking and repeat testing of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients without cirrhosis can assist in achieving more objective diagnoses among healthcare providers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7291-7294
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• 2015

Purpsoe: To investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative analysis of a tissue diffusion and virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ) technique with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography for assessing enlarged cervical lymph nodes. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six enlarged cervical lymph nodes confirmed by pathologic diagnoses were covered in the study. According to the results of pathologic diagnosis, patients were classified into benign and malignant groups. All the patients were examined by both conventional ultrasonography and elastography. AREA% and shear wave velocity (SWV) in ROI of different groups were calculated and compared using ROC curves. Cut-off points of AREA% and SWV were determined with receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: Final histopathological results revealed 21 cases of benign and 35 cases of malignant lymph nodes. The mean values of AREA% and SWV in benign and malignant groups were $45.0{\pm}17.9%$ and $2.32{\pm}0.57m/s$, and $61.3{\pm}21.29%$ and $4.36{\pm}1.25$)m/s, respectively. For the parameters of elastography, "AREA%" and SWV demonstrated significant differences between groups (p=0.002). AREA% was positively correlated with SWV with a correlation coefficient of 0.809 (P<0.001). Conclusions: Stiffness of different lymph node diseases in patients may differ. Elastography can evaluate changes sensitively and provide valuable information to doctors. The study proved that the VTIQ elastography technique can play an important role in differential diagnosis of lymph nodes.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.393-402
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and to compare the dietary behaviors, nutrient intake and physical activities of specialized game high school students. Total of 163 subjects participated and their weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference and bone status by a quantitative ultrasound method were measured. The subjects were surveyed by a self-administered questionnaire about general characteristics, dietary behaviors and physical activities. Nutrient intakes of the subjects were assessed by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The subjects were divided into four groups on their obesity level by BMI. The prevalence of underweight, normal, overweight and obese group was 6%, 58%, 16%, and 20% respectively. BMI was negatively correlated with bone mineral density (p < 0.01) and positively correlated with WHR (p < 0.01). The dietary guideline compliance score for "Enjoy Korean rice food style" was 2.63, followed by "Prepare food sanitarily"2.48, "Do not skip breakfast"2.29, "Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, dairy products daily"2.25, "Drink water instead of beverage"2.10, "Choose less fried foods"2.09 and "Maintain healthy weight"1.91. The exercise frequency of walking was not significantly different between groups; however, heavy exercise frequency was significantly lower in underweight group than the other groups (p < 0.05). The energy intake was 2153 kcal, which was 81.2% of the Estimate Energy Requirement, and the intake of calcium and vitamin $B_2$ was 66.7% and 77.8% of KDRIs. Particularly, the intake of iron, vitamin A and vitamin C was about 59.4%, 52.2% and 55.4% of KDRIs and INQ was 0.71, 0.63 and 0.65 respectively, and intake of folic acid fell behind 39.1% of KDRIs and INQ was 0.46. Our study suggests that the systematic and continuous nutrition education will have to be provided at schools to improve dietary and health behaviors and prevent chronic metabolic disease for students of specialized game high school.