• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.87-99
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• 2002

This paper describes a method for overcoming the motion artifacts inherent in synthetic aperture(SA) imaging. based on the investigation results as to the influence of a target motion on synthetic aperture techniques. This method uses a region-based motion compensation approach in which only the axial motion is estimated and compensated for a given region of interest(ROI) under the assumption that the whole ROI moves uniformly The estimated axial motion is calculated with a crosscorrelation(CC) method at the Point where the focused signal has the maximum energy within the ROI. We also presents a method for estimating the axial motion using the autocorrelation(AC) method that is widely used to estimate average Doppler frequency Both computer simulations and in vivo experiments show that the proposed methods can improve greatly the spatial resolution and SNR of ultrasound imaging by implementing the SA techniques for two-way dynamic focusing without motion artifacts. In addition the AC-barred motion compensation method provides almost the same results as the CC-based one, but with a dramatically reduced computational complexity.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.452-465
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• 2016

In this study, the structure of a concave annular array transducer was optimized to generate high intensity focused ultrasound for medical therapeutic application. The transducer has a phased array structure composed of several concentric channels that have 40 mm as the radius of curvature. We derived theoretical equations to analyze the sound field of the transducer and verified the validity of the equations by comparing the results calculated by the equations with those from finite element analyses. We also checked the possibility of dynamic focusing at around the geometric focal point. Further, the level of a grating lobe occurring at an unwanted position in the transducer sound field was confirmed to be reducible through the relation between the number of channels and the frequency of the transducer. Hence, the structure of the transducer was optimized to place the main lobe within a specific range from the zenith while systematically reducing the level of the maximum sidelobe including the grating lobe. The designed structure showed the performance better than that targeted at all the focal points.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2024

Objectives This study aims to comprehensively review research utilizing ultrasonography for assessing manipulative treatment on spinal diseases, with the goal of promoting the wider integration of ultrasound imaging into clinical practice. Methods A systematic search was conducted on three international databases (Embase, PubMed, Cochrane) up to July 23, 2023. The search included key terms such as ultrasonography, manipulation, and skeletal muscle. The inclusion criteria narrowed down the selection to studies specifically related to lumbar and cervical vertebrae. Results Eleven studies were included in the review, with 10 focusing on lumbar vertebrae and one on cervical vertebrae, all employing spinal manipulation treatment. Among the 11 selected studies, nine primarily focused on ultrasound imaging to measure muscle thickness, while two utilized shear wave elastography to assess muscle stiffness. Also, rigorous measures were taken to ensure the reliability of the ultrasonography data. Conclusions This scoping review highlights the limited but growing evidence supporting the use of ultrasonography to assess manipulative treatment for spinal diseases. Despite a scarcity of studies in South Korea, it is crucial to recognize the potential of ultrasonography in becoming a widely used and practical tool for evaluating the effectiveness of manipulative treatments in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.116-123
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• 2023

A high intensity focuses ultrasound (HIFU) is one of the emerging technologies in the biomedical field. The piezoelectric HIFU transducer is a device that utilizes the thermal energy generated by high ultrasound energy. Recently an operating frequency of the HIFU transducer is to expand above a 7 MHz. In this study, the acoustic pressures and temperature distributions in the tissue that generated by the HIFU transducer at 10 MHz were calculated with the finite element method. In addition, the pressure focusing characteristics of the device were analyzed. The geometrical variables are the piezomaterial thickness, lens shape, water height, and film thickness. The results shown that the acoustic pressure increased and saturated gradually when the height/radius (H_L/R_L) ratio of the lens increased. Moreover, the focal area was gradually decreases with H_L/R_L ratio of the lens. In case of the optimized HIFU transducer, the maximum pressure and temperature were analyzed about 19 MPa and 65℃ respectively. And the -3 dB focused distances in the axial and lateral direction are around 2.3 mm and 0.23 mm respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.427-435
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• 2008

Inspection of dissimilar metal welds using phased array ultrasound is not easy at all, because crystalline structure of dissimilar metal welds cause deviation and splitting of the ultrasonic beams. Thus, in order to have focusing and/or steering phased array beams in dissimilar metal welds, proper time delays should be determined by ray tracing. In this paper, we proposed an effective approach to solve this difficult problem. Specifically, we modify the Oglivy's model parameters to describe the crystalline structure of real dissimilar metal welds in a fabricated specimen. And then, we calculate the proper time delay and incident angle of linear phased array transducer in the anisotropic and inhomogeneous material for focusing and/or steering phased array ultrasonic beams on the desired position.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.300-308
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• 2014

