• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2008

The aim of this study is to suggest the method for image enhancement of digital chest radiograph and evaluate clinically the quality of the resultant image. A nonlinear iterative filter was developed in order to reduce quantum noise preserving edge. Dynamic range was adjusted and adaptive image enhancement was performed based on the property of anatomic region and the degree of compatibility with neighboring pixels. The lung fields were enhanced appropriately to visualize effectively vascular tissue, bronchus and lung tissue with the desired mediastinum enhancement. Clinic evaluation was performed by three radiologists with at least 8 years experience. The anatomic regions of 11 in PA and 9 in Lateral were observed carefully in each 100 radiographs according to ITU (International Telecommunication Union) recommendation 500 protocol. The result showed the mean 3.4 between good and adequate. This means that the clinical utility of the image quality is enough. In this study, image enhancement was carried out considering image display device and human perceptual system to prevent the loss of useful anatomic information. In order to increase the diagnostic accuracy in digital radiograph, the continuous study on image enhancement is needed.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2002

Purpose: To analyze the radiographic results between the simple bone excision and simple bone excision and posterior tibial tendon advancement for prehallux. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four patients who underwent operative treatment for prehallux between 1995 and 2000 were reviewed. Twenty-six patients who underwent simple bone excision and posterior tibial tendon advancement and eight patients who underwent simple bone excision were available for follow-up. Follow-up averaged 44 months(15-59 months). We evaluated and compared the cuboidal height and the talo-1st metatarsal angle in the preoperative and postoperative radiography. Results: The average span of disappearing pain is 3.7 months(2-7 months) after the operation. Mean cuboidal height and talo-1st metatarsal angle were increased $6.7{\pm}1.8mm$, $5.0{\pm}2.1^{\circ}$ before to $7.8{\pm}0.2mm$, $5.6{\pm}0.7^{\circ}$ after simple bone excision and posterior tibial tendon advancement. Mean cuboidal height and talo-1st metatarsal angle were increased $6.6{\pm}0.7mm$, $4.6{\pm}1.1^{\circ}$ before to $7.7{\pm}0.9mm$, $5.1{\pm}0.4^{\circ}$ after simple bone excision and posterior tibial tendon advancement. One case of extra-osseous migration of the Mitek anchor inserted into navicula was seen during the follow-up period. Conclusion: This study shows that the remarkable differences between the two procedures are not found. So, simple bone excision without advancement of posterior tibial tendon for prehallux can generate relatively good results.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2012

50-year-old female and 50-year-old male were referred to the department of the oral and maxillofacial surgery of Kyungpook national university dental hospital with asymptomatic lesions on their posterior mandibular body areas. They were discovered incidentally on panoramic radiographs during routine dental examination. Physical examination revealed no remarkable findings. Each panoramic radiograph showed well defined radiolucent lesions without hyperostotic border on their posterior mandibular body area. At first they were diagnosed as benign tumors because they looked like multilocular pattern and one of the patient showed discontinuity of mandibular canal within the lesion. CT scans demonstrated well demarcated and irregular lingual depression filled with fat tissue and they were diagnosed as developmental salivary gland defects. One of the lesion showed no change on follow-up panoramic radiograph after 4 months. Developmental salivary gland defects resembling benign tumor are atypical cases and it is suggested that confirmatory imaging using CT or MRI should be taken.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 2003

Background : Asthma is one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. Although the guidelines of asthma management were reported in Korea, the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the pattern of asthma management by primary physicians. Methods : In November 2002, 710 primary physicians specializing in internal medicine in Seoul, Korea were provided with two scenarios of asthmatic patients, one mild and the other severe. By mail or interview, the physicians were asked several questions about their present pattern of asthma management for the patients in each scenario. Results : Among 710 primary physicians, we obtained the answers from 325 physicians (response rate 46%). The most preferred prescription was oral theophylline. 71% and 81% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe oral theophylline for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. The next prescription preferred were mucolytics and oral ${\beta}_2$-agonist, in that order. However, 36% and 56% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe inhaled steroids for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. Among diagnostic tests, physicians preferred pulmonary function test to the rank next to chest radiography. Conclusion : The primary physicians in Seoul prefer oral bronchodilators to inhaled steroids in asthma management. More efforts should be made to reduce the difference between the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians and the asthma guidelines.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2006

Background : Acute exacerbations form a major component of the socioeconomic burden of COPD. As yet, little information is available about the long-term outcome of patients who have been hospitalized with acute exacerbations, although high mortality rates have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of long-term mortality after hospitalization for acute exacerbation of COPD. Methods : We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients admitted to the hospital for COPD exacerbation between 2000 through 2004. Patients who had died in hospital or within 6-months after discharge, had tuberculosis scar, pleural thickening or bronchiectasis by chest radiography or had been diagnosed with malignancy during follow-up periods were excluded. Results : Mean age of patients was 69.5 years, mean follow-up duration was 49 months, and mean $FEV_1$ was 1.00L (46% of predicted). Mortality was 35% (17/48). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, heart rate of 100/min or more (p=0.003; relative risk [RR], 11.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.34-61.44) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) of 35mmHg or more (p=0.019; RR, 6.85; 95% CI, 1.38-34.02) were independent predictors of mortality. Conclusion : Heart rate and RVSP in stable state may be useful in predicting long-term mortality for COPD patients admitted to hospital with acute exacerbation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.70 no.5
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• pp.433-437
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• 2011

