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Sample records for cardiac 2d multi-slice

  1. Multi-slice and dual-source CT in cardiac imaging. Principles - protocols - indications - outlook. 2. ed.

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnesorge, B.M.; Flohr, T.G.; Becker, C.R.; Reiser, M.F.; Knez, A

    2007-01-01

    Cardiac diseases, and in particular coronary artery disease, are the leading cause of death and morbidity in industrialized countries. The development of non-invasive imaging techniques for the heart and the coronary arteries has been considered a key element in improving patient care. A breakthrough in cardiac imaging using CT occurred in 1998, with the introduction of multi-slice computed tomography (CT). Since then, amazing advances in performance have taken place with scanners that acquire up to 64 slices per rotation. This book discusses the state-of-the-art developments in multi-slice CT for cardiac imaging as well as those that can be anticipated in the future. It serves as a comprehensive work that covers all aspects of this technology, from the technical fundamentals and image evaluation all the way to clinical indications and protocol recommendations. This fully reworked second edition draws on the most recent clinical experience obtained with 16- and 64-slice CT scanners by world-leading experts from Europe and the United States. It also includes ''hands-on'' experience in the form of 10 representative clinical case studies, which are included on the accompanying CD. As a further highlight, the latest results of the very recently introduced dual-source CT, which may soon represent the CT technology of choice for cardiac applications, are presented. This book will not only convince the reader that multi-slice cardiac CT has arrived in clinical practice, it will also make a significant contribution to the education of radiologists, cardiologists, technologists, and physicists-whether newcomers, experienced users, or researchers. (orig.)

  2. Unsupervised motion-compensation of multi-slice cardiac perfusion MRI

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stegmann, Mikkel Bille; Ólafsdóttir, Hildur; Larsson, Henrik B. W.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a novel method for registration of single and multi-slice cardiac perfusion MRI. Utilising computer intensive analyses of variance and clustering in an annotated training set off-line, the presented method is capable of providing registration without any manual interaction...... in less than a second per frame. Changes in image intensity during the bolus passage are modelled by a slice-coupled active appearance model, which is augmented with a cluster analysis of the training set. Landmark correspondences are optimised using the MDL framework due to Davies et al. Image search...

  3. Correlation between a 2D Channelized Hotelling Observer and Human Observers in a Low-contrast Detection Task with Multi-slice Reading in CT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Lifeng; Chen, Baiyu; Kofler, James M.; Favazza, Christopher P.; Leng, Shuai; Kupinski, Matthew A.; McCollough, Cynthia H.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Model observers have been successfully developed and used to assess the quality of static 2D CT images. However, radiologists typically read images by paging through multiple 2D slices (i.e. multi-slice reading). The purpose of this study was to correlate human and model observer performance in a low-contrast detection task performed using both 2D and multi-slice reading, and to determine if the 2D model observer still correlate well with human observer performance in multi-slice reading. Methods A phantom containing 18 low-contrast spheres (6 sizes × 3 contrast levels) was scanned on a 192-slice CT scanner at 5 dose levels (CTDIvol = 27, 13.5, 6.8, 3.4, and 1.7 mGy), each repeated 100 times. Images were reconstructed using both filtered-backprojection (FBP) and an iterative reconstruction (IR) method (ADMIRE, Siemens). A 3D volume of interest (VOI) around each sphere was extracted and placed side-by-side with a signal-absent VOI to create a 2-alternative forced choice (2AFC) trial. Sixteen 2AFC studies were generated, each with 100 trials, to evaluate the impact of radiation dose, lesion size and contrast, and reconstruction methods on object detection. In total, 1600 trials were presented to both model and human observers. Three medical physicists acted as human observers and were allowed to page through the 3D volumes to make a decision for each 2AFC trial. The human observer performance was compared with the performance of a multi-slice channelized Hotelling observer (CHO_MS), which integrates multi-slice image data, and with the performance of previously validated CHO, which operates on static 2D images (CHO_2D). For comparison, the same 16 2AFC studies were also performed in a 2D viewing mode by the human observers and compared with the multi-slice viewing performance and the two CHO models. Results Human observer performance was well correlated with the CHO_2D performance in the 2D viewing mode (Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient R=0

  4. Slice sensitivity profiles and pixel noise of multi-slice CT in comparison with single-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schorn, C.; Obenauer, S.; Funke, M.; Hermann, K.P.; Kopka, L.; Grabbe, E.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: Presentation and evaluation of slice sensitivity profile and pixel noise of multi-slice CT in comparison to single-slice CT. Methods: Slice sensitivity profiles and pixel noise of a multi-slice CT equiped with a 2D matrix detector array and of a single-slice CT were evaluated in phantom studies. Results: For the single-slice CT the width of the slice sensitivity profiles increased with increasing pitch. In spite of a much higher table speed the slice sensitivity profiles of multi-slice CT were narrower and did not increase with higher pitch. Noise in single-slice CT was independent of pitch. For multi-slice CT noise increased with higher pitch and for the higher pitch decreased slightly with higher detector row collimation. Conclusions: Multi-slice CT provides superior z-resolution and higher volume coverage speed. These qualities fulfill one of the prerequisites for improvement of 3D postprocessing. (orig.) [de

  5. 3D visualisation of the middle ear and adjacent structures using reconstructed multi-slice CT datasets, correlating 3D images and virtual endoscopy to the 2D cross-sectional images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodt, T.; Ratiu, P.; Kacher, D.F.; Anderson, M.; Jolesz, F.A.; Kikinis, R.; Becker, H.; Bartling, S.

    2002-01-01

    The 3D imaging of the middle ear facilitates better understanding of the patient's anatomy. Cross-sectional slices, however, often allow a more accurate evaluation of anatomical structures, as some detail may be lost through post-processing. In order to demonstrate the advantages of combining both approaches, we performed computed tomography (CT) imaging in two normal and 15 different pathological cases, and the 3D models were correlated to the cross-sectional CT slices. Reconstructed CT datasets were acquired by multi-slice CT. Post-processing was performed using the in-house software ''3D Slicer'', applying thresholding and manual segmentation. 3D models of the individual anatomical structures were generated and displayed in different colours. The display of relevant anatomical and pathological structures was evaluated in the greyscale 2D slices, 3D images, and the 2D slices showing the segmented 2D anatomy in different colours for each structure. Correlating 2D slices to the 3D models and virtual endoscopy helps to combine the advantages of each method. As generating 3D models can be extremely time-consuming, this approach can be a clinically applicable way of gaining a 3D understanding of the patient's anatomy by using models as a reference. Furthermore, it can help radiologists and otolaryngologists evaluating the 2D slices by adding the correct 3D information that would otherwise have to be mentally integrated. The method can be applied to radiological diagnosis, surgical planning, and especially, to teaching. (orig.)

  6. Can multi-slice or navigator-gated R2* MRI replace single-slice breath-hold acquisition for hepatic iron quantification?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loeffler, Ralf B.; McCarville, M.B.; Song, Ruitian; Hillenbrand, Claudia M.; Wagstaff, Anne W.; Smeltzer, Matthew P.; Krafft, Axel J.; Hankins, Jane S.

    2017-01-01

    Liver R2* values calculated from multi-gradient echo (mGRE) magnetic resonance images (MRI) are strongly correlated with hepatic iron concentration (HIC) as shown in several independently derived biopsy calibration studies. These calibrations were established for axial single-slice breath-hold imaging at the location of the portal vein. Scanning in multi-slice mode makes the exam more efficient, since whole-liver coverage can be achieved with two breath-holds and the optimal slice can be selected afterward. Navigator echoes remove the need for breath-holds and allow use in sedated patients. To evaluate if the existing biopsy calibrations can be applied to multi-slice and navigator-controlled mGRE imaging in children with hepatic iron overload, by testing if there is a bias-free correlation between single-slice R2* and multi-slice or multi-slice navigator controlled R2*. This study included MRI data from 71 patients with transfusional iron overload, who received an MRI exam to estimate HIC using gradient echo sequences. Patient scans contained 2 or 3 of the following imaging methods used for analysis: single-slice images (n = 71), multi-slice images (n = 69) and navigator-controlled images (n = 17). Small and large blood corrected region of interests were selected on axial images of the liver to obtain R2* values for all data sets. Bland-Altman and linear regression analysis were used to compare R2* values from single-slice images to those of multi-slice images and navigator-controlled images. Bland-Altman analysis showed that all imaging method comparisons were strongly associated with each other and had high correlation coefficients (0.98 ≤ r ≤ 1.00) with P-values ≤0.0001. Linear regression yielded slopes that were close to 1. We found that navigator-gated or breath-held multi-slice R2* MRI for HIC determination measures R2* values comparable to the biopsy-validated single-slice, single breath-hold scan. We conclude that these three R2* methods can be

  7. Can multi-slice or navigator-gated R2* MRI replace single-slice breath-hold acquisition for hepatic iron quantification?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loeffler, Ralf B.; McCarville, M.B.; Song, Ruitian; Hillenbrand, Claudia M. [St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Diagnostic Imaging, Memphis, TN (United States); Wagstaff, Anne W. [St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Diagnostic Imaging, Memphis, TN (United States); Rhodes College, Memphis, TN (United States); University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL (United States); Smeltzer, Matthew P. [St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Department of Biostatistics, Memphis, TN (United States); University of Memphis, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Memphis, TN (United States); Krafft, Axel J. [St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Diagnostic Imaging, Memphis, TN (United States); University Hospital Center Freiburg, Department of Radiology, Freiburg (Germany); Hankins, Jane S. [St. Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Department of Hematology, Memphis, TN (United States)

    2017-01-15

    Liver R2* values calculated from multi-gradient echo (mGRE) magnetic resonance images (MRI) are strongly correlated with hepatic iron concentration (HIC) as shown in several independently derived biopsy calibration studies. These calibrations were established for axial single-slice breath-hold imaging at the location of the portal vein. Scanning in multi-slice mode makes the exam more efficient, since whole-liver coverage can be achieved with two breath-holds and the optimal slice can be selected afterward. Navigator echoes remove the need for breath-holds and allow use in sedated patients. To evaluate if the existing biopsy calibrations can be applied to multi-slice and navigator-controlled mGRE imaging in children with hepatic iron overload, by testing if there is a bias-free correlation between single-slice R2* and multi-slice or multi-slice navigator controlled R2*. This study included MRI data from 71 patients with transfusional iron overload, who received an MRI exam to estimate HIC using gradient echo sequences. Patient scans contained 2 or 3 of the following imaging methods used for analysis: single-slice images (n = 71), multi-slice images (n = 69) and navigator-controlled images (n = 17). Small and large blood corrected region of interests were selected on axial images of the liver to obtain R2* values for all data sets. Bland-Altman and linear regression analysis were used to compare R2* values from single-slice images to those of multi-slice images and navigator-controlled images. Bland-Altman analysis showed that all imaging method comparisons were strongly associated with each other and had high correlation coefficients (0.98 ≤ r ≤ 1.00) with P-values ≤0.0001. Linear regression yielded slopes that were close to 1. We found that navigator-gated or breath-held multi-slice R2* MRI for HIC determination measures R2* values comparable to the biopsy-validated single-slice, single breath-hold scan. We conclude that these three R2* methods can be

  8. Multi-slice computed tomography assessment of bronchial compression with absent pulmonary valve

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhong, Yu-Min; Sun, Ai-Min; Wang, Qian; Zhu, Ming; Qiu, Hai-Sheng [Shanghai Children' s Medical Center and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School, Department of Radiology, Shanghai (China); Jaffe, Richard B. [Primary Children' s Medical Center, Department of Medical Imaging, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Liu, Jin-Fen [Shanghai Children' s Medical Center, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shanghai (China); Gao, Wei [Shanghai Children' s Medical Center and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School, Department of Cardiology, Shanghai (China); Berdon, Walter E. [Children' s Hospital of New York, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States)

    2014-07-15

    Absent pulmonary valve is a rare cardiovascular anomaly that can result in profound tracheobronchial compression. To demonstrate the advantage of multi-slice CT in diagnosing tracheobronchial compression, its severity as related to the adjacent dilated pulmonary arteries, and associated lung and cardiac lesions. We included children with absent pulmonary valve who were reviewed by multi-slice CT during a 17-year period. The number and locations of stenoses and lung lesions were noted and the severity of stenosis was categorized. The diameter of the pulmonary artery was measured and associated cardiac defects were demonstrated. Thirty-one children (14 girls and 17 boys) were included. Of these, 29 had ventricular septal defect and 2 had an intact ventricular septum. Twenty-nine children (94%) had tracheobronchial compression, judged to be mild in nine children (31%), moderate in 10 (34%) and severe in 10 (34%). The different locations of the stenosis (carina, main bronchi, lobar and segmental bronchi) were observed. And the number and location of lung lesions demonstrated that the right middle and left upper and lower lobes were often affected. The diameter of the pulmonary artery in these children was well above normal published values, and Spearman rank correlation analysis showed a correlation between the size of the pulmonary artery and the severity of the tracheobronchial stenosis. Nineteen children (61%) underwent surgery and 4 of these children had a multi-slice CT post-operative follow-up study. Absent pulmonary valve can cause significant morbidity and mortality in children. Multi-slice CT can accurately depict areas of tracheobronchial compression, associated lung lesions and cardiac defects, helping to direct the surgeon. (orig.)

