• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.661-666
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• 2019

Diverging collimators is used to obtain reduced images of an object, or to detect a wide filed-of-view (FOV) using a small gamma camera. In the gamma camera using the diverging collimators, the block scintillator, and the pixel scintillator array, gamma rays are obliquely incident on the scintillator surface when the source is located the periphery of the FOV. Therefore, the spatial resolution is reduced because it is obliquely detected in depth direction. In this study, we designed a novel system to improve the spatial resolution in the periphery of the FOV. Using a tapered crystal array to configure the scintillation pixels to coincide with the angle of the collimator's hole allows imaging to one scintillation pixel location, even if events occur to different depths. That is, even if is detected at various points in the diagonal direction, the gamma rays interact with one crystal pixel, so resolution does not degrade. The resolution of the block scintillator and the tapered crystal array was compared and evaluated through Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) simulation. The spatial resolution of the obtained image was 4.05 mm in the block scintillator and 2.97 mm in the tapered crystal array. There was a 26.67% spatial resolution improvement in the tapered crystal array compared to the block scintillation.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2023

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of degenerative mitral regurgitation (dMR) and preoperative planning for transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr). TEE is an invasive modality requiring anesthesia and esophageal intubation. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic has limited the number of elective invasive procedures. Multi-detector computed tomographic angiography (MDCT) provides high-resolution images and 3D reconstructions to assess complex mitral anatomy. We hypothesized that MDCT would reveal similar information to TEE relevant to TMVr, thus deferring the need for a preoperative TEE in certain situations like during a pandemic. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data on patients who underwent or were evaluated for TMVr for dMR with preoperative MDCT and TEE between 2017 and 2019. Two TEE and 2 MDCT readers, blinded to patient outcome, analyzed: leaflet pathology (flail, degenerative, mixed), leaflet location, mitral valve area (MVA), flail width/gap, anterior-posterior (AP) and commissural diameters, posterior leaflet length, leaflet thickness, presence of mitral valve cleft and degree of mitral annular calcification (MAC). RESULTS: A total of 22 (out of 87) patients had preoperative MDCT. MDCT correctly identified the leaflet pathology in 77% (17/22), flail leaflet in 91% (10/11), MAC degree in 91% (10/11) and the dysfunctional leaflet location in 95% (21/22) of patients. There were no differences in the measurements for MVA, flail width, commissural or AP diameter, posterior leaflet length, and leaflet thickness. MDCT overestimated the measurements of flail gap. CONCLUSIONS: For preoperative TMVr planning, MDCT provided similar measurements to TEE in our study.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.186-191
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• 1994

Tc-99m MIBI, a lipophilic cation, was reported as a useful agent for localization of lung cancer. The effect of radiation therapy on the uptake of Tc-99m MIBI in lung cancer, however, was not well evaluated. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the usefulness of Tc-99m MIBI SPECT in the localization and the assessment of radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer. Twenty patients(19 males and 1 female, mean age 59, 16 squamous cell ca and 4 adenoca) were studied with Tc-99m MIBI SPECT before radiation therapy. Eleven patients(10 males and 1 female, mean age 59, 8 squamous cell ca and 3 adenoca) were repeated the study 1 month after the completion of radiation therapy(mean dose 6453cGy). All patients showed positive uptakes of Tc-99m MIBI in their tumors. One patient showed a hot uptake in atelectatic area. There was no difference of Tc-99m MIBI uptakes between squamous cell ca and adenoca either on planar or tomographic images. Tc-99m MIBI uptake ratios of squamous cell ca and adenoca were $1.50{\pm}0.16$ and $1.45{\pm}0.15$ on planar images, and $2.73{\pm}0.46$ and $2.54{\pm}0.37$ on tomographic images, respectively. The concordance between radiological change(chest x-ray and CT) and change of Tc-99m MIBI uptakes was 9/11 (81.8% ). In conclusion, Tc-99m MIBI SPECT was useful in the localization of tumor and the assessment of radiation therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