Photoacoustic imaging is a useful tool for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis because it is capable of providing anatomical and pathological information at the same time. A photoacoustic signal detector is a pivotal element to achieve high spatial resolution, so that it should have broadband spectrum with a high center frequency. Since a photoacoustic imaging probe is directly inserted into blood vessel to diagnose atherosclerosis, the total size of the photoacoustic signal detector should be less than 1 mm. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that PVDF can be used as an active material for the photoacoustic signal detector with a high frequency and broadband characteristic. The photoacoustic signal detector developed in this study was a single element ultrasound transducer with an aperture of $0.5{\times}0.5mm$ and the total size of 1 mm. In the design stage, the natural focal depth was adjusted for an effective focal area to cover the region of interest, i.e., 1~5 mm in depth. This was because geometrical focusing could not be used due to the small aperture. Through a pulse-echo test, it was ascertained that the developed photoacoustic signal detector has the -6 dB bandwidth ranging between 40.1 and 112.8 MHz and the center frequency of 76.83 MHz.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.403-414
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• 2004

In the accompanying paper, we proposed a real. time volumetric imaging method using a cross array based on receive dynamic focusing and synthetic aperture focusing along lateral and elevational directions, respetively. But synthetic aperture methods using spherical waves are subject to beam spreading with increasing depth due to the wave diffraction phenomenon. Moreover, since the proposed method uses only one element for each transmission, it has a limited transmit power. To overcome these limitations, we propose a new real. time volumetric imaging method using cross arrays based on synthetic aperture technique with linear wave fronts. In the proposed method, linear wave fronts having different angles on the horizontal plane is transmitted successively from all transmit array elements. On receive, by employing the conventional dynamic focusing and synthetic aperture methods along lateral and elevational directions, respectively, ultrasound waves can be focused effectively at all imaging points. Mathematical analysis and computer simulation results show that the proposed method can provide uniform elevational resolution over a large depth of field. Especially, since the new method can construct a volume image with a limited number of transmit receive events using a full transmit aperture, it is suitable for real-time 3D imaging with high transmit power and volume rate.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.67-71
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• 1998

초음파 선형트랜스듀서에서 제한회절음장은 영상깊이에서 다른 방향으로 진행하는 평면파들의 선형적인 중첩으로부터 구한다. 제한회절음장을 구현하기 위한 송신음장은 영상 깊이를 지나가는 평면파들의 공간적인 확장으로부터 구해지는데 실제의 하드웨어로 구현하 기 어렵다. 본 논문은 진행방향이 다른 pulsed mode 평면파를 각각 송신한 후, 얻어진 데이 터로부터 합성집속 방법에 의하여 제한회절빔을 구현하였다. 제안한 방법은 모든 송신소자 에서 발사되는 음장의 크기가 동일하므로 송신전력이 증가하여 신호대잡음비와 명암비를 증 가시키며 간단한 하드웨어로 구현이 가능하다. 시뮬레이션 결과는 송신은 한점집속, 수신은 동적집속을 사용하는 기존의 방법과 비교하여 주엽(mainlobe)의 폭과 부엽(sidelobe)의 크기 관점에서 우수함을 증명하였다.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2021

As technology advances at a rapid rate, innovations in regenerative medicine will eventually include the use of energy-based therapeutics, such as low intensity-pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUs), pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation (PMFs), and low-level laser/light therapy (LLLt) or photobiomodulation therapy (PBMt). Among these treatments, LLLt/PBMt attracted significant attention by the turn of the century, as evidenced by the numerous publications compared to LIPUs and PMFs, particularly for augmented bone regeneration (ABR). This is a testament of how the maturation of technology and scientific knowledge leads to latent compounded applications, even when the value of a technique is reliant on empirical data. This article reviews some of the notable investigations using LLLt/PBMt for bone regeneration published in the past decade, focusing on how this type of therapy has been utilized together with the existing regenerative medicine landscape.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2023

Mechanosensitive ion channels sense mechanical stimuli applied directly to the cellular membranes or indirectly through their tethered components, provoking cellular mechanoresponses. Among others, Piezo1 mechanosensitive ion channel is a relatively novel Ca²⁺-permeable channel that is primarily present in non-sensory tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that Piezo1 plays an important role in Ca²⁺-dependent cell death, including apoptosis and ferroptosis, in the presence of mechanical stimuli. It has also been proven that cancer cells are sensitive to mechanical stresses due to higher expression levels of Piezo1 compared to normal cells. In this review, we discuss Piezo1-mediated cell death mechanisms and therapeutic strategies to inhibit or induce cell death by modulating the activity of Piezo1 with pharmacological drugs or mechanical perturbations induced by stretch and ultrasound.