  9. Global and regional left ventricular function: a comparison between gated SPECT, 2D echocardiography and multi-slice computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henneman, Maureen M.; Bax, Jeroen J.; Holman, Eduard R.; Schuijf, Joanne D.; Jukema, J.W.; Wall, Ernst E. van der; Stokkel, Marcel P.M.; Lamb, Hildo J.; Roos, Albert de

    2006-01-01

    Global and regional left ventricular (LV) function are important indicators of the cardiac status in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Therapy and prognosis are to a large extent dependent on LV function. Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) has already earned its place as an imaging modality for non-invasive assessment of the coronary arteries, but since retrospective gating to the patient's ECG is performed, information on LV function can be derived. In 49 patients with known or suspected CAD, coronary angiography with MSCT imaging was performed, in addition to gated SPECT and 2D echocardiography. LV end-diastolic and LV end-systolic volumes and LV ejection fraction were analysed with dedicated software (CMR Analytical Software System, Medis, Leiden, The Netherlands for MSCT; gated SPECT by QGS, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA), and by the biplane Simpson's rule for 2D echocardiography. Regional wall motion was evaluated according to a 17-segment model and a three-point score system. Correlations were fairly good between gated SPECT and MSCT (LVEDV: r=0.65; LVESV: r=0.63; LVEF: r=0.60), and excellent between 2D echocardiography and MSCT (LVEDV: r=0.92; LVESV: r=0.93; LVEF: r=0.80). Agreement for regional wall motion was 95% (κ=0.66) between gated SPECT and MSCT, and 96% (κ=0.73) between 2D echocardiography and MSCT. Global and regional LV function and LV volumes can be adequately assessed with MSCT. Correlations with 2D echocardiography are stronger than with gated SPECT. (orig.)

  10. Evaluation of the retrospective ECG-gated helical scan using half-second multi-slice CT. Motion phantom study for volumetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Shuji; Matsumoto, Takashi; Nakanishi, Shohzoh; Hamada, Seiki; Takahei, Kazunari; Naito, Hiroaki; Ogata, Yuji

    2002-01-01

    ECG synchronized technique on multi-slice CT provide the thinner (less 2 mm slice thickness) and faster (0.5 sec/rotation) scan than that of the single detector CT and can acquire the coverage of the entire heart volume within one breath-hold. However, temporal resolution of multi-slice CT is insufficient on practical range of heart rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of volumetry on cardiac function measurement in retrospective ECG-gated helical scan. We discussed the influence of the degradation of image quality and limitation of the heart rate in cardiac function measurement (volumetry) using motion phantom. (author)

  11. Intersection Based Motion Correction of Multi-Slice MRI for 3D in utero Fetal Brain Image Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kio; Habas, Piotr A.; Rousseau, Francois; Glenn, Orit A.; Barkovich, Anthony J.; Studholme, Colin

    2012-01-01

    In recent years post-processing of fast multi-slice MR imaging to correct fetal motion has provided the first true 3D MR images of the developing human brain in utero. Early approaches have used reconstruction based algorithms, employing a two step iterative process, where slices from the acquired data are re-aligned to an approximate 3D reconstruction of the fetal brain, which is then refined further using the improved slice alignment. This two step slice-to-volume process, although powerful, is computationally expensive in needing a 3D reconstruction, and is limited in its ability to recover sub-voxel alignment. Here, we describe an alternative approach which we term slice intersection motion correction (SIMC), that seeks to directly co-align multiple slice stacks by considering the matching structure along all intersecting slice pairs in all orthogonally planned slices that are acquired in clinical imaging studies. A collective update scheme for all slices is then derived, to simultaneously drive slices into a consistent match along their lines of intersection. We then describe a 3D reconstruction algorithm that, using the final motion corrected slice locations, suppresses through-plane partial volume effects to provide a single high isotropic resolution 3D image. The method is tested on simulated data with known motions and is applied to retrospectively reconstruct 3D images from a range of clinically acquired imaging studies. The quantitative evaluation of the registration accuracy for the simulated data sets demonstrated a significant improvement over previous approaches. An initial application of the technique to studying clinical pathology is included, where the proposed method recovered up to 15 mm of translation and 30 degrees of rotation for individual slices, and produced full 3D reconstructions containing clinically useful additional information not visible in the original 2D slices. PMID:19744911

  12. Evaluation of TSE- and T1-3D-GRE-sequences for focal cartilage lesions in vitro in comparison to ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stork, A.; Schulze, D.; Koops, A.; Kemper, J.; Adam, G.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: Evaluation of TSE- and T 1 -3D-GRE-sequences for focal cartilage lesions in vitro in comparison to ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. Materials and methods: Forty artificial cartilage lesions in ten bovine patellae were immersed in a solution of iodinated contrast medium and assessed with ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. Fat-suppressed TSE images with intermediate- and T 2 -weighting at a slice thickness of 2, 3 and 4 mm as well as fat-suppressed T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH images with an effective slice thickness of 1, 2 and 3 mm were acquired at 1.5 T. After adding Gd-DTPA to the saline solution containing the patellae, the T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH imaging was repeated. Results: All cartilage lesions were visualised and graded with ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT. The TSE images had a higher sensitivity and a higher inter- and intraobserver kappa compared to the FLASH-sequences (TSE: 70-95%; 0.82-0.83; 0.85-0.9; FLASH: 57.5-85%; 0.53-0.72; 0.73-0.82, respectively). An increase in slice thickness decreased the sensitivity, whereby deep lesions were even reliably depicted on TSE images at a slice thickness of 3 and 4 mm. Adding Gd-DTPA to the saline solution increased the sensitivity by 10% with no detectable advantage over the T 2 -weighted TSE images. Conclusion: TSE sequences and application of Gd-DTPA seemed to be superior to T 1 -weighted 3D-FLASH sequences without Gd-DTPA in the detection of focal cartilage lesions. The ultrahigh resolution multi-slice CT can serve as in vitro reference standard for focal cartilage lesions. (orig.) [de

  13. Assessment of global and regional left ventricular function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography and 2D echocardiography: A comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Annuar, Bin Rapaee; Liew, Chee Khoon; Chin, Sze Piaw; Ong, Tiong Kiam; Seyfarth, M. Tobias; Chan, Wei Ling; Fong, Yean Yip; Ang, Choon Kiat; Lin, Naing; Liew, Houng Bang; Sim, Kui Hian

    2008-01-01

    Objectives: To compare the assessment of global and regional left ventricular (LV) function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography (MSCT), 2D echocardiography (2DE) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients (mean age, 56.5 ± 9.7 years) referred for evaluation of coronary artery using 64-slice MSCT also underwent 2DE and CMR within 48 h. The global left ventricular function which include left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVdV) and left ventricular end systolic volume (LVsV) were determine using the three modalities. Regional wall motion (RWM) was assessed visually in all three modalities. The CMR served as the gold standard for the comparison between 64-slice MSCT with CMR and 2DE with CMR. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots and κ-statistics. Results: The 64-slice MSCT agreed well with CMR for assessment of LVEF (r = 0.92; p < 0.0001), LVdV (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001) and LVsV (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001). In comparison with 64-slice MSCT, 2DE showed moderate correlation with CMR for the assessment of LVEF (r = 0.84; p < 0.0001), LVdV (r = 0.83; p < 0.0001) and LVsV (r = 0.80; p < 0.0001). However in RWM analysis, 2DE showed better accuracy than 64-slice MSCT (94.3% versus 82.4%) and closer agreement (κ = 0.89 versus 0.63) with CMR. Conclusion: 64-Slice MSCT correlates strongly with CMR in global LV function however in regional LV function 2DE showed better agreement with CMR than 64-slice MSCT

  14. Assessment of global and regional left ventricular function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography and 2D echocardiography: A comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Annuar, Bin Rapaee [Faculty of Medicine, University Malaysia Sarawak (Malaysia); Department of Cardiology, Sarawak General Hospital (Malaysia)], E-mail: rannuar@fmhs.unimas.my; Liew, Chee Khoon; Chin, Sze Piaw; Ong, Tiong Kiam [Department of Cardiology, Sarawak General Hospital (Malaysia); Seyfarth, M. Tobias [Sieman Medical Solution (Germany); Chan, Wei Ling; Fong, Yean Yip; Ang, Choon Kiat [Department of Cardiology, Sarawak General Hospital (Malaysia); Lin, Naing [Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysia); Liew, Houng Bang; Sim, Kui Hian [Department of Cardiology, Sarawak General Hospital (Malaysia)

    2008-01-15

    Objectives: To compare the assessment of global and regional left ventricular (LV) function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography (MSCT), 2D echocardiography (2DE) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients (mean age, 56.5 {+-} 9.7 years) referred for evaluation of coronary artery using 64-slice MSCT also underwent 2DE and CMR within 48 h. The global left ventricular function which include left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVdV) and left ventricular end systolic volume (LVsV) were determine using the three modalities. Regional wall motion (RWM) was assessed visually in all three modalities. The CMR served as the gold standard for the comparison between 64-slice MSCT with CMR and 2DE with CMR. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots and {kappa}-statistics. Results: The 64-slice MSCT agreed well with CMR for assessment of LVEF (r = 0.92; p < 0.0001), LVdV (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001) and LVsV (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001). In comparison with 64-slice MSCT, 2DE showed moderate correlation with CMR for the assessment of LVEF (r = 0.84; p < 0.0001), LVdV (r = 0.83; p < 0.0001) and LVsV (r = 0.80; p < 0.0001). However in RWM analysis, 2DE showed better accuracy than 64-slice MSCT (94.3% versus 82.4%) and closer agreement ({kappa} = 0.89 versus 0.63) with CMR. Conclusion: 64-Slice MSCT correlates strongly with CMR in global LV function however in regional LV function 2DE showed better agreement with CMR than 64-slice MSCT.

  15. Assessment of global and regional left ventricular function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography and 2D echocardiography: a comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annuar, Bin Rapaee; Liew, Chee Khoon; Chin, Sze Piaw; Ong, Tiong Kiam; Seyfarth, M Tobias; Chan, Wei Ling; Fong, Yean Yip; Ang, Choon Kiat; Lin, Naing; Liew, Houng Bang; Sim, Kui Hian

    2008-01-01

    To compare the assessment of global and regional left ventricular (LV) function using 64-slice multislice computed tomography (MSCT), 2D echocardiography (2DE) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Thirty-two consecutive patients (mean age, 56.5+/-9.7 years) referred for evaluation of coronary artery using 64-slice MSCT also underwent 2DE and CMR within 48h. The global left ventricular function which include left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVdV) and left ventricular end systolic volume (LVsV) were determine using the three modalities. Regional wall motion (RWM) was assessed visually in all three modalities. The CMR served as the gold standard for the comparison between 64-slice MSCT with CMR and 2DE with CMR. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots and kappa-statistics. The 64-slice MSCT agreed well with CMR for assessment of LVEF (r=0.92; p<0.0001), LVdV (r=0.98; p<0.0001) and LVsV (r=0.98; p<0.0001). In comparison with 64-slice MSCT, 2DE showed moderate correlation with CMR for the assessment of LVEF (r=0.84; p<0.0001), LVdV (r=0.83; p<0.0001) and LVsV (r=0.80; p<0.0001). However in RWM analysis, 2DE showed better accuracy than 64-slice MSCT (94.3% versus 82.4%) and closer agreement (kappa=0.89 versus 0.63) with CMR. 64-Slice MSCT correlates strongly with CMR in global LV function however in regional LV function 2DE showed better agreement with CMR than 64-slice MSCT.

