• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.507-514
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to find a formula that can easily calculate the effective photon energy in the X-ray beam of mammography. The tube voltage measured for each set tube voltage was obtained using the X2 MAM Sensor. The mass attenuation coefficient for aluminum of the aluminum filter was obtained from the half value layer measurement from each measured tube voltage X-ray beam. The mass attenuation coefficient of aluminum obtained from each measured tube voltage X-ray beam was corresponded to the mass attenuation coefficient of aluminum for each photon energy obtained from NIST. The photon energy corresponding to the matching mass attenuation coefficient was determined as the effective photon energy. The formula for calculating the determined effective photon energy was obtained by polynomial matching of the effective photon energy for each tube voltage in the Origin pro 2019b statistical program as y = 28.98968-1.91738x + 0.07786x2-0.000946717x3. Here, x is the measuring tube voltage and y is the effective photon energy. The calculation formula of the effective photon energy of the mammography X-ray beam obtained in this study is considered to be very useful in obtaining the interaction coefficient between the X-ray beam and a certain substance in clinical practice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.237-244
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• 2011

Generally, X-ray examinations for dentistry use low energy radiation. It explains that the radiations are mainly absorbed to a human body because of the weak permeability. We made up some counterplans for decrease in radiation exposure, when guardians and radiologists are overexposed owing to unavoidable circumstances. The equipments for the test are GX-770 and CRANEX TOME CEPH which are used for various exams. Besides we measured the radiations in the projection room and in the control room using model 2026c and 20X6-1800. According to the test, the measurement value in the control room was low dose below $20{\mu}R$, the maximum dose in the projection room was $702.8{\mu}R$ and the measurement value of back dose was higher than lateral one. As the result, if we use a shielding door, it's effective for radioprotection and when we didn't prepare protectors, we should secure appropriate distance and be situated at the side area($90{\sim}135^{\circ}$) on the basis of centeral radiation. That way will provide valuable aid for radioprotection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.423-428
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• 2014

Digital X-ray imaging devices using a TFT based flat panel array has been used in medical field. But, recently, lots of research on the photon counting sensor has been reported. In this study, we evaluated the physical properties of the photoconductor by suggesting the standard and testing method for quantitative performance evaluation of photon counting x-ray imaging sensor. First, we measured the leakage current and the sensitivity of photon counting x-ray imaging sensor and we evaluated the characteristic of rising time for determining the signal shaping time. In addition, the set-up study was conducted on the basis of the IEC 62220-1-2 recommendations to define the number of incident photons per unit area. And the efficiency of the charge collection was also evaluated. As a result, the characteristic was measured as $200pA/mm^2$ of the leakage current, $7{\mu}C/cm^2R $ of the X-ray sensitivity, and $0.765{\mu}s$ of the rising time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.453-458
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• 2019

In this study we analyzed the tendency of the image characteristic by changing filtering factor for the proposed fast non local means (FNLM) noise reduction algorithm with designed Male Adult mesh (MASH) phantom through Geant4 application for tomographic emission (GATE) simulation program. To accomplish this purpose, MASH phantom for human copy was designed through the GATE simulation program. In addition, we acquired degraded image by adding Gaussian noise with a value of 0.005 using the MATALB program in MASH phantom. Moreover, in degraded image, the FNLM noise reduction algorithm was applied by changing the filtering factors, which set to 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 value, respectively. To quantitatively evaluate, the coefficient of variation (COV), signal to noise ratio (SNR), and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were calculated in reconstructed images. Results of the COV, SNR and CNR were most improved in image with a filtering factor of 0.05 value. Especially, the COV was decreased with increasing filtering factor, and showed nearly constant values after 0.05 value of the filtering factor. In addition, SNR and CNR were showed that improvement with increasing filtering factor, and deterioration after 0.05 value of the filtering factor. In conclusion, we demonstrated the significance of setting the filtering factor when applying the FNLM noise reduction algorithm in degraded image.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2021

Republic of Korea has many nuclear facilities in the country, and Democratic People's Republic of Korea(North Korea) locates in the surrounding country. Therefore, it is necessary to construct the target facility's nuclear forensic data in a preemptive response to the changing international situation. For this reason, this study suggests "signature" materials used to understand the origins and sources of nuclear and other radioactive materials, taking into account domestic nuclear facilities and the nuclear fuel cycle. In domestic, pressurized light water reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors are in operation, and enriched and natural uranium are used as fuels. In the front-end fuel cycle, the signature materials can be nature uranium and UF6 in the uranium enrichment process. The domestic back-end fuel cycle adopts a non-circulating cycle excluding the reprocessing process, and the primary signature material is spent nuclear fuel. According to IAEA recommendation, the importance of these materials as the signature and characteristic contents are suggested in this study. To prove the integrity of nuclear material and build a national nuclear forensics library, it is necessary to grasp the signature material and acquire the characteristic data considering the domestic nuclear facilities and the nuclear fuel cycle.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.991-1001
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• 2020

Supervised deep learning technologies for improving the image quality of computed tomography (CT) need a lot of training data. When input images have different characteristics with training images, the technologies cause structural distortion in output images. In this study, an imaging model based on the deep reinforcement learning (DRL) was developed for overcoming the drawbacks of the supervised deep learning technologies and reducing noise in CT images. The DRL model was consisted of shared, value and policy networks, and the networks included convolutional layers, rectified linear unit (ReLU), dilation factors and gate rotation unit (GRU) in order to extract noise features from CT images and improve the performance of the DRL model. Also, the quality of the CT images obtained by using the DRL model was compared to that obtained by using the supervised deep learning model. The results showed that the image accuracy for the DRL model was higher than that for the supervised deep learning model, and the image noise for the DRL model was smaller than that for the supervised deep learning model. Also, the DRL model reduced the noise of the CT images, which had different characteristics with training images. Therefore, the DRL model is able to reduce image noise as well as maintain the structural information of CT images.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.338-348
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• 2023