In this work, we considered a compressed-sensing (CS)-based image deblurring scheme with a total-variation (TV) regularization penalty for improving image characteristics in digital tomosynthesis (DTS). We implemented the proposed image deblurring algorithm and performed a systematic simulation to demonstrate its viability. We also performed an experiment by using a table-top setup which consists of an x-ray tube operated at $90kV_p$, 6 mAs and a CMOS-type flat-panel detector having a $198-{\mu}m$ pixel resolution. In the both simulation and experiment, 51 projection images were taken with a tomographic angle range of ${\theta}=60^{\circ}$ and an angle step of ${\Delta}{\theta}=1.2^{\circ}$ and then deblurred by using the proposed deblurring algorithm before performing the common filtered-backprojection (FBP)-based DTS reconstruction. According to our results, the image sharpness of the recovered x-ray images and the reconstructed DTS images were significantly improved and the cross-plane spatial resolution in DTS was also improved by a factor of about 1.4. Thus the proposed deblurring scheme appears to be effective for the blurring problems in both conventional radiography and DTS and is applicable to improve the present image characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.477-491
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• 1999

Objectives : To evaluate the anatomic variations of the paranasal sinuses on computed tomographs. Materials and Methods : The author examined the CT images of the paranasal sinuses retrospectively in 500 patients who visited Chonbuk National University Hospital between January 1996 and December 1997. Results : The highest incidence of anatomic variation of the paranasal sinuses in bilateral structures was agger nasi cel1(73.2％), followed by concha bullosa(31.1％), Onodi cell(24.0％), Haller ce1109.8％), maxillary sinus septum(3.0％), paradoxical middle turbinate(2.5％), pneumatized uncinate process(2.0％), and bent uncinate process. The highest incidence of anatomic variation in midline structures was nasal septum deviation(53.2％), followed by nasal septum aerated(29.4％), bulla galli(24.7％) asymmetric intersphenoid septum(22.3％), and nasal septum spur(13.8％). The correlation between anatomic variation and paranasal sinusitis was not found. Conclusions : The results of this study will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of paranasal sinus diseases, especially in the treatment planning before functional endoscopic surgery.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2000

Purpose : To compare the size and bone wall thickness of the maxillary sinus in normal, preoperative and postoperative maxillary sinusitis patients. Materials and Methods : The author analyzed CT images of both left and right maxillary sinuses in 357 patients who visited Chonbuk National University Hospital between January 1997 and December 1998. The size and bone wall thickness of the maxillary sinus of normal, inflammatory and post-Caldwell-Luc groups were compared. Results: The significant differences of transverse, maximum medio-lateral, maximum supero-inferior dimensions and medio-lateral dimension at nasal floor level between normal and post-Caldwell-Luc groups were found (P<0.05). And the significant differences of antero-posterior dimensions between inflammatory and post-Caldwell-Luc group were found (P<0.05). But, no significant differences of vertical height dimensions between groups was found (P>0.05). The significant differences of postero-lateral, infero-lateral and medial wall thickness between normal and post-Caldwell-Luc groups were found (P<0.05). Conclusion : The results of this study will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of maxillary sinus diseases and post operative treatment planning.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.182-188
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proximity of the mandibular molar apex to the buccal bone surface in order to provide anatomic information for apical surgery. Materials and Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 127 mandibular first molars and 153 mandibular second molars were analyzed from 160 patients' records. The distance was measured from the buccal bone surface to the root apex and the apical 3.0 mm on the cross-sectional view of CBCT. Results: The second molar apex and apical 3 mm were located significantly deeper relative to the buccal bone surface compared with the first molar (p < 0.01). For the mandibular second molars, the distance from the buccal bone surface to the root apex was significantly shorter in patients over 70 years of age (p < 0.05). Furthermore, this distance was significantly shorter when the first molar was missing compared to nonmissing cases (p < 0.05). For the mandibular first molars, the distance to the distal root apex of one distal-rooted tooth was significantly greater than the distance to the disto-buccal root apex (p < 0.01). In mandibular second molar, the distance to the apex of C-shaped roots was significantly greater than the distance to the mesial root apex of non-C-shaped roots (p < 0.01). Conclusions: For apical surgery in mandibular molars, the distance from the buccal bone surface to the apex and apical 3 mm is significantly affected by the location, patient age, an adjacent missing anterior tooth, and root configuration.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2016