  16. Cardiac tissue slices: preparation, handling, and successful optical mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ken; Lee, Peter; Mirams, Gary R; Sarathchandra, Padmini; Borg, Thomas K; Gavaghan, David J; Kohl, Peter; Bollensdorff, Christian

    2015-05-01

    Cardiac tissue slices are becoming increasingly popular as a model system for cardiac electrophysiology and pharmacology research and development. Here, we describe in detail the preparation, handling, and optical mapping of transmembrane potential and intracellular free calcium concentration transients (CaT) in ventricular tissue slices from guinea pigs and rabbits. Slices cut in the epicardium-tangential plane contained well-aligned in-slice myocardial cell strands ("fibers") in subepicardial and midmyocardial sections. Cut with a high-precision slow-advancing microtome at a thickness of 350 to 400 μm, tissue slices preserved essential action potential (AP) properties of the precutting Langendorff-perfused heart. We identified the need for a postcutting recovery period of 36 min (guinea pig) and 63 min (rabbit) to reach 97.5% of final steady-state values for AP duration (APD) (identified by exponential fitting). There was no significant difference between the postcutting recovery dynamics in slices obtained using 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime or blebistatin as electromechanical uncouplers during the cutting process. A rapid increase in APD, seen after cutting, was caused by exposure to ice-cold solution during the slicing procedure, not by tissue injury, differences in uncouplers, or pH-buffers (bicarbonate; HEPES). To characterize intrinsic patterns of CaT, AP, and conduction, a combination of multipoint and field stimulation should be used to avoid misinterpretation based on source-sink effects. In summary, we describe in detail the preparation, mapping, and data analysis approaches for reproducible cardiac tissue slice-based investigations into AP and CaT dynamics. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  17. Peripheral pulmonary arteries: identification at multi-slice spiral CT with 3D reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coche, Emmanuel; Pawlak, Sebastien; Dechambre, Stephane; Maldague, Baudouin

    2003-01-01

    Our objective was to analyze the peripheral pulmonary arteries using thin-collimation multi-slice spiral CT. Twenty consecutive patients underwent enhanced-spiral multi-slice CT using 1-mm collimation. Two observers analyzed the pulmonary arteries by consensus on a workstation. Each artery was identified on axial and 3D shaded-surface display reconstruction images. Each subsegmental artery was measured at a mediastinal window setting and compared with anatomical classifications. The location and branching of every subsegmental artery was recorded. The number of well-visualized sub-subsegmental arteries at a mediastinal window setting was compared with those visualized at a lung window setting. Of 800 subsegmental arteries, 769 (96%) were correctly visualized and 123 accessory subsegmental arteries were identified using the mediastinal window setting. One thousand ninety-two of 2019 sub-subsegmental arteries (54%) identified using the lung window setting were correctly visualized using the mediastinal window setting. Enhanced multi-slice spiral CT with thin collimation can be used to analyze precisely the subsegmental pulmonary arteries and may identify even more distal pulmonary arteries. (orig.)

  18. Isotropic 3D cardiac cine MRI allows efficient sparse segmentation strategies based on 3D surface reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odille, Freddy; Bustin, Aurélien; Liu, Shufang; Chen, Bailiang; Vuissoz, Pierre-André; Felblinger, Jacques; Bonnemains, Laurent

    2018-05-01

    Segmentation of cardiac cine MRI data is routinely used for the volumetric analysis of cardiac function. Conventionally, 2D contours are drawn on short-axis (SAX) image stacks with relatively thick slices (typically 8 mm). Here, an acquisition/reconstruction strategy is used for obtaining isotropic 3D cine datasets; reformatted slices are then used to optimize the manual segmentation workflow. Isotropic 3D cine datasets were obtained from multiple 2D cine stacks (acquired during free-breathing in SAX and long-axis (LAX) orientations) using nonrigid motion correction (cine-GRICS method) and super-resolution. Several manual segmentation strategies were then compared, including conventional SAX segmentation, LAX segmentation in three views only, and combinations of SAX and LAX slices. An implicit B-spline surface reconstruction algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the left ventricular cavity surface from the sparse set of 2D contours. All tested sparse segmentation strategies were in good agreement, with Dice scores above 0.9 despite using fewer slices (3-6 sparse slices instead of 8-10 contiguous SAX slices). When compared to independent phase-contrast flow measurements, stroke volumes computed from four or six sparse slices had slightly higher precision than conventional SAX segmentation (error standard deviation of 5.4 mL against 6.1 mL) at the cost of slightly lower accuracy (bias of -1.2 mL against 0.2 mL). Functional parameters also showed a trend to improved precision, including end-diastolic volumes, end-systolic volumes, and ejection fractions). The postprocessing workflow of 3D isotropic cardiac imaging strategies can be optimized using sparse segmentation and 3D surface reconstruction. Magn Reson Med 79:2665-2675, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  19. Evaluation of registration strategies for multi-modality images of rat brain slices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palm, Christoph; Vieten, Andrea; Salber, Dagmar; Pietrzyk, Uwe

    2009-01-01

    In neuroscience, small-animal studies frequently involve dealing with series of images from multiple modalities such as histology and autoradiography. The consistent and bias-free restacking of multi-modality image series is obligatory as a starting point for subsequent non-rigid registration procedures and for quantitative comparisons with positron emission tomography (PET) and other in vivo data. Up to now, consistency between 2D slices without cross validation using an inherent 3D modality is frequently presumed to be close to the true morphology due to the smooth appearance of the contours of anatomical structures. However, in multi-modality stacks consistency is difficult to assess. In this work, consistency is defined in terms of smoothness of neighboring slices within a single modality and between different modalities. Registration bias denotes the distortion of the registered stack in comparison to the true 3D morphology and shape. Based on these metrics, different restacking strategies of multi-modality rat brain slices are experimentally evaluated. Experiments based on MRI-simulated and real dual-tracer autoradiograms reveal a clear bias of the restacked volume despite quantitatively high consistency and qualitatively smooth brain structures. However, different registration strategies yield different inter-consistency metrics. If no genuine 3D modality is available, the use of the so-called SOP (slice-order preferred) or MOSOP (modality-and-slice-order preferred) strategy is recommended.

  20. Free-breathing cardiac MR stress perfusion with real-time slice tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basha, Tamer A; Roujol, Sébastien; Kissinger, Kraig V; Goddu, Beth; Berg, Sophie; Manning, Warren J; Nezafat, Reza

    2014-09-01

    To develop a free-breathing cardiac MR perfusion sequence with slice tracking for use after physical exercise. We propose to use a leading navigator, placed immediately before each 2D slice acquisition, for tracking the respiratory motion and updating the slice location in real-time. The proposed sequence was used to acquire CMR perfusion datasets in 12 healthy adult subjects and 8 patients. Images were compared with the conventional perfusion (i.e., without slice tracking) results from the same subjects. The location and geometry of the myocardium were quantitatively analyzed, and the perfusion signal curves were calculated from both sequences to show the efficacy of the proposed sequence. The proposed sequence was significantly better compared with the conventional perfusion sequence in terms of qualitative image scores. Changes in the myocardial location and geometry decreased by 50% in the slice tracking sequence. Furthermore, the proposed sequence had signal curves that are smoother and less noisy. The proposed sequence significantly reduces the effect of the respiratory motion on the image acquisition in both rest and stress perfusion scans. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. 16-slice multi-detector row CT coronary angiography: image quality and optimization of the image reconstruction window

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yoo Kyung; Shim, Sung Shine; Lim, Soo Mee; Hwang, Ji Young; Kim, Yoon Kyung

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the image quality of CT coronary angiography using a 16-slice multi-detector row CT and to determine the optimal image reconstruction window. CT coronary angiography was obtained in 36 nonsymptomatic volunteers using a 16-slice multi-detector row CT (SOMATOM Sensation, Siemens Medical System). The mean heart rates were 70 beats per minute (bpm) or less in 18 persons and more than 70 bpm in 18 persons. Eleven data sets were obtained for each patient (reconstructed at 30%-80% of the cardiac cycle with an increment of 5%). Image quality of the eight coronary segments [left main coronary artery (LM), proximal and middle segments of left anterior descending artery (p-LAD, m-LAN) and left circumflex coronary artery (p-LCx, m-LCx) and proximal, middle and distal segments of right coronary artery (p-RCA, m-RCA, d-RCA)] was assessed. The optimal reconstruction windows in the cardiac cycle for the best image quality were 60-70% for the segments of the LM, LAD, and LC arteries in two groups (bpm 70) and 55-65% (bpm 70) for the segments of the RCA. On the best dataset for each coronary segment, the following diagnostic image quality was achieved in the two groups: LM: 100%, 83%; p-LAD: 100%, 88% m-LAD: 100%, 72%; p-LCx: 100%, 72%; m-LCx: 100%, 72%; p-RCA: 94%, 72%; m-RCA: 61%, 50%; d-RCA: 100%, 80%. The 16 slice multi-detector row CT scan provided visualization of the coronary arteries with high resolution. Especially in the group with a mean heart rate of 70 bpm or less, all the coronary segments except the RCA showed diagnostic image quality. Optimal image quality was achieved with a 60-70% trigger delay for all coronary arterial segments, but the best images of RCA were achieved in the earlier cardiac phase in the patients with a mean heart rate of more than 70 bpm

  2. The effects of slice thickness and reconstructive parameters on VR image quality in multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Zhenlong; Wang Qiang; Liu Caixia

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To explore the effects of slice thickness, reconstructive thickness and reconstructive interval on VR image quality in multi-slice CT, in order to select the best slice thickness and reconstructive parameters for the imaging. Methods: Multi-slice CT scan was applied on a rubber dinosaur model with different slice thickness. VR images were reconstructed with different reconstructive thickness and reconstructive interval. Five radiologists were invited to evaluate the quality of the images without knowing anything about the parameters. Results: The slice thickness, reconstructive thickness and reconstructive interval did have effects on VR image quality and the effective degree was different. The effective coefficients were V 1 =1413.033, V 2 =563.733, V 3 =390.533, respectively. The parameters interacted with the others (P<0.05). The smaller of those parameters, the better of the image quality. With a small slice thickness and a reconstructive slice equal to slice thickness, the image quality had no obvious difference when the reconstructive interval was 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 of the slice thickness. Conclusion: A relative small scan slice thickness, a reconstructive slice equal to slice thickness and a reconstructive interval 1/2 of the slice thickness should be selected for the best VR image quality. The image quality depends mostly on the slice thickness. (authors)

  3. Feasibility study of 2D thick-slice MR digital subtraction angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishimori, Yoshiyuki; Takeuchi, Miho; Higashimura, Kyouji; Komuro, Hiroyuki

    2000-01-01

    Conditions required to perform contrast MR digital subtraction angiography using a two-dimensional thick-slice high-speed gradient echo were investigated. The conditions in the phantom experiment included: slice profile, flip angle, imaging matrix, fat suppression, duration of IR pulse and frequency selectivity, flip angle of IR pulse and inversion time. Based on the results of the experiment, 2D thick-slice MRDSA was performed in volunteers. Under TR/TE=5.3-9/1.3-1.8 ms conditions, the requirements were a slice thick enough to include the target region, a flip angle of 10 degrees, and a phase matrix of 96 or more. Fat suppression was required for adipose-tissue-rich regions, such as the abdomen. The optimal conditions for applying the IR preparation pulse of the IR prepped fast gradient recalled echo as spectrally selective inversion recovery appeared to be: duration of IR pulse =20 ms, flip angle =100 degrees, and inversion time =40 ms. The authors concluded that it was feasible to perform 2D thick-slice MRDSA with time resolution within 1 second. (K.H.)

  4. Induksi Ginogenesis melalui Kultur Multi Ovule Slice dan Kultur Ovary Slice Dianthus chinensis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suskandari Kartikaningrum

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Callus induction was studied in five genotypes of Dianthus chinensis using 2.4 D and NAA. Calluses can be obtainedfrom unfertilized ovule culture and ovary culture. The aim of the research was to study gynogenic potential and responseof Dianthus chinensis through ovule slice and ovary slice culture for obtaining haploid plants. Five genotypes of Dianthuschinensis and five media were used in ovule slice culture and two genotypes and three medium were used in ovary culture.Flower buds in the 7th stage were incubated for the purpose of dark pre-treatment at 4 oC for one day. Ovules and ovaries wereisolated and cultured in induction medium. Cultures were incubated for the purpose of dark pre-treatment at 4 oC for seven days, followed by 25 oC light incubation. The result showed that 2.4D was better than NAA in inducing callus. Percentage of regenerated calluses were produced in V11, V13 and V15 genotypes in M7 medium (MS + 2 mg L-1 2.4D + 1 mg L-1 BAP + 30 g L-1 sucrose and M10 medium (MS + 1 mg L-1 2.4D + 1 mg L-1 BAP + 20 g L-1 sucrose. All calluses originated from ovule and ovary cultures flowered prematurely. Double haploid (V11-34 were obtained from ovule slice culture based on PER (peroksidase and EST (esterase isoenzym marker.Keywords: ovule slice culture, ovary slice culture, callus, Dianthus sp., haploid

  5. Projection-slice theorem based 2D-3D registration

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Bom, M. J.; Pluim, J. P. W.; Homan, R.; Timmer, J.; Bartels, L. W.

    2007-03-01

    In X-ray guided procedures, the surgeon or interventionalist is dependent on his or her knowledge of the patient's specific anatomy and the projection images acquired during the procedure by a rotational X-ray source. Unfortunately, these X-ray projections fail to give information on the patient's anatomy in the dimension along the projection axis. It would be very profitable to provide the surgeon or interventionalist with a 3D insight of the patient's anatomy that is directly linked to the X-ray images acquired during the procedure. In this paper we present a new robust 2D-3D registration method based on the Projection-Slice Theorem. This theorem gives us a relation between the pre-operative 3D data set and the interventional projection images. Registration is performed by minimizing a translation invariant similarity measure that is applied to the Fourier transforms of the images. The method was tested by performing multiple exhaustive searches on phantom data of the Circle of Willis and on a post-mortem human skull. Validation was performed visually by comparing the test projections to the ones that corresponded to the minimal value of the similarity measure. The Projection-Slice Theorem Based method was shown to be very effective and robust, and provides capture ranges up to 62 degrees. Experiments have shown that the method is capable of retrieving similar results when translations are applied to the projection images.

