• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.71 no.1
• /
• pp.30-36
• /
• 2011

Background: Pneumonia is commonly seen in outpatient clinics. it is widely known as the most common cause of death from infectious disease. Pneumonia has been diagnosed by its typical symptoms, chest X-ray and blood tests. However, both chest X-rays and blood tests have limitations in diagnosis. Thus primary care clinicians usually have been constrained due to a lack of adequate diagnostic tools. Vibration response imaging (VRI) is a newly emerging diagnostic modality, and its procedure is non-invasive, radiation-free, and easy to handle. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of the VRI test among pneumonia patients and to consider its correlation with other conventional tests such as Chest X-ray, laboratory tests and clinical symptoms. Methods: VRI was performed in 46 patients diagnosed with pneumonia in Konkuk University Medical Center. VRI was assessed in a private and quiet room twice: before and after the treatment. Sensors for VRI were placed on a patient's back at regular intervals; they detected pulmonary vibration energy produced when respiration occurred and presented as specific images. Any modifications either in chest X-ray, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC) or body temperature were compared with changes in VRI image during a given time course. Results: VRI, chest X-ray and CRP scores were significantly improved after treatment. Correlation between VRI and other tests was not clearly indicated among all patients. But relatively severe pneumonia patients showed correlations between VRI and chest X-ray, as well as between VRI and CRP. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that VRI can be safely applied to patients with pneumonia.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.293-301
• /
• 2023

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformation of the spine that is a deformity induced by physical or disease-related causes as the spine is rotated abnormally. Early detection has a significant influence on the possibility of nonsurgical treatment. To train a deep learning model with preprocessed images and to evaluate the results with and without data augmentation to enable the diagnosis of scoliosis based only on a chest X-ray image. The preprocessed images in which only the spine, rib contours, and some hard tissues were left from the original chest image, were used for learning along with the original images, and three CNN(Convolutional Neural Networks) models (VGG16, ResNet152, and EfficientNet) were selected to proceed with training. The results obtained by training with the preprocessed images showed a superior accuracy to those obtained by training with the original image. When the scoliosis image was added through data augmentation, the accuracy was further improved, ultimately achieving a classification accuracy of 93.56% with the ResNet152 model using test data. Through supplementation with future research, the method proposed herein is expected to allow the early diagnosis of scoliosis as well as cost reduction by reducing the burden of additional radiographic imaging for disease detection.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.27-32
• /
• 2006

The rapid development in digital acquisition technology in radiography has not been accompanied by information regarding optimum radiolographic technique for use with an amorphus silicon flat panel detector. The purpose of our study was to compared imaging characteristics and image quality of an amorphus silicon flat panel detectors for digital chest radiography. All examinations were performed by using an amorphus silicon flat panel detector. Chest radiographs of an chest phantom were obtained with peak kilovoltage values of 60$\sim$150 kVp. Published data ell the effect of x-ray beam energy on imaging characteristics and image qualify when using an amorphus silicon flat panel detector. It is important that radiographers are aware of optimum kVp selection for an amorphus silicon flat panel detector system, particularly for the commonly performed chest examination.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.634-651
• /
• 2021

Dynamic X-ray (DXR) is a functional imaging technique that uses sequential images obtained by a flat-panel detector (FPD). This article aims to describe the mechanism of DXR and the analysis methods used as well as review the clinical evidence for its use. DXR analyzes dynamic changes on the basis of X-ray translucency and can be used for analysis of diaphragmatic kinetics, ventilation, and lung perfusion. It offers many advantages such as a high temporal resolution and flexibility in body positioning. Many clinical studies have reported the feasibility of DXR and its characteristic findings in pulmonary diseases. DXR may serve as an alternative to pulmonary function tests in patients requiring contact inhibition, including patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 or other infectious diseases. Thus, DXR has a great potential to play an important role in the clinical setting. Further investigations are needed to utilize DXR more effectively and to establish it as a valuable diagnostic tool.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.205-211
• /
• 2022

This study aimed to provide basic data for 3D printing in the medical health field by developing upper wear fixation device (UWFD), an auxiliary device for shortening chest AP examination time on emergency room beds and non-contact with patients. The standard of hooks was modeled according to the bed frame using the Autodesk Fusion 360. It was printed with Form2 (Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA), as SLA (stereo lithography apparatus) method, and was washed and hardened using Form Wash and Form Cure. The completed UWFD conducted an online survey on 4 items of stability, convenience, availability, preference and general characteristics. The total stability average was 3.93±0.80, the total convenience average was 3.93±0.68, the total availability average was 4.01±0.89, and the total preference average was 3.80±1.08. This study was significant in suggesting improvements in the general X-ray examination process in the emergency room by designing and making aids to easily fixing the patient's top to the frame of the emergency bed while meeting promptness and non-contact with the patient.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.25-30
• /
• 2010

The objective of this study was to compare the resolution and density appropriate to diagnosis in chest PA radiography. In comparing the resolution, we radiographed with conventional radiography, computed radiography(CR) and digital radiography(DR) using the linear resolution phantom(Nuclear Associates-Carle Place. N.Y.). 2 radiologists and 3 radiological technologists read the resolution value by the blind test. DR, conventional radiography and CR measured 3.95, 3.58, 3.48 resolution value respectively. In analysing the density, we chose the fifty normal chest CR and DR and conventional film. We estimated the density using by densitometer(X-rite company-Model 301) in seven regions(lung field, lung field margine, mediastinum I, mediastinum II, heart shadow I, heart shadow II, diaphragm) of chest film. We adapted to analysis the Japanese chest X-ray evaluating method and table. It was scored 0(farthest density value) to 2(nearest density value). DR scored 2 at mediastinum I, mediastinum II, heart shadow I, heart shadow II and diaphragm. On the contrary with, CR scored 2 at lung field and lung field margine. Consequently, DR superior than CR and conventional radiography film compairing density and resolution. It was due to small pixel size and post processing algorithm with digital radiography.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.381-387
• /
• 1999