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the radiographic features associated with impacted premaxillary supernumerary teeth, to determine the relationship between their characteristics and their effects on permanent incisors, and to investigate the types of orthodontic treatment that patients received after the extraction of impacted supernumerary teeth. Materials and Methods: The clinical records and radiographs of 193 patients whose impacted premaxillary supernumerary teeth were removed were retrospectively reviewed, and 241 impacted supernumerary teeth were examined. Cone-beam computed tomographic images and panoramic radiographs were examined to determine the number, location, sagittal position, orientation, and morphology of the supernumerary teeth. Their effects on permanent incisors and the orthodontic treatment received by patients after the extraction of the supernumeraries were also investigated. Results: Supernumerary teeth were most frequently observed in the central incisor region, in the palatal position, in the inverted orientation, and were most commonly conical in shape. The most common complication was median diastema, followed by displacement and delayed eruption of the adjacent incisors. Ten (71.4%) of the 14 odontomas showed delayed eruption of the adjacent incisors. Displacement of the incisors was more frequently observed in association with supernumerary teeth with tuberculate or supplemental shapes. Orthodontic traction was most frequently performed after the removal of odontomas. In 32 cases (13.3%), permanent incisors erupted after the orthodontic creation of sufficient space. Conclusion: Median diastema was most common complication. The delayed eruption of incisors was common in supernumerary teeth with a vertical orientation and an odontoma shape.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2009

Compton imaging is often recognized as a potentially more valuable 3-D technique in nuclear medicine than conventional emission tomography. Due to inherent computational limitations, however, it has been of a difficult problem to reconstruct images with good accuracy. In this work we show that the row-action maximum likelihood algorithm (RAMLA), which have proven useful for conventional tomographic reconstruction, can also be applied to the problem of 3-D reconstruction of cone-beam projections from Compton scattered data. The major advantage of RAMLA is that it converges to a true maximum likelihood solution at an order of magnitude faster than the standard expectation maximiation (EM) algorithm. For our simulations, we first model a Compton camera system consisting of the three pairs of scatterer and absorber detectors placed at x-, y- and z-axes, and generate conical projection data using a software phantom. We then compare the quantitative performance of RAMLA and EM reconstructions in terms of the percentage error. The net conclusion based on our experimental results is that the RAMLA applied to Compton camera reconstruction significantly outperforms the EM algorithm in convergence rate; while computational costs of one iteration of RAMLA and EM are about the same, one iteration of RAMLA performs as well as 128 iterations of EM.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.135-143
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was performed to obtain a quantitative evaluation of the cortical and cancellous bone graft harvestable from the mental and canine regions, and to evaluate the cortical vestibular thickness. Materials and Methods: This study collected cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images of 100 Italian patients. The limits of the mental region were established: 5 mm in front of the medial margin of each mental foramen, 5 mm under the apex of each tooth present, and above the inferior mandibular cortex. Cortical and cancellous bone volumes were evaluated using SimPlant software (SimPlant 3-D Pro, Materialize, Leuven, Belgium) tools. In addition, the cortical vestibular thickness (minimal and maximal values) was evaluated in 3 cross-sections corresponding to the right canine tooth (3R), the median section (M), and the left canine tooth (3L). Results: The cortical volume was $0.71{\pm}0.23mL$ (0.27-1.96 mL) and the cancellous volume was $2.16{\pm}0.76mL$ (0.86-6.28 mL). The minimal cortical vestibular thickness was $1.54{\pm}0.41mm$ (0.61-3.25 mm), and the maximal cortical vestibular thickness was $3.14{\pm}0.75mm$ (1.01-5.83 mm). Conclusion: The use of the imaging software allowed a patient-specific assessment of mental and canine region bone availability. The proposed evaluation method might help the surgeon in the selection of the donor site by the comparison between bone availability in the donor site and the reconstructive exigency of the recipient site.