  6. Slicing algorithms for multi-axis 3-D metal printing of overhangs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kyu Bok; Jee, Hae Seong

    2015-01-01

    A group of 3D metal printing or Additive metal manufacturing (AMM) processes, officially categorized as 'directed energy deposition (DED)' according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) classification, has enabled the building of full dense metallic tools and parts using metal powders precisely delivered and controlled with no powder bed. Mold making and metalworking are being taken in an entirely new direction. The overhang/undercut problem in DED processes, as much as other Additive manufacturing (AM) processes, has long remained unsolved, and the ones equipped with more than 3-axis tool mechanism turn out to be capable of depositing overhang/undercut features onto the part to be made. Multi-axis machines introduced for resolving the problem, however, require advanced preprocess software support for the process management that controls multi-axis tool paths. This study proposes slicing algorithms, sophisticatedly designed for the control of the tool paths on a 5-axis base table, to build overhang/undercut features. A methodical approach, using an auto-partitioning algorithm for generating three-dimensional layer (3DL) information, is proposed in this study, and various overhang features, as case studies, have been investigated and implemented by using the proposed method.

  7. Slicing algorithms for multi-axis 3-D metal printing of overhangs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kyu Bok; Jee, Hae Seong [Hongik University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-11-15

    A group of 3D metal printing or Additive metal manufacturing (AMM) processes, officially categorized as 'directed energy deposition (DED)' according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) classification, has enabled the building of full dense metallic tools and parts using metal powders precisely delivered and controlled with no powder bed. Mold making and metalworking are being taken in an entirely new direction. The overhang/undercut problem in DED processes, as much as other Additive manufacturing (AM) processes, has long remained unsolved, and the ones equipped with more than 3-axis tool mechanism turn out to be capable of depositing overhang/undercut features onto the part to be made. Multi-axis machines introduced for resolving the problem, however, require advanced preprocess software support for the process management that controls multi-axis tool paths. This study proposes slicing algorithms, sophisticatedly designed for the control of the tool paths on a 5-axis base table, to build overhang/undercut features. A methodical approach, using an auto-partitioning algorithm for generating three-dimensional layer (3DL) information, is proposed in this study, and various overhang features, as case studies, have been investigated and implemented by using the proposed method.

  8. Measurement of left atrial volume by 2D and 3D non-contrast computed tomography compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fredgart, Maise Høigaard; Carter-Storch, Rasmus; Møller, Jacob Eifer

    2018-01-01

    Background: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the gold standard for assessment of left atrial (LA) volume. We assessed the feasibility of evaluating LA volume using 3D non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT). Furthermore, since manual tracing of LA volume is time consuming, we...... evaluated the accuracy of the LA area using 2D NCCT imaging for LA volume assessment. Methods: MRI and NCCT imaging were performed in 69 patients before and one year after aortic valve replacement. In 3D MRI and 3D NCCT, each slice was manually traced, excluding the pulmonary veins and atrial appendage...

  9. Two-Dimensional (2D Slices Encryption-Based Security Solution for Three-Dimensional (3D Printing Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giao N. Pham

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, three-dimensional (3D printing technology is applied to many areas of life and changes the world based on the creation of complex structures and shapes that were not feasible in the past. But, the data of 3D printing is often attacked in the storage and transmission processes. Therefore, 3D printing must be ensured security in the manufacturing process, especially the data of 3D printing to prevent attacks from hackers. This paper presents a security solution for 3D printing based on two-dimensional (2D slices encryption. The 2D slices of 3D printing data is encrypted in the frequency domain or in the spatial domain by the secret key to generate the encrypted data of 3D printing. We implemented the proposed solution in both the frequency domain based on the Discrete Cosine Transform and the spatial domain based on geometric transform. The entire 2D slices of 3D printing data is altered and secured after the encryption process. The proposed solution is responsive to the security requirements for the secured storage and transmission. Experimental results also verified that the proposed solution is effective to 3D printing data and is independent on the format of 3D printing models. When compared to the conventional works, the security and performance of the proposed solution is also better.

  10. A shape-based statistical method to retrieve 2D TRUS-MR slice correspondence for prostate biopsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitra, Jhimli; Srikantha, Abhilash; Sidibé, Désiré; Martí, Robert; Oliver, Arnau; Lladó, Xavier; Ghose, Soumya; Vilanova, Joan C.; Comet, Josep; Meriaudeau, Fabrice

    2012-02-01

    This paper presents a method based on shape-context and statistical measures to match interventional 2D Trans Rectal Ultrasound (TRUS) slice during prostate biopsy to a 2D Magnetic Resonance (MR) slice of a pre-acquired prostate volume. Accurate biopsy tissue sampling requires translation of the MR slice information on the TRUS guided biopsy slice. However, this translation or fusion requires the knowledge of the spatial position of the TRUS slice and this is only possible with the use of an electro-magnetic (EM) tracker attached to the TRUS probe. Since, the use of EM tracker is not common in clinical practice and 3D TRUS is not used during biopsy, we propose to perform an analysis based on shape and information theory to reach close enough to the actual MR slice as validated by experts. The Bhattacharyya distance is used to find point correspondences between shape-context representations of the prostate contours. Thereafter, Chi-square distance is used to find out those MR slices where the prostates closely match with that of the TRUS slice. Normalized Mutual Information (NMI) values of the TRUS slice with each of the axial MR slices are computed after rigid alignment and consecutively a strategic elimination based on a set of rules between the Chi-square distances and the NMI leads to the required MR slice. We validated our method for TRUS axial slices of 15 patients, of which 11 results matched at least one experts validation and the remaining 4 are at most one slice away from the expert validations.

  11. Multi-slicing strategy for the three-dimensional discontinuity layout optimization (3D DLO).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yiming

    2017-03-01

    Discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) is a recently presented topology optimization method for determining the critical layout of discontinuities and the associated upper bound limit load for plane two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) problems. The modelling process (pre-processing) for DLO includes defining the discontinuities inside a specified domain and building the target function and the global constraint matrix for the optimization solver, which has great influence on the the efficiency of the computation processes and the reliability of the final results. This paper focuses on efficient and reliable pre-processing of the discontinuities within the 3D DLO and presents a multi-slicing strategy, which naturally avoids the overlapping and crossing of different discontinuities. Furthermore, the formulation of the 3D discontinuity considering a shape of an arbitrary convex polygon is introduced, permitting the efficient assembly of the global constraint matrix. The proposed method eliminates unnecessary discontinuities in 3D DLO, making it possible to apply 3D DLO for solving large-scale engineering problems such as those involving landslides. Numerical examples including a footing test, a 3D landslide and a punch indentation are considered, illustrating the effectiveness of the presented method. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. High-resolution multi-slice PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasillo, N.J.; Chintu Chen; Ordonez, C.E.; Kapp, O.H.; Sosnowski, J.; Beck, R.N.

    1992-01-01

    This report evaluates the progress to test the feasibility and to initiate the design of a high resolution multi-slice PET system. The following specific areas were evaluated: detector development and testing; electronics configuration and design; mechanical design; and system simulation. The design and construction of a multiple-slice, high-resolution positron tomograph will provide substantial improvements in the accuracy and reproducibility of measurements of the distribution of activity concentrations in the brain. The range of functional brain research and our understanding of local brain function will be greatly extended when the development of this instrumentation is completed

  13. On the way to isotopic spatial resolution: technical principles and applications of 16-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flohr, T.; Ohnesorge, B.; Stierstorfer, K.

    2005-01-01

    The broad introduction of multi-slice CT by all major vendors in 1998 was a milestone with regard to extended volume coverage, improved axial resolution and better utilization of the tube output. New clinical applications such as CT-examinations of the heart and the coronary arteries became possible. Despite all promising advances, some limitations remain for 4-slice CT systems. They come close to isotropic resolution, but do not fully reach it in routine clinical applications. Cardiac CT-examinations require careful patient selection. The new generation of multi-slice CT-systems offer simultaneous acquisition of up to 16 sub-millimeter slices and improved temporal resolution for cardiac examinations by means of reduced gantry rotation time (0.4 s). In this overview article we present the basic technical principles and potential applications of 16-slice technology for the example of a 16-slice CT-system (SOMATOM Sensation 16, Siemens AG, Forchheim). We discuss detector design and dose efficiency as well as spiral scan- and reconstruction techniques. At comparable slice thickness, 16-slice CT-systems have a better dose efficiency than 4-slice CT-systems. The cone-beam geometry of the measurement rays requires new reconstruction approaches, an example is the adaptive multiple plane reconstruction, AMPR. First clinical experience indicates that sub-millimeter slice width in combination with reduced gantry rotation-time improves the clinical stability of cardiac examinations and expands the spectrum of patients accessible to cardiac CT. 16-slice CT-systems have the potential to cover even large scan ranges with sub-millimeter slices at considerably reduced examination times, thus approaching the goal of routine isotropic imaging [de

  14. Using 3D spatial correlations to improve the noise robustness of multi component analysis of 3D multi echo quantitative T2 relaxometry data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Dushyant; Hariharan, Hari; Faizy, Tobias D; Borchert, Patrick; Siemonsen, Susanne; Fiehler, Jens; Reddy, Ravinder; Sedlacik, Jan

    2018-05-12

    We present a computationally feasible and iterative multi-voxel spatially regularized algorithm for myelin water fraction (MWF) reconstruction. This method utilizes 3D spatial correlations present in anatomical/pathological tissues and underlying B1 + -inhomogeneity or flip angle inhomogeneity to enhance the noise robustness of the reconstruction while intrinsically accounting for stimulated echo contributions using T2-distribution data alone. Simulated data and in vivo data acquired using 3D non-selective multi-echo spin echo (3DNS-MESE) were used to compare the reconstruction quality of the proposed approach against those of the popular algorithm (the method by Prasloski et al.) and our previously proposed 2D multi-slice spatial regularization spatial regularization approach. We also investigated whether the inter-sequence correlations and agreements improved as a result of the proposed approach. MWF-quantifications from two sequences, 3DNS-MESE vs 3DNS-gradient and spin echo (3DNS-GRASE), were compared for both reconstruction approaches to assess correlations and agreements between inter-sequence MWF-value pairs. MWF values from whole-brain data of six volunteers and two multiple sclerosis patients are being reported as well. In comparison with competing approaches such as Prasloski's method or our previously proposed 2D multi-slice spatial regularization method, the proposed method showed better agreements with simulated truths using regression analyses and Bland-Altman analyses. For 3DNS-MESE data, MWF-maps reconstructed using the proposed algorithm provided better depictions of white matter structures in subcortical areas adjoining gray matter which agreed more closely with corresponding contrasts on T2-weighted images than MWF-maps reconstructed with the method by Prasloski et al. We also achieved a higher level of correlations and agreements between inter-sequence (3DNS-MESE vs 3DNS-GRASE) MWF-value pairs. The proposed algorithm provides more noise

  15. Investigation of influence of 16-slice spiral CT electrocardiogram-controlled dose modulation on exposure dosage and image quality of cardiac CT imaging under simulated fluctuant heart rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Yan; Chen Jie; Chai Weiming; Hua Jia; Gao Na; Xu Jianrong; Shen Yun

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the influence of electrocardiogram (ECG)-controlled dose modulation on exposure dosage and image quality of cardiac CT imaging in a cardiac phantom with simulated fluctuant heart rate. Methods: The basal heart rate of the cardiac pulsating phantom was set as 60 bpm, the experimental situations were divided as 6 groups according to different heart rates. The cardiac imaging was performed on the cardiac phantom when the ECG-controlled dose modulation was firstly turned off. The exposure dosage of each scan sequence was documented. The standard deviation of the CT values of the phantom was measured on the central slice after coronal reformation of the raw data. The quality of 2D and 3D images were scored. Then cardiac imaging was performed when ECG modulation was on and set as four groups according to different modulation parameters. All the data were documented as before. The results from the five groups with and without ECG modulation current were analyzed by F test and comparative rank sum test using the statistical software SPSS 10.0. Results: Statistical analysis showed no significant difference (P>0.05) between the SNR of images (SD value was 27.78 and 26.30) from the groups that full mA output at wide reconstruction phase (69%-99%) when the heart rate was fluctuant(≥7.5 bpm). There was also no significant difference (P>0.05) between the quality of the 2D and 3D images. But there was a significant difference (P 12.5 bpm, the exposure dosage would increase obviously (from 0.6 to 1.7 mSv). Conclusion: For cardiac imaging with 16-slice row CT, the application of ECG modulated current can effectively reduce the exposure dosage without compromising the image quality even if heart rate was fluctuant. (authors)

  16. A 128-slice CT scanner helpful in localising coronary sinus ostium during CRT-D implantation – case report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaźwiec, Przemysław; Jagielski, Dariusz; Gać, Paweł

    2014-01-01

    Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become a successful treatment option for symptomatic heart failure in patients with poor left ventricular (LV) systolic function and broad QRS complex in the surface electrocardiogram (ECG). In this report we present a case of a 70-year-old woman with advanced heart failure due to ischaemic heart disease who underwent an upgrade from VVIR stimulator (pacemaker, PM) to cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The first attempt was unsuccessful due to problems with inefficient cannulation of the orifice of the coronary sinus (CS). After performing a 3D reconstruction with a 128-slice CT scanner, it was possible to carry out the up-grade to CRT-D resulting in enormous clinical improvement. The case represents an example of the usefulness of 3D reconstruction with the 128-slice CT scanner used after failed CRT-D implantation due to difficulties with efficient cannulation of the coronary sinus orifice in a rare anatomical variant