Purpose: The International Labor Organization (ILO) has established an international standard for chest X-ray diagnosis of pneumoconiosis since 1980. However, there is a need for improved diagnosis and staging in occupational disease. We evaluated Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy quantitatively and correlated the scintigraphic findings with pulmonary function tests and chest X-ray results. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients underwent whole body scintigraphy with additional chest and abdomen images 48 hrs after intravenous injection of 185 MBq of Ga-67 citrate. Ten normal controls were also studied. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn on the posterior image to measure counts from the liver and lungs (Lung/Liver Ratio). Results: L/L ratio according to the stages of chest X-ray classification were as follows; stage 0 (normal, n=10): $0.3948{\pm}0.0692$, stage 1 (n=10): $0.5763{\pm}0.1537$, stage 2 (n=11), $0.6849{\pm}0.1459$, stage 3 (n=4) $0.9913{\pm}0.0712$. There was a significant correlation between the scintigraphic L/L ratio and the X-ray stage (r=0.618, p<0.05). However, no significant correlation between L/L ratio and pulmonary function tests were observed (p>0.05). Conclusion: Quantitative Ga-67 scintigraphy can be a useful method for staging of silicosis. However, it is not a method to assess pulmonary functional impairment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.139-145
• /
• 2021

This study is to confirm the range of tube voltage for Chest X-ray in DR system by comparing with dose area product (DAP) and effective dose in efficient detector exposure index (DEI) range. GE definium 8000 was used to for the phantom study. The range of tube voltage is 60~130 kVp and of mAs is 2.5~40 mAs. The acquired images were classified into efficient DEI groups, then calculated effective dose with DAP by using a PC-Based Monte Carlo Program 2.0. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) was measured at 4 regions, including the thoracic spine, the lung area with the ribs, the lung area without the ribs, and the liver by using Picture Archiving and Communication System. The significance of the group for each tube voltage was verified by performing the kruskal-wallis test and the mann-whitney test as a post-test. When set to 4 groups dependned on the tube voltage, DAP showed significant differences; 60 kVp and 80 kVp, and 60 kVp and 90 kVp (p= 0.034, 0.021). Effective dose exhibited no statistically significant differences from the all of the group (p>0.05). SNR exhibited statistically significant differences from the all of the group in the liver except compared to 80 kVp and 90 kVp (p<0.05). Therefore, high tube voltages of 100 kVp or more need to be reconsidered in terms of patient dose and imaging in order to represent an appropriate chest X-ray image in a digital system.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.58 no.3
• /
• pp.108-111
• /
• 2015

DiGeorge syndrome is an immunodeficient disease associated with abnormal development of 3rd and 4th pharyngeal pouches. As a hemizygous deletion of chromosome 22q11.2 occurs, various clinical phenotypes are shown with a broad spectrum. Conotruncal cardiac anomalies, hypoplastic thymus, and hypocalcemia are the classic triad of DiGeorge syndrome. As this syndrome is characterized by hypoplastic or aplastic thymus, there are missing thymic shadow on their plain chest x-ray. Immunodeficient patients are traditionally known to be at an increased risk for malignancy, especially lymphoma. We experienced a 7-year-old DiGeorge syndrome patient with mediastinal mass shadow on her plain chest x-ray. She visited Severance Children's Hospital hospital with recurrent pneumonia, and throughout her repeated chest x-ray, there was a mass like shadow on anterior mediastinal area. We did full evaluation including chest computed tomography, chest ultrasonography, and chest magnetic resonance imaging. To rule out malignancy, video assisted thoracoscopic surgery was done. Final diagnosis of the mass which was thought to be malignancy, was lymphoproliferative lesion.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.870-878
• /
• 2000

Background : We have studied the $^{67}Ga$ SPECT to determine the activity of pulmonary tuberculosis, especially in patients with minimal extent of the disease on chest radiographs. Because active minimal pulmonary tuberculosis is sometimes difficult to diagnose by means of initial chest X-ray, sputum examination and $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging, we compared $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging with SPECT to evaluate minimal pulmonary tuberculosis activity. Methods : $^{67}Ga$ planar imagings and SPECTs of 69 patients suspected of minimal pulmonary tuberculosis by the initial chest X-ray were performed and compared to each other. Active pulmonary tuberculosis was defined by a positive AFB smear and/or culture in the sputum and changes shown on the serial chest X-ray findings. Results : 1) $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging imagings showed positive uptakes in 24 patients and no uptakes in 13 patients, patients, which confirms active pulmonary tuberculosis. But SPECT imagings showed positive uptakes in 25 patients and no uptakes in 12 patients. 2) Patients confirmed with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis showed no uptake on $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging. Only one of the 32 patients confirmed as having inactive pulmonary tuberculosis showed positive uptake on $^{67}Ga$ SPECT imaging. Conclusions : According to the results of our study, $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging and SPECT are both sensitive in detecting the activity of minimal pulmonary tuberculosis. The difference between the two methods is not statistically significant, and the negative predictive value of the $^{67}Ga$ SPECT is not higher than that of $^{67}Ga$ planar imaging.