Objective: Patients with a history of ischemic stroke are at risk for a second ischemic stroke. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carotid plaque enhancement on perfluorobutane microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and future recurrent stroke, and to determine whether plaque enhancement can contribute to risk assessment for recurrent stroke compared with the Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS). Materials and Methods: This prospective study screened 151 patients with recent ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerotic plaques at our hospital between August 2020 and December 2020. A total of 149 eligible patients underwent carotid CEUS, and 130 patients who were followed up for 15-27 months or until stroke recurrence were analyzed. Plaque enhancement on CEUS was investigated as a possible risk factor for stroke recurrence and as a possible adjunct to ESRS. Results: During follow-up, 25 patients (19.2%) experienced recurrent stroke. Patients with plaque enhancement on CEUS had an increased risk of stroke recurrence events (22/73, 30.1%) compared to those without plaque enhancement (3/57, 5.3%), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 38.264 (95% confidence interval [CI]:14.975-97.767; P < 0.001) according to a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis, indicating that the presence of carotid plaque enhancement was a significant independent predictor of recurrent stroke. When plaque enhancement was added to the ESRS, the HR for stroke recurrence in the high-risk group compared to that in the low-risk group (2.188; 95% CI, 0.025-3.388) was greater than that of the ESRS alone (1.706; 95% CI, 0.810-9.014). A net of 32.0% of the recurrence group was reclassified upward appropriately by the addition of plaque enhancement to the ESRS. Conclusion: Carotid plaque enhancement was a significant and independent predictor of stroke recurrence in patients with ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the addition of plaque enhancement improved the risk stratification capability of the ESRS.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the volumetric characteristics of mucous retention cysts(MRCs) in the maxillary sinus and to analyze potential associations of MRCs with dentoalveolar pathologies. Materials and Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans exhibiting bilateral maxillary sinuses that were acquired from January 2016 to February 2019 were initially screened. A total of 227 scans(454 sinuses) that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. The presence, location, and volumetric characteristics of the diagnosed MRCs were evaluated on CBCT images using the 3D-Slicer software platform. The presence of MRCs was correlated with potential influencing factors including age, sex, and dentoalveolar pathology. For MRCs located on the sinus floor, factors with a potential impact on the volume, surface, and diameter were analyzed. Results: An MRC was present in 130 (28.6%) of the 454 sinuses. Most MRCs were located on the sinus walls and floor. The mean MRC volume, surface, and diameter were 551.21±1368.04 mm³, 228.09±437.56 mm², and 9.63±5.40 mm, respectively. Significantly more sinuses with associated endodontically treated teeth/periapical lesions were diagnosed with an MRC located on the sinus floor. For MRCs located on the sinus floor, endodontic status exhibited a significant association with increased volume, surface, and diameter. Conclusion: Periapical lesions might be a contributing factor associated with the presence and volume of MRCs located on the sinus floor. The 3D-Slicer software platform was found to be a useful tool for clinicians to analyze the size of MRCs before surgical interventions such as sinus floor elevation procedures.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2017

Purpose: The nasopalatine canal is a well-known, important anatomical structure in the anterior maxilla, but this region contains many accessory canals. The canalis sinuosus (CS) is one of these canals; it contains the anterior superior alveolar nerve, along with veins and arteries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the CS using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in patients with maxillary impacted canines. Materials and Methods: A total of 111 patients admitted to the Istanbul Medipol University School of Dentistry for the exposure, orthodontic treatment, and/or extraction of an impacted canine were included in this study. CBCT images were obtained for these patients under standard conditions. Axial, coronal, and sagittal sections were evaluated to assess the prevalence of CS, the direction and diameter of the canal, its relation with the impacted canine, and its distance from the alveolar crest. Further, possible correlations with patient gender and age were analyzed. Results: The CS could be detected bilaterally in all the evaluated tomography images. The mean canal diameter was significantly larger in males than in females(P=.001). The CS ran significantly closer to the impacted canine when the canal was located horizontally (P=.03). Variations of the canal, such as accessory canals, were identified in 6 patients. Conclusion: CS is an anatomical entity that may resemble periapical lesions and other anatomical structures. Evaluation with CBCT prior to surgical procedures in the anterior maxilla will help to prevent overlooking such anatomical structures and to decrease possible surgical complications.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.257-263
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of digital dental models constructed from cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) scans of polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impressions and cast scan models. Materials and Methods: A pair of PVS impressions was obtained from 20 subjects and scanned using CBCT (resolution, 0.1 mm). A cast scan model was constructed by scanning the gypsum model using a model scanner. After reconstruction of the digital models, the mesio-distal width of each tooth, inter-canine width, and inter-molar width were measured, and the Bolton ratios were calculated and compared. The 2 models were superimposed and the difference between the models was measured using 3-dimensional analysis. Results: The range of mean error between the cast scan model and the CBCT scan model was -0.15 mm to 0.13 mm in the mesio-distal width of the teeth and 0.03 mm to 0.42 mm in the width analysis. The differences in the Bolton ratios between the cast scan models and CBCT scan models were 0.87 (anterior ratio) and 0.72 (overall ratio), with no significant difference (P>0.05). The mean maxillary and mandibular difference when the cast scan model and the CBCT scan model were superimposed was 53 ㎛. Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference in most of the measurements. The maximum tooth size difference was 0.15mm, and the average difference in model overlap was 53 ㎛. Digital models produced by scanning impressions at a high resolution using CBCT can be used in clinical practice.