  17. TH-EF-BRA-08: A Novel Technique for Estimating Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) From Multi-Slice Sparsely Sampled Cine Images Using Motion Modeling and Free Form Deformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, W; Yin, F; Wang, C; Chang, Z; Cai, J; Zhang, Y; Ren, L

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To develop a technique to estimate on-board VC-MRI using multi-slice sparsely-sampled cine images, patient prior 4D-MRI, motion-modeling and free-form deformation for real-time 3D target verification of lung radiotherapy. Methods: A previous method has been developed to generate on-board VC-MRI by deforming prior MRI images based on a motion model(MM) extracted from prior 4D-MRI and a single-slice on-board 2D-cine image. In this study, free-form deformation(FD) was introduced to correct for errors in the MM when large anatomical changes exist. Multiple-slice sparsely-sampled on-board 2D-cine images located within the target are used to improve both the estimation accuracy and temporal resolution of VC-MRI. The on-board 2D-cine MRIs are acquired at 20–30frames/s by sampling only 10% of the k-space on Cartesian grid, with 85% of that taken at the central k-space. The method was evaluated using XCAT(computerized patient model) simulation of lung cancer patients with various anatomical and respirational changes from prior 4D-MRI to onboard volume. The accuracy was evaluated using Volume-Percent-Difference(VPD) and Center-of-Mass-Shift(COMS) of the estimated tumor volume. Effects of region-of-interest(ROI) selection, 2D-cine slice orientation, slice number and slice location on the estimation accuracy were evaluated. Results: VCMRI estimated using 10 sparsely-sampled sagittal 2D-cine MRIs achieved VPD/COMS of 9.07±3.54%/0.45±0.53mm among all scenarios based on estimation with ROI_MM-ROI_FD. The FD optimization improved estimation significantly for scenarios with anatomical changes. Using ROI-FD achieved better estimation than global-FD. Changing the multi-slice orientation to axial, coronal, and axial/sagittal orthogonal reduced the accuracy of VCMRI to VPD/COMS of 19.47±15.74%/1.57±2.54mm, 20.70±9.97%/2.34±0.92mm, and 16.02±13.79%/0.60±0.82mm, respectively. Reducing the number of cines to 8 enhanced temporal resolution of VC-MRI by 25% while

  18. TH-EF-BRA-08: A Novel Technique for Estimating Volumetric Cine MRI (VC-MRI) From Multi-Slice Sparsely Sampled Cine Images Using Motion Modeling and Free Form Deformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harris, W; Yin, F; Wang, C; Chang, Z; Cai, J; Zhang, Y; Ren, L [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To develop a technique to estimate on-board VC-MRI using multi-slice sparsely-sampled cine images, patient prior 4D-MRI, motion-modeling and free-form deformation for real-time 3D target verification of lung radiotherapy. Methods: A previous method has been developed to generate on-board VC-MRI by deforming prior MRI images based on a motion model(MM) extracted from prior 4D-MRI and a single-slice on-board 2D-cine image. In this study, free-form deformation(FD) was introduced to correct for errors in the MM when large anatomical changes exist. Multiple-slice sparsely-sampled on-board 2D-cine images located within the target are used to improve both the estimation accuracy and temporal resolution of VC-MRI. The on-board 2D-cine MRIs are acquired at 20–30frames/s by sampling only 10% of the k-space on Cartesian grid, with 85% of that taken at the central k-space. The method was evaluated using XCAT(computerized patient model) simulation of lung cancer patients with various anatomical and respirational changes from prior 4D-MRI to onboard volume. The accuracy was evaluated using Volume-Percent-Difference(VPD) and Center-of-Mass-Shift(COMS) of the estimated tumor volume. Effects of region-of-interest(ROI) selection, 2D-cine slice orientation, slice number and slice location on the estimation accuracy were evaluated. Results: VCMRI estimated using 10 sparsely-sampled sagittal 2D-cine MRIs achieved VPD/COMS of 9.07±3.54%/0.45±0.53mm among all scenarios based on estimation with ROI-MM-ROI-FD. The FD optimization improved estimation significantly for scenarios with anatomical changes. Using ROI-FD achieved better estimation than global-FD. Changing the multi-slice orientation to axial, coronal, and axial/sagittal orthogonal reduced the accuracy of VCMRI to VPD/COMS of 19.47±15.74%/1.57±2.54mm, 20.70±9.97%/2.34±0.92mm, and 16.02±13.79%/0.60±0.82mm, respectively. Reducing the number of cines to 8 enhanced temporal resolution of VC-MRI by 25% while

  19. Rapid whole-brain resting-state fMRI at 3 T: Efficiency-optimized three-dimensional EPI versus repetition time-matched simultaneous-multi-slice EPI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stirnberg, Rüdiger; Huijbers, Willem; Brenner, Daniel; Poser, Benedikt A; Breteler, Monique; Stöcker, Tony

    2017-12-01

    State-of-the-art simultaneous-multi-slice (SMS-)EPI and 3D-EPI share several properties that benefit functional MRI acquisition. Both sequences employ equivalent parallel imaging undersampling with controlled aliasing to achieve high temporal sampling rates. As a volumetric imaging sequence, 3D-EPI offers additional means of acceleration complementary to 2D-CAIPIRINHA sampling, such as fast water excitation and elliptical sampling. We performed an application-oriented comparison between a tailored, six-fold CAIPIRINHA-accelerated 3D-EPI protocol at 530 ms temporal and 2.4 mm isotropic spatial resolution and an SMS-EPI protocol with identical spatial and temporal resolution for whole-brain resting-state fMRI at 3 T. The latter required eight-fold slice acceleration to compensate for the lack of elliptical sampling and fast water excitation. Both sequences used vendor-supplied on-line image reconstruction. We acquired test/retest resting-state fMRI scans in ten volunteers, with simultaneous acquisition of cardiac and respiration data, subsequently used for optional physiological noise removal (nuisance regression). We found that the 3D-EPI protocol has significantly increased temporal signal-to-noise ratio throughout the brain as compared to the SMS-EPI protocol, especially when employing motion and nuisance regression. Both sequence types reliably identified known functional networks with stronger functional connectivity values for the 3D-EPI protocol. We conclude that the more time-efficient 3D-EPI primarily benefits from reduced parallel imaging noise due to a higher, actual k-space sampling density compared to SMS-EPI. The resultant BOLD sensitivity increase makes 3D-EPI a valuable alternative to SMS-EPI for whole-brain fMRI at 3 T, with voxel sizes well below 3 mm isotropic and sampling rates high enough to separate dominant cardiac signals from BOLD signals in the frequency domain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Scanning and contrast enhancement protocols for multi-slice CT in evaluation of the upper abdomen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awai, Kazuo; Onishi, Hiromitsu; Takada, Koichi; Yamaguchi, Yasuo; Eguchi, Nobuko; Hiraishi, Kumiko; Hori, Shinichi

    2000-01-01

    The advent of multi-slice CT is one of the quantum leaps in computed tomography since the introduction of helical CT. Multi-slice CT can rapidly scan a large longitudinal (z-axis) volume with high longitudinal resolution and low image artifacts. The rapid volume coverage speed of multi-slice CT can increase the difficulty in optimizing the delay time between the beginning of contrast material injection and the acquisition of images and we need accurate knowledge about optimal temporal window for adequate contrast enhancement. High z-axis resolution of multi-slice can improve the quality of three-dimensional images and MPR images and we must select adequate slice thickness and slice intervals in each case. We discuss basic considerations for adequate contrast enhancement and scanning protocols by multi-slice CT scanner in the upper abdomen. (author)

  1. Accelerated cardiac cine MRI using locally low rank and finite difference constraints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Xin; Lingala, Sajan Goud; Guo, Yi; Jao, Terrence; Usman, Muhammad; Prieto, Claudia; Nayak, Krishna S

    2016-07-01

    To evaluate the potential value of combining multiple constraints for highly accelerated cardiac cine MRI. A locally low rank (LLR) constraint and a temporal finite difference (FD) constraint were combined to reconstruct cardiac cine data from highly undersampled measurements. Retrospectively undersampled 2D Cartesian reconstructions were quantitatively evaluated against fully-sampled data using normalized root mean square error, structural similarity index (SSIM) and high frequency error norm (HFEN). This method was also applied to 2D golden-angle radial real-time imaging to facilitate single breath-hold whole-heart cine (12 short-axis slices, 9-13s single breath hold). Reconstruction was compared against state-of-the-art constrained reconstruction methods: LLR, FD, and k-t SLR. At 10 to 60 spokes/frame, LLR+FD better preserved fine structures and depicted myocardial motion with reduced spatio-temporal blurring in comparison to existing methods. LLR yielded higher SSIM ranking than FD; FD had higher HFEN ranking than LLR. LLR+FD combined the complimentary advantages of the two, and ranked the highest in all metrics for all retrospective undersampled cases. Single breath-hold multi-slice cardiac cine with prospective undersampling was enabled with in-plane spatio-temporal resolutions of 2×2mm(2) and 40ms. Highly accelerated cardiac cine is enabled by the combination of 2D undersampling and the synergistic use of LLR and FD constraints. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Relationship of radiation dose and spiral pitch for multi-slice CT system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Shaojuan; Wang Wei; Liu Chuanya

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To study the relations of radiation dose and spiral pitch for multi-slice CT system. Methods: 16 mm dose phantom with solidose 300/400 pen-style ion chamber inserted into each of five holes in turn was scanned with different spiral pitch by LightSpeed 16-slice CT and Sensation 16-slice and 64-slice CT and radiation dose. Results: CTDI vol of axial scan and spiral scan for the three types of CT system are: (1) LightSpeed 16-slice CT: 28.9 (axial), 51.4 (pitch 0.562), 30.8 (pitch 0.938) and 16.5 ( pitch 1.75 ); (2) Sensation 16-slice CT: 41.2(axial) and 40.3(pitch 0.5) ,41.5(pitch 1) and 43.2(pitch 1.5); (3) Sensation 64- slice CT: 41.2(axial) and 40.3(pitch 0.5),41.5(pitch 1),43.2(pitch 1.5). Conclusions: For LightSpeed 16-slice CT, the measured radiation dose decreased with the increase of spiral pitch, the image quality could keep constant only if we increase mAs. While for Sensation 16-slice and 64-slice CT system, the measured radiation dose was identical for different pitch, and the image quality was identical because of the use of mAs auto control technique The mAs should be adjusted in different way according to the type of CT system when the pitch is changed in daily operation. (authors)

  3. Evaluation of spinal cord vessels using multi-slice CT angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Shuang; Zhu Ruijiang; Feng Xiaoyuan

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the value of Multi-slice spiral CT angiography for spinal cord vessels. Methods: 11 adult subjects with suspected of myelopathy were performed with Multi-slice spiral CT angiography, An iodine contrast agent was injected at 3.5 ml/s, for total 100 ml. The parameters were axial 16 slice mode, 0.625 mm slice thickness, 0.8 s rotation, delay time depending on smartprep(15-25 s), multi-phase scan. The coronal and sagittal MPR and SSD were generated on a workstation compared with spinal digital subtraction angiography (DSA) to analyze normal or abnormal spinal cord vessels. Results: Normal findings at spinal CTA and digital subtraction angiography in six adult normal subjects and spinal cord vascular malformations (1 intradural extramedullary AVF, 4 dural AVFs) in five cases, Recognizable intradural vessels corresponding to anterior median (midline) veins and/or anterior spinal arteries were show in six adult normal subjects. Abnormal intradural vessels were detected in all five spinal cord vascular malformation with CT angiography, in comparison with digital subtraction angiography these vessels were primarily enlarged veins of the coronal venous plexus on the cord surface, radiculomedullary-dural arteries could not be clearly shown in four dural AVF, only one anterior spinal artery was detected in one patient with intradural medullary AVF, which direct shunt between anterior spinal artery and perimedullary vein with tortuous draining vessel. Conclusion: Multi-slice CT angiography is able to visualize the normal or abnormal spinal cord vessels. It could be used as a noninvasive method to screen the spinal cord vascular disease. (authors)

  4. Filters in 2D and 3D Cardiac SPECT Image Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Lyra

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Nuclear cardiac imaging is a noninvasive, sensitive method providing information on cardiac structure and physiology. Single photon emission tomography (SPECT evaluates myocardial perfusion, viability, and function and is widely used in clinical routine. The quality of the tomographic image is a key for accurate diagnosis. Image filtering, a mathematical processing, compensates for loss of detail in an image while reducing image noise, and it can improve the image resolution and limit the degradation of the image. SPECT images are then reconstructed, either by filter back projection (FBP analytical technique or iteratively, by algebraic methods. The aim of this study is to review filters in cardiac 2D, 3D, and 4D SPECT applications and how these affect the image quality mirroring the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT images. Several filters, including the Hanning, Butterworth, and Parzen filters, were evaluated in combination with the two reconstruction methods as well as with a specified MatLab program. Results showed that for both 3D and 4D cardiac SPECT the Butterworth filter, for different critical frequencies and orders, produced the best results. Between the two reconstruction methods, the iterative one might be more appropriate for cardiac SPECT, since it improves lesion detectability due to the significant improvement of image contrast.