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disorder characterized by the presence of non-caseating granulomas in the involved organ. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by $Mycobacterium$ $tuberculosis$ and is characterized by granuloma with caseous necrosis. The clinical and histological similarity between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis has stimulated research searching for an association between mycobacterium and sarcoidosis. We report a case of a 38-year-old male with sarcoidosis that developed soon after treatment of tuberculous lymphadenitis. He was diagnosed as tuberculous lymphadenitis by microbiological confirmation. He showed clinical improvement after treatment for tuberculosis. One year later, his chest radiography showed bilateral hilar enlargement with diffuse bilateral nodules. A noncaseating granuloma was confirmed by endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration and he was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing sarcoidosis after treatment of tuberculosis in South Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2010

We report a case of Mycobacterium intracellulare pulmonary infection presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). A 35-year-old male was admitted due to a SPN in the right upper lobe which was detected on the chest radiography being examed due to recurrent cough for 1 year. The computed tomography (CT) revealed a spiculated nodule containing air-bronchogram, which was suspicious of malignancy. We performed transbronchial biopsy and the pathology showed granulomatous inflammation with caseous necrosis. Under the presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, we started anti-tuberculous medication including isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. In one month, however, the sputum culture was positive for Mycobacterium intracellulare. The follow-up chest CT showed slight aggravation of the previous lesions. Under the final diagnosis of Mycobacterium intracellulare pulmonary infection presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule, we changed the regimen to rifampin, ethambutol, and clarithromycin. The follow-up chest CT after the completion of treatment, revealed resolution of the previous lesions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.5
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• pp.368-374
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• 2010

Background: Rhinolaryngoscopy and sputum examination are popular tests for the evaluation of chronic cough. Little is known about the relationship between symptoms and rhinolaryngoscopic findings or sputum eosinophilia in chronic cough patients. Methods: One hundred patients, who had chronic cough with normal chest radiography and who also had undergone both rhinolaryngoscopy and induced sputum analysis, were reviewed retrospectively. Eleven associated symptoms of chronic cough were asked; postnasal drip (PND) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) were examined by rhinolaryngoscopy. Induced sputum analysis was performed for evaluation of sputum eosinophilia. Cross tabulation analyses with chi-square tests were used to evaluate the relationship between symptoms and objective findings. Results: The most frequent symptom was sputum (70%). The prevalence of PND and LPR on rhinolaryngoscopy were 56% (56/100) and 25.6% (22/86), respectively. Sputum eosinophilia was observed in 23 (23.7%) of 97 patients. The dyspnea (p=0.001), sputum (p=0.003), nasal obstruction (p=0.023), and postnasal drip sense (p=0.025) were related with PND on rhinolaryngoscopy. LPR on rhinolaryngoscopy was not related with any symptoms. Dyspnea (p=0.003), wheezing (p=0.005), nasal obstruction (p=0.013), and belching (p=0.018) were related with sputum eosinophilia. Conclusion: Any symptoms might not be related with LPR on laryngoscopy. Some symptoms might be related with PND on rhinoscopy or with sputum eosinophilia.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.147-151
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• 2008

Non-resolving or slowly resolving pulmonary infiltrates in spite of administering adequate antimicrobial therapy are a clinical diagnostic challenge for physicians. The rate of radiographic resolution varies with the patients' age, the underlying comorbidities, the extent of radiographic involvement, the functional status and the causal pathogens. It is important to differentiate non-resolving or slowly resolving bacterial pneumonia from other uncommon infectious pneumonias or malignancies that require invasive diagnostic techniques to confirm the diagnosis. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma can present with various clinical and radiographic features. Unfortunately, the radiographic similarity of consolidative BAC to pneumonia often leads to an incorrect diagnosis of pneumonia and possibly significant delays in obtaining appropriate diagnostic studies. We describe here a case of a mixed adenocarcinoma and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma that was initially diagnosed as pneumonia due to the consolidation pattern on the radiography and the patient's initial improvement with antibiotic treatment.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.30 no.3 s.80
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• pp.355-365
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• 2000

The treatment plan for orthognathic surgery must be based on accurate predictions, and this can be produced the most esthetic results. Treatment of prognathic mandible in adult is usually orthognathic surgery using mandible set back, but mandible with retruded chin point is needed additional chin augmentation. In this case, the directions between mandible and chin point are different therefore, the prediction of soft tissue reactions must be modified. In this study, we materialize the patients who was taken orthognathic surgery due to prognathic mandible, 11each(Group A) was taken only Bilateral Sagittal Sprit Ramus Osteotomy (BSSRO), 9each(Group B) was taken additional advancement genioplasty. The lateral cephalometric radiography taken 8 months later after orthognathic surgery by this patients were used. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The profile of lips was favorable after surgery due to upper lip to I-line became prominent and lower lip tc E-line was retruded. 2. In both group, upper lip moved posteriorly and nasolabial angle was increased. 3. The ratio of the soft tissue profile change in POGs point to skeletal B point movement was $84\%$ in group A and $66\%$ in group B, and there was statistical significance between group A and group B. 4. Vertical movement of hard tissue points is decreased in group A.