  5. Synchronized 2D/3D optical mapping for interactive exploration and real-time visualization of multi-function neurological images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qi; Alexander, Murray; Ryner, Lawrence

    2013-01-01

    Efficient software with the ability to display multiple neurological image datasets simultaneously with full real-time interactivity is critical for brain disease diagnosis and image-guided planning. In this paper, we describe the creation and function of a new comprehensive software platform that integrates novel algorithms and functions for multiple medical image visualization, processing, and manipulation. We implement an opacity-adjustment algorithm to build 2D lookup tables for multiple slice image display and fusion, which achieves a better visual result than those of using VTK-based methods. We also develop a new real-time 2D and 3D data synchronization scheme for multi-function MR volume and slice image optical mapping and rendering simultaneously through using the same adjustment operation. All these methodologies are integrated into our software framework to provide users with an efficient tool for flexibly, intuitively, and rapidly exploring and analyzing the functional and anatomical MR neurological data. Finally, we validate our new techniques and software platform with visual analysis and task-specific user studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Modelling the Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 64 Multi-Slice CT (MSCT) Scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amin, A T Mohd; Rahni, A A Abd

    2017-01-01

    Reconstructing large volumetric 3D images with minimal radiation dosage exposure with reduced scanning time has been one of the main objectives in the advancement of CT development. One of its advancement is the introduction of multi-slice arc detector geometry from a cone-beam source in third generation scanners. In solving this complex geometry, apart from the known vast computations in CT image reconstruction due to large CT images, iterative reconstruction methods are preferred compared to analytic methods due to its flexibility in image reconstruction. A scanner of interest that has this type of geometry is the Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 64 Multi-Slice CT (MSCT) Scanner , which has a total of 32 slices with 672 detector elements on each slice. In this paper, the scanner projection is modelled via the intersecting lengths between each ray (exhibited from the source to the detector elements) with the scanned image voxels, which are evaluated using the classical Siddon’s algorithm to generate the system matrix, H . This is a prerequisite to perform various iterative reconstruction methods, which involves solving the inverse problem arising from the linear equation: S = H· I; where S is the projections produced from the image, I. Due to the ‘cone-beam geometry’ along the z -axis, the effective field-of-view (FOV) with voxel dimensions (0.4×0.4×0.4) mm 3 is 512×512×32 voxels. The scanner model is demonstrated by reconstructing an image from simulated projections using the analytic Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) method against basic iterative image reconstruction methods. (paper)

  7. A 3D freehand ultrasound system for multi-view reconstructions from sparse 2D scanning planes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Honggang; Pattichis, Marios S; Agurto, Carla; Beth Goens, M

    2011-01-20

    A significant limitation of existing 3D ultrasound systems comes from the fact that the majority of them work with fixed acquisition geometries. As a result, the users have very limited control over the geometry of the 2D scanning planes. We present a low-cost and flexible ultrasound imaging system that integrates several image processing components to allow for 3D reconstructions from limited numbers of 2D image planes and multiple acoustic views. Our approach is based on a 3D freehand ultrasound system that allows users to control the 2D acquisition imaging using conventional 2D probes.For reliable performance, we develop new methods for image segmentation and robust multi-view registration. We first present a new hybrid geometric level-set approach that provides reliable segmentation performance with relatively simple initializations and minimum edge leakage. Optimization of the segmentation model parameters and its effect on performance is carefully discussed. Second, using the segmented images, a new coarse to fine automatic multi-view registration method is introduced. The approach uses a 3D Hotelling transform to initialize an optimization search. Then, the fine scale feature-based registration is performed using a robust, non-linear least squares algorithm. The robustness of the multi-view registration system allows for accurate 3D reconstructions from sparse 2D image planes. Volume measurements from multi-view 3D reconstructions are found to be consistently and significantly more accurate than measurements from single view reconstructions. The volume error of multi-view reconstruction is measured to be less than 5% of the true volume. We show that volume reconstruction accuracy is a function of the total number of 2D image planes and the number of views for calibrated phantom. In clinical in-vivo cardiac experiments, we show that volume estimates of the left ventricle from multi-view reconstructions are found to be in better agreement with clinical

  8. Is correction necessary when clinically determining quantitative cerebral perfusion parameters from multi-slice dynamic susceptibility contrast MR studies?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salluzzi, M; Frayne, R; Smith, M R

    2006-01-01

    Several groups have modified the standard singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm to produce delay-insensitive cerebral blood flow (CBF) estimates from dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion studies. However, new dependences of CBF estimates on bolus arrival times and slice position in multi-slice studies have been recently recognized. These conflicting findings can be reconciled by accounting for several experimental and algorithmic factors. Using simulation and clinical studies, the non-simultaneous measurement of arterial and tissue concentration curves (relative slice position) in a multi-slice study is shown to affect time-related perfusion parameters, e.g. arterial-tissue-delay measurements. However, the current clinical impact of relative slice position on amplitude-related perfusion parameters, e.g. CBF, can be expected to be small unless any of the following conditions are present individually or in combination: (a) high concentration curve signal-to-noise ratios, (b) small tissue mean transit times, (c) narrow arterial input functions or (d) low temporal resolution of the DSC image sequence. Recent improvements in magnetic resonance (MR) technology can easily be expected to lead to scenarios where these effects become increasingly important sources of inaccuracy for all perfusion parameter estimates. We show that using Fourier interpolated (high temporal resolution) residue functions reduces the systematic error of the perfusion parameters obtained from multi-slice studies

  9. Breath-hold imaging of the coronary arteries using Quiescent-Interval Slice-Selective (QISS) magnetic resonance angiography: pilot study at 1.5 Tesla and 3 Tesla.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edelman, Robert R; Giri, S; Pursnani, A; Botelho, M P F; Li, W; Koktzoglou, I

    2015-11-23

    Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is usually obtained with a free-breathing navigator-gated 3D acquisition. Our aim was to develop an alternative breath-hold approach that would allow the coronary arteries to be evaluated in a much shorter time and without risk of degradation by respiratory motion artifacts. For this purpose, we implemented a breath-hold, non-contrast-enhanced, quiescent-interval slice-selective (QISS) 2D technique. Sequence performance was compared at 1.5 and 3 Tesla using both radial and Cartesian k-space trajectories. The left coronary circulation was imaged in six healthy subjects and two patients with coronary artery disease. Breath-hold QISS was compared with T2-prepared 2D balanced steady-state free-precession (bSSFP) and free-breathing, navigator-gated 3D bSSFP. Approximately 10 2.1-mm thick slices were acquired in a single ~20-s breath-hold using two-shot QISS. QISS contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was 1.5-fold higher at 3 Tesla than at 1.5 Tesla. Cartesian QISS provided the best coronary-to-myocardium CNR, whereas radial QISS provided the sharpest coronary images. QISS image quality exceeded that of free-breathing 3D coronary MRA with few artifacts at either field strength. Compared with T2-prepared 2D bSSFP, multi-slice capability was not restricted by the specific absorption rate at 3 Tesla and pericardial fluid signal was better suppressed. In addition to depicting the coronary arteries, QISS could image intra-cardiac structures, pericardium, and the aortic root in arbitrary slice orientations. Breath-hold QISS is a simple, versatile, and time-efficient method for coronary MRA that provides excellent image quality at both 1.5 and 3 Tesla. Image quality exceeded that of free-breathing, navigator-gated 3D MRA in a much shorter scan time. QISS also allowed rapid multi-slice bright-blood, diastolic phase imaging of the heart, which may have complementary value to multi-phase cine imaging. We conclude that, with further clinical

  10. The relationship between image quality and CT dose index of multi-slice low-dose chest CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Xiaohua; Shao Jiang; Shi Jingyun; You Zhengqian; Li Shijun; Xue Yongming

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To explore the rationality and possibility of multi-slice low-dose CT scan in the examination of the chest. Methods: (1) X-ray dose index measurement: 120 kV tube voltage, 0.75 s rotation, 8 mm and 3 mm slice thickness, and the tube current setting of 115.0, 40.0, 25.0, and 7.5 mAs were employed in every section. The X-ray radiation dose was measured and compared statistically. (2) phantom measurement of homogeneity and noise: The technical parameters were 120 kV, 0.75 s, 8 mm and 3 mm sections, and every slice was scanned using tube current of 115.0, 40.0, 25.0, and 7.5 mAs. Five same regions of interest were measured on every image. The homogeneity and noise level of CT were appraised. (3) The multi-slice low-dose CT in patients: 30 patients with mass and 30 with patch shadow in the lung were selected randomly. The technical parameters were 120 kV, 0.75 s, 8 mm and 3 mm slice thickness. 115.0, 40.0, 25.0, 15.0, and 7.5 mAs tube current were employed in each same slice. Otherwise, 15 cases with helical scan were examined using 190, 150, 40, 25, and 15 mAs tube current. The reconstruction images of MIP, MPR, CVR, HRCT, 3D, CT virtual endoscopy, and variety of interval reconstruction were compared. (4) Evaluation of image quality: CT images were evaluated by four doctors using single-blind method, and 3 degrees including normal image, image with few artifact, and image with excessive artifact, were employed and analyzed statistically. Results: (1) The CT dose index with 115.0 mAs tube current exceeded those of 40.0, 25.0, and 7.5 mAs by about 60%, 70%, and 85%, respectively. (2) The phantom measurement showed that the lower of CT dose the lower of homogeneity, the lower of CT dose the higher of noise level. (3) Result of image quality evaluation: The percentage of the normal image had no significant difference between 8 and 3 mm in 115, 40, and 25 mAs (P>0.05). Conclusion: Multi-slice low-dose chest CT technology may protect the patients and guarantee the

  11. Influence of longitudinal position on the evolution of steady-state signal in cardiac cine balanced steady-state free precession imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spear, Tyler J; Stromp, Tori A; Leung, Steve W; Vandsburger, Moriel H

    2017-11-01

    Emerging quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) techniques use cine balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) to measure myocardial signal intensity and probe underlying physiological parameters. This correlation assumes that steady-state is maintained uniformly throughout the heart in space and time. To determine the effects of longitudinal cardiac motion and initial slice position on signal deviation in cine bSSFP imaging by comparing two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) acquisitions. Nine healthy volunteers completed cardiac MRI on a 1.5-T scanner. Short axis images were taken at six slice locations using both 2D and 3D cine bSSFP. 3D acquisitions spanned two slices above and below selected slice locations. Changes in myocardial signal intensity were measured across the cardiac cycle and compared to longitudinal shortening. For 2D cine bSSFP, 46% ± 9% of all frames and 84% ± 13% of end-diastolic frames remained within 10% of initial signal intensity. For 3D cine bSSFP the proportions increased to 87% ± 8% and 97% ± 5%. There was no correlation between longitudinal shortening and peak changes in myocardial signal. The initial slice position significantly impacted peak changes in signal intensity for 2D sequences ( P  cine bSSFP that is only restored at the center of a 3D excitation volume. During diastole, a transient steady-state is established similar to that achieved with 3D cine bSSFP regardless of slice location.

  12. 3-D Whole-Core Transport Calculation with 3D/2D Rotational Plane Slicing Method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoo, Han Jong; Cho, Nam Zin [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Use of the method of characteristics (MOC) is very popular due to its capability of heterogeneous geometry treatment and widely used for 2-D core calculation, but direct extension of MOC to 3-D core is not so attractive due to huge calculational cost. 2-D/1-D fusion method was very successful for 3-D calculation of current generation reactor types (highly heterogeneous in radial direction but piece-wise homogeneous in axial direction). In this paper, 2-D MOC concept is extended to 3-D core calculation with little modification of an existing 2-D MOC code. The key idea is to suppose 3-D geometry as a set of many 2-D planes like a phone-directory book. Dividing 3-D structure into a large number of 2-D planes and solving each plane with a simple 2-D SN transport method would give the solution of a 3-D structure. This method was developed independently at KAIST but it is found that this concept is similar with that of 'plane tracing' in the MCCG-3D code. The method developed was tested on the 3-D C5G7 OECD/NEA benchmark problem and compared with the 2-D/1-D fusion method. Results show that the proposed method is worth investigating further. A new approach to 3-D whole-core transport calculation is described and tested. By slicing 3-D structure along characteristic planes and solving each 2-D plane problem, we can get 3-D solution. The numerical test results indicate that the new method is comparable with the 2D/1D fusion method and outperforms other existing methods. But more fair comparison should be done in similar discretization level.

  13. 3D seismic data de-noising and reconstruction using Multichannel Time Slice Singular Spectrum Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rekapalli, Rajesh; Tiwari, R. K.; Sen, Mrinal K.; Vedanti, Nimisha

    2017-05-01

    Noises and data gaps complicate the seismic data processing and subsequently cause difficulties in the geological interpretation. We discuss a recent development and application of the Multi-channel Time Slice Singular Spectrum Analysis (MTSSSA) for 3D seismic data de-noising in time domain. In addition, L1 norm based simultaneous data gap filling of 3D seismic data using MTSSSA also discussed. We discriminated the noises from single individual time slices of 3D volumes by analyzing Eigen triplets of the trajectory matrix. We first tested the efficacy of the method on 3D synthetic seismic data contaminated with noise and then applied to the post stack seismic reflection data acquired from the Sleipner CO2 storage site (pre and post CO2 injection) from Norway. Our analysis suggests that the MTSSSA algorithm is efficient to enhance the S/N for better identification of amplitude anomalies along with simultaneous data gap filling. The bright spots identified in the de-noised data indicate upward migration of CO2 towards the top of the Utsira formation. The reflections identified applying MTSSSA to pre and post injection data correlate well with the geology of the Southern Viking Graben (SVG).

  14. Imaging skeletal anatomy of injured cervical spine specimens: comparison of single-slice vs multi-slice helical CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Obenauer, S.; Alamo, L.; Herold, T.; Funke, M.; Kopka, L.; Grabbe, E. [Department of Radiology, Georg August-University Goettingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075 Goettingen (Germany)

    2002-08-01

    Our objective was to compare a single-slice CT (SS-CT) scanner with a multi-slice CT (MS-CT) scanner in the depiction of osseous anatomic structures and fractures of the upper cervical spine. Two cervical spine specimens with artificial trauma were scanned with a SS-CT scanner (HighSpeed, CT/i, GE, Milwaukee, Wis.) by using various collimations (1, 3, 5 mm) and pitch factors (1, 1.5, 2, 3) and a four-slice helical CT scanner (LightSpeed, QX/i, GE, Milwaukee, Wis.) by using various table speeds ranging from 3.75 to 15 mm/rotation for a pitch of 0.75 and from 7.5 to 30 mm/rotation for a pitch of 1.5. Images were reconstructed with an interval of 1 mm. Sagittal and coronal multiplanar reconstructions of the primary and reconstructed data set were performed. For MS-CT a tube current resulting in equivalent image noise as with SS-CT was used. All images were judged by two observers using a 4-point scale. The best image quality for SS-CT was achieved with the smallest slice thickness (1 mm) and a pitch smaller than 2 resulting in a table speed of up to 2 mm per gantry rotation (4 points). A reduction of the slice thickness rather than of the table speed proved to be beneficial at MS-CT. Therefore, the optimal scan protocol in MS-CT included a slice thickness of 1.25 mm with a table speed of 7.5 mm/360 using a pitch of 1.5 (4 points), resulting in a faster scan time than when a pitch of 0.75 (4 points) was used. This study indicates that MS-CT could provide equivalent image quality at approximately four times the volume coverage speed of SS-CT. (orig.)

  15. Evaluation of image quality and radiation dose at prospective ECG-triggered axial 256-slice multi-detector CT in infants with congenital heart disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Mei-ping; Liang, Chang-hong; Zhao, Zhen-jun; Liu, Hui; Li, Jing-lei; Zhang, Jin-e; Cui, Yan-hai; Yang, Lin; Liu, Qi-shun [Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Guangzhou (China); Ivanc, Thomas B.; Vembar, Mani [Philips Healthcare, CT Clinical Science, Highland Heights, OH (United States)

    2011-07-15

    There are a limited number of reports on the technical and clinical feasibility of prospective electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). To evaluate image quality and radiation dose at weight-based low-dose prospectively gated 256-slice MDCT angiography in infants with CHD. From November 2009 to February 2010, 64 consecutive infants with CHD referred for pre-operative or post-operative CT were included. All were scanned on a 256-slice MDCT system utilizing a low-dose protocol (80 kVp and 60-120 mAs depending on weight: 60 mAs for {<=}3 kg, 80 mAs for 3.1-6 kg, 100 mAs for 6.1-10 kg, 120 mAs for 10.1-15 kg). No serious adverse events were recorded. A total of 174 cardiac deformities, confirmed by surgery or heart catheterization, were studied. The sensitivity of MDCT for cardiac deformities was 97.1%; specificity, 99.4%; accuracy, 95.9%. The mean heart rate during scan was 136.7 {+-} 14.9/min (range, 91-160) with a corresponding heart rate variability of 2.8 {+-} 2.2/min (range, 0-8). Mean scan length was 115.3 {+-} 11.7 mm (range, 93.6-143.3). Mean volume CT dose index, mean dose-length product and effective dose were 2.1 {+-} 0.4 mGy (range, 1.5-2.8), 24.7 {+-} 5.9 mGy.cm (range, 14.7-35.8) and 1.6 {+-} 0.3 mSv (range, 1.1-2.5), respectively. Diagnostic-quality images were achieved in all cases. Satisfactory diagnostic quality for visualization of all/proximal/distal coronary artery segments was achieved in 88.4/98.8/80.0% of the scans. Low-dose prospectively gated axial 256-slice CT angiography is a valuable tool in the routine clinical evaluation of infants with CHD, providing a comprehensive three-dimensional evaluation of the cardiac anatomy, including the coronary arteries. (orig.)

  16. Pitch dependence of longitudinal sampling and aliasing effects in multi-slice helical computed tomography (CT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La Riviere, Patrick J.; Pan Xiaochuan

    2002-01-01

    In this work, we investigate longitudinal sampling and aliasing effects in multi-slice helical CT. We demonstrate that longitudinal aliasing can be a significant, complicated, and potentially detrimental effect in multi-slice helical CT reconstructions. Multi-slice helical CT scans are generally undersampled longitudinally for all pitches of clinical interest, and the resulting aliasing effects are spatially variant. As in the single-slice case, aliasing is shown to be negligible at the isocentre for circularly symmetric objects due to a fortuitous aliasing cancellation phenomenon. However, away from the isocentre, aliasing effects can be significant, spatially variant, and highly pitch dependent. This implies that measures more sophisticated than isocentre slice sensitivity profiles are needed to characterize longitudinal properties of multi-slice helical CT systems. Such measures are particularly important in assessing the question of whether there are preferred pitches in helical CT. Previous analyses have generally focused only on isocentre sampling patterns, and our more global analysis leads to somewhat different conclusions than have been reached before, suggesting that pitches 3, 4, 5, and 6 are favourable, and that half-integer pitches are somewhat suboptimal. (author)

  17. Coronary ostial involvement in acute aortic dissection: detection with 64-slice cardiac CT.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ryan, E Ronan

    2012-02-01

    A 41-year-old man collapsed after lifting weights at a gym. Following admission to the emergency department, a 64-slice cardiac computed tomography (CT) revealed a Stanford Type A aortic dissection arising from a previous coarctation repair. Multiphasic reconstructions demonstrated an unstable, highly mobile aortic dissection flap that extended proximally to involve the right coronary artery ostium. Our case is an example of the application of electrocardiogram-gated cardiac CT in directly visualizing involvement of the coronary ostia in acute aortic dissection, which may influence surgical management.

  18. Radiation exposure in multi-slice versus single-slice spiral CT: results of a nationwide survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brix, G.; Nagel, H.D.; Stamm, G.; Veit, R.; Lechel, U.; Griebel, J.; Galanski, M.

    2003-01-01

    Multi-slice (MS) technology increases the efficacy of CT procedures and offers new promising applications. The expanding use of MSCT, however, may result in an increase in both frequency of procedures and levels of patient exposure. It was, therefore, the aim of this study to gain an overview of MSCT examinations conducted in Germany in 2001. All MSCT facilities were requested to provide information about 14 standard examinations with respect to scan parameters and frequency. Based on this data, dosimetric quantities were estimated using an experimentally validated formalism. Results are compared with those of a previous survey for single-slice (SS) spiral CT scanners. According to the data provided for 39 dual- and 73 quad-slice systems, the average annual number of patients examined at MSCT is markedly higher than that examined at SSCT scanners (5500 vs 3500). The average effective dose to patients was changed from 7.4 mSv at single-slice to 5.5 mSv and 8.1 mSv at dual- and quad-slice scanners, respectively. There is a considerable potential for dose reduction at quad-slice systems by an optimisation of scan protocols and better education of the personnel. To avoid an increase in the collective effective dose from CT procedures, a clear medical justification is required in each case. (orig.)

  19. Primitive experience of three dimensional multi-slice spiral CT angiography for the follow-up of intracranial aneurysm clipping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Yunjun; Chen Weijian; Hu Zhangyong; Wu Enfu; Wang Meihao; Zhuge Qichuan; Zhongming; Cheng Jingliang; Ren Cuiping; Zhang Yong

    2008-01-01

    Objective To evaluate multi-slice three-dimensional CT angiography (MS 3D-CTA) for the follow-up of intracranial aneurysm clipping. Methods: MS 3D-CTA of 16 patients with intracranial aneurysm clipping were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were scanned on a 16-slice spiral CT (GE Lightspeed pro). Volume rendering(VR), thin maximum intensity projection(thin MIP) and multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) were employed in image postprocessing in all cases. Results: There were 17 clips in the 16 patients with aneurysm clipping. Six clips were located at the posterior communicating artery, 5 at the anterior communicating artery, 4 at the middle cerebral artery, and the remaining 2 clips were located at the pericallosal artery, in 1 patient. There were no abnormalities found in the aneurysm clipping region in 7 cases by MS 3D- CTA. There were residual aneurysm in 2 cases, parent artery stenosis in 4 cases, and artery spasm in 3 eases. There was no parent artery occlusion and clip displacement in all cases. VR showed excellent 3D spacial relations between the clip and parent artery in 12 cases, and showed good relations in 3 cases. The 1 case with 2 clips in the pericallosal artery showed heavy beam-hardening artifacts. The size and shape of aneurysm clips were clearly depicted by MPR and thin MIP, while 3D spacial relation of aneurysm clip and parent artery were poorly showed. Conclusion: MS 3D-CTA is a safe and efficient method for the follow-up of intracranialaneurysm clipping. Combined VR with MPR or thin MIP can well reveal postoperative changes after aneurysm clipping. (authors)

  20. Multi-slice ultrasound image calibration of an intelligent skin-marker for soft tissue artefact compensation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masum, M A; Pickering, M R; Lambert, A J; Scarvell, J M; Smith, P N

    2017-09-06

    In this paper, a novel multi-slice ultrasound (US) image calibration of an intelligent skin-marker used for soft tissue artefact compensation is proposed to align and orient image slices in an exact H-shaped pattern. Multi-slice calibration is complex, however, in the proposed method, a phantom based visual alignment followed by transform parameters estimation greatly reduces the complexity and provides sufficient accuracy. In this approach, the Hough Transform (HT) is used to further enhance the image features which originate from the image feature enhancing elements integrated into the physical phantom model, thus reducing feature detection uncertainty. In this framework, slice by slice image alignment and calibration are carried out and this provides manual ease and convenience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Accelerating Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) using t-Blipped Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Huihui; Ma, Dan; Jiang, Yun; Cauley, Stephen F.; Du, Yiping; Wald, Lawrence L.; Griswold, Mark A.; Setsompop, Kawin

    2015-01-01

    Purpose We incorporate Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) acquisition into MR Fingerprinting (MRF) to accelerate the MRF acquisition. Methods The t-Blipped SMS-MRF method is achieved by adding a Gz blip before each data acquisition window and balancing it with a Gz blip of opposing polarity at the end of each TR. Thus the signal from different simultaneously excited slices are encoded with different phases without disturbing the signal evolution. Further, by varying the Gz blip area and/or polarity as a function of TR, the slices’ differential phase can also be made to vary as a function of time. For reconstruction of t-Blipped SMS-MRF data, we demonstrate a combined slice-direction SENSE and modified dictionary matching method. Results In Monte Carlo simulation, the parameter mapping from Multi-band factor (MB)=2 t-Blipped SMS-MRF shows good accuracy and precision when compared to results from reference conventional MRF data with concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) of 0.96 for T1 estimates and 0.90 for T2 estimates. For in vivo experiments, T1 and T2 maps from MB=2 t-Blipped SMS-MRF have a high agreement with ones from conventional MRF. Conclusions The MB=2 t-Blipped SMS-MRF acquisition/reconstruction method has been demonstrated and validated to provide more rapid parameter mapping in the MRF framework. PMID:26059430

  2. Intersection-based registration of slice stacks to form 3D images of the human fetal brain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, Kio; Hansen, Mads Fogtmann; Habas, Piotr

    2008-01-01

    Clinical fetal MR imaging of the brain commonly makes use of fast 2D acquisitions of multiple sets of approximately orthogonal 2D slices. We and others have previously proposed an iterative slice-to-volume registration process to recover a geometrically consistent 3D image. However......, these approaches depend on a 3D volume reconstruction step during the slice alignment. This is both computationally expensive and makes the convergence of the registration process poorly defined. In this paper our key contribution is a new approach which considers the collective alignment of all slices directly...... of the approach applied to simulated data and clinically acquired fetal images....

  3. A comparative evaluation of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and Multi-Slice CT (MSCT). Part II: On 3D model accuracy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang Xin; Lambrichts, Ivo; Sun Yi; Denis, Kathleen; Hassan, Bassam; Li Limin; Pauwels, Ruben; Jacobs, Reinhilde

    2010-01-01

    Aim: The study aim was to compare the geometric accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) surface model reconstructions between five Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scanners and one Multi-Slice CT (MSCT) system. Materials and methods: A dry human mandible was scanned with five CBCT systems (NewTom 3G, Accuitomo 3D, i-CAT, Galileos, Scanora 3D) and one MSCT scanner (Somatom Sensation 16). A 3D surface bone model was created from the six systems. The reference (gold standard) 3D model was obtained with a high resolution laser surface scanner. The 3D models from the five systems were compared with the gold standard using a point-based rigid registration algorithm. Results: The mean deviation from the gold standard for MSCT was 0.137 mm and for CBCT were 0.282, 0.225, 0.165, 0.386 and 0.206 mm for the i-CAT, Accuitomo, NewTom, Scanora and Galileos, respectively. Conclusion: The results show that the accuracy of CBCT 3D surface model reconstructions is somewhat lower but acceptable comparing to MSCT from the gold standard.

  4. Evaluation of classification method of lung lobe for multi-slice CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Kousuke; Matsuhiro, Mikio; Saita, Shinsuke

    2010-01-01

    Recently, due to the introduction of multi-slice CT, to obtain a high resolution 3D CT image is possible in a short time. The temporal and spatial resolutions are high, so a highly accurate 3D image analysis is possible. To develop a structure analysis of the lung is needed and to be used as a fundamental technology for early detection of the disease. By separating the lung into lung lobes may provide important information for analysis, diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases. Therefore in this report, we adapt to abnormality example with the classification algorithms using the anatomical information of the bronchus, the pulmonary vein and interlobar fissure information, we evaluate the classification. (author)

  5. A z-gradient array for simultaneous multi-slice excitation with a single-band RF pulse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ertan, Koray; Taraghinia, Soheil; Sadeghi, Alireza; Atalar, Ergin

    2018-07-01

    Multi-slice radiofrequency (RF) pulses have higher specific absorption rates, more peak RF power, and longer pulse durations than single-slice RF pulses. Gradient field design techniques using a z-gradient array are investigated for exciting multiple slices with a single-band RF pulse. Two different field design methods are formulated to solve for the required current values of the gradient array elements for the given slice locations. The method requirements are specified, optimization problems are formulated for the minimum current norm and an analytical solution is provided. A 9-channel z-gradient coil array driven by independent, custom-designed gradient amplifiers is used to validate the theory. Performance measures such as normalized slice thickness error, gradient strength per unit norm current, power dissipation, and maximum amplitude of the magnetic field are provided for various slice locations and numbers of slices. Two and 3 slices are excited by a single-band RF pulse in simulations and phantom experiments. The possibility of multi-slice excitation with a single-band RF pulse using a z-gradient array is validated in simulations and phantom experiments. Magn Reson Med 80:400-412, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  6. 3-D CT for cardiovascular treatment planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wildermuth, S.; Leschka, S.; Duru, F.; Alkadhi, H.

    2005-01-01

    The recently developed 64-slice CT scanner together with the use of 2-D and 3-D reconstructions can aid the cardiovascular surgeon and interventional radiologist in visualizing exact geometric relationships to plan and execute complex procedures via minimally invasive or standard approaches.Cardiac 64-slice CT considerably benefits from the high temporal and spatial resolution allowing the reliable depiction of small coronary segments. Similarly, abdominal vascular 64-slice CT became possible within short examination times and allowing an optimal arterial contrast bolus exploitation. We demonstrate four representative cardiac and abdominal examples using the new 64-slice CT technology which reveal the impact of the new scanner generation for cardiovascular treatment planning. (orig.)

  7. PICTURE, 2-D Slices Through 3-D CG of MORSE, QAD-CG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: Picture generates plots of two-dimensional slices through the three-dimensional geometry described by the combinatorial geometry (CG) package used in such codes as MORSE and QAD-CG. These plots are printed on a standard line printer. 2 - Method of solution: Several different ways are available to obtain a two-dimensional slice through the geometry. The geometry ray tracing capability is tested by forcing the geometry package to execute the routines and logic of the Monte Carlo random walk or kernel integration algorithms. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: None tested besides those listed in the input descriptions

  8. Cyclin D2 is a critical mediator of exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luckey, Stephen W; Haines, Chris D; Konhilas, John P; Luczak, Elizabeth D; Messmer-Kratzsch, Antke; Leinwand, Leslie A

    2017-12-01

    A number of signaling pathways underlying pathological cardiac hypertrophy have been identified. However, few studies have probed the functional significance of these signaling pathways in the context of exercise or physiological pathways. Exercise studies were performed on females from six different genetic mouse models that have been shown to exhibit alterations in pathological cardiac adaptation and hypertrophy. These include mice expressing constitutively active glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3βS9A), an inhibitor of CaMK II (AC3-I), both GSK-3βS9A and AC3-I (GSK-3βS9A/AC3-I), constitutively active Akt (myrAkt), mice deficient in MAPK/ERK kinase kinase-1 (MEKK1 -/- ), and mice deficient in cyclin D2 (cyclin D2 -/- ). Voluntary wheel running performance was similar to NTG littermates for five of the mouse lines. Exercise induced significant cardiac growth in all mouse models except the cyclin D2 -/- mice. Cardiac function was not impacted in the cyclin D2 -/- mice and studies using a phospho-antibody array identified six proteins with increased phosphorylation (greater than 150%) and nine proteins with decreased phosphorylation (greater than 33% decrease) in the hearts of exercised cyclin D2 -/- mice compared to exercised NTG littermate controls. Our results demonstrate that unlike the other hypertrophic signaling molecules tested here, cyclin D2 is an important regulator of both pathologic and physiological hypertrophy. Impact statement This research is relevant as the hypertrophic signaling pathways tested here have only been characterized for their role in pathological hypertrophy, and not in the context of exercise or physiological hypertrophy. By using the same transgenic mouse lines utilized in previous studies, our findings provide a novel and important understanding for the role of these signaling pathways in physiological hypertrophy. We found that alterations in the signaling pathways tested here had no impact on exercise performance. Exercise

  9. Cine CT: a new technology for cardiac computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyd, D.P.; Peschmann, K.R.; Rand, R.E.; Napel, S.A.; Gould, R.; Farmer, D.W.; Lipton, M.J.; Higgins, C.B.; Couch, J.L.

    1987-01-01

    The technical requirements for adequate evaluation of cardiac anatomy and physiology, namely scan speeds in the 33-100 msec range, simultaneous multi-slice capability, 15-20 multi-level scans/second and a repeat multi-slice study at one per second, have been realized with the inception of the Cine-CT scanner. This scanner acquires scan data in 50 milliseconds by eliminating moving parts and using a scanning electron beam to produce a high speed X-ray source. The authors describe this scanner and the three scanning modes available: continuous or cine mode; flow or triggered mode; and full resolution mode. (Auth.)

  10. Flat slices in Minkowski space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murchadha, Niall Ó.; Xie, Naqing

    2015-03-01

    Minkowski space, flat spacetime, with a distance measure in natural units of d{{s}2}=-d{{t}2}+d{{x}2}+d{{y}2}+d{{z}2}, or equivalently, with spacetime metric diag(-1, +1, +1, +1), is recognized as a fundamental arena for physics. The Poincaré group, the set of all rigid spacetime rotations and translations, is the symmetry group of Minkowski space. The action of this group preserves the form of the spacetime metric. Each t = constant slice of each preferred coordinate system is flat. We show that there are also nontrivial non-singular representations of Minkowski space with complete flat slices. If the embedding of the flat slices decays appropriately at infinity, the only flat slices are the standard ones. However, if we remove the decay condition, we find non-trivial flat slices with non-vanishing extrinsic curvature. We write out explicitly the coordinate transformation to a frame with such slices.

  11. Cardiac gated ventilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanson, C.W. III; Hoffman, E.A.

    1995-01-01

    There are several theoretic advantages to synchronizing positive pressure breaths with the cardiac cycle, including the potential for improving distribution of pulmonary and myocardial blood flow and enhancing cardiac output. The authors evaluated the effects of synchronizing respiration to the cardiac cycle using a programmable ventilator and electron beam CT (EBCT) scanning. The hearts of anesthetized dogs were imaged during cardiac gated respiration with a 50 msec scan aperture. Multi slice, short axis, dynamic image data sets spanning the apex to base of the left ventricle were evaluated to determine the volume of the left ventricular chamber at end-diastole and end-systole during apnea, systolic and diastolic cardiac gating. The authors observed an increase in cardiac output of up to 30% with inspiration gated to the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle in a non-failing model of the heart

  12. Impact of Different CT Slice Thickness on Clinical Target Volume for 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prabhakar, Ramachandran; Ganesh, Tharmar; Rath, Goura K.; Julka, Pramod K.; Sridhar, Pappiah S.; Joshi, Rakesh C.; Thulkar, Sanjay

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to present the variation of clinical target volume (CTV) with different computed tomography (CT) slice thicknesses and the impact of CT slice thickness on 3-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy treatment planning. Fifty patients with brain tumors were selected and CT scans with 2.5-, 5-, and 10-mm slice thicknesses were performed with non-ionic contrast enhancement. The patients were selected with tumor volume ranging from 2.54 cc to 222 cc. Three-dimensional treatment planning was performed for all three CT datasets. The target coverage and the isocenter shift between the treatment plans for different slice thickness were correlated with the tumor volume. An important observation from our study revealed that for volume 25 cc, the target underdosage was less than 6.7% for 5-mm slice thickness and 8% for 10-mm slice thickness. For 3D conformal radiotherapy treatment planning (3DCRT), a CT slice thickness of 2.5 mm is optimum for tumor volume 25 cc

  13. The influence factors in image quality of multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography (MSCTA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeng Huiliang; Zhu Xinjin; Liang Jianhao; Zhong Yingze; Chen Xueguang; Ou Weiqian; Wen Haomao; Li Peiwen

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the influence of heart rate on image quality of multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography(MSCTA) and the optimization of image reconstruction windows. Methods: Retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT coronary angiography were performed in 67 cases. The cases were divided into four groups by heart rate, groupl with heart rate less than 60 beats per minute(bpm), group 2 with heart rate 61-70 bpm, group 3 with heart rate 71-80 bpm and group 4 with heart rate over 81 bpm. The impact of heart rate on image quality of MSCTA and the optimization of image reconstruction windows were evaluated. Results: 4 coronary (RCA,LM,LAD,LCX) segments were analyzed in each patients with regard to image quality. 86.7%(112/128) of the coronary segments were sufficient for analysis in patients with heart rate less than 60 bpm,62.5%(55/88) with 61-70 bpm,40%(8/20) with 71-80 bpm and 12.5%(2/16) with heart rate over 81 bpm, respectively. There were statistically significances between every coronary segments of group 1 and 2, group 3 and 4 (P<0.05). All coronary segments of group 1 were optimally visualized on the image reconstructed at 75% image reconstruction window of' cardiac cycle; 89.5% cases at 75% in group 2; for group 3.55% of coronary artery were best presented at 75% image reconstruction window, 45% of coronary artery at 45%; All coronary segments of group 4 were optimally visualized on the image reconstructed at 45% image reconstruction window. Conclusion: Image quality of MSCT coronary angiography is highly dependent on heart rate. Coronary artery is usually best shown at 75% image reconstruction window of cardiac cycle for those with heart rate less than 70 bpm. 30%-90% image reconstruction should be performed when heart rate is over 71 bpm. (authors)

  14. Detection of hepatocellular carcinoma with multi-slice spiral CT by ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2010-06-07

    Jun 7, 2010 ... The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of iodine concentration of contrast material on detection of hepatocellular carcinoma with multi-slice spiral computed tomography (CT) by using double-arterial phase and portal venous phase enhanced scanning. Ninety-four (94) patients with hepatocellular ...

  15. Concept and development of measurement method of time sensitivity profile (TSP) in X-ray CT. Comparison of non-helical, single-slice helical, and multi-slice helical scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujioka, Katsumi; Ida, Yoshihiro; Ohtsubo, Hironori; Takahashi, Yasukata; Niwa, Masayoshi

    2000-01-01

    We focused on the time element contained in a single CT image, and devised the concept of a time-sensitivity profile (TSP) describing how the time element is translated into an image. We calculated the data collection time range when the helical pitch is changed in non helical scans, single slice helical scans, and multi slice helical scans. We then calculated the time sensitivity profile (TSP) from the weighting applied when the data collection time range is translated into an image. TSP was also measured for each scanning method using our self-made moving phantom. TSPs obtained from the calculation and the experiments were very close. TSP showed interesting characteristics with each scanning method, especially in the case of multi slice helical scanning, in which TSP became shorter as helical pitch increased. We referred to the TSP's FWHM as the effective scanning time. When we conducted multi slice helical scanning at helical pitch 3, the effective scanning time increased to about 24% longer than that of a non helical scan. When we conducted multi slice helical scanning at helical pitch 5 or 6, the effective scanning time was about half that of a non helical scan. The time sensitivity profile (TSP) is a totally new concept that we consider an important element in discussing the time resolution of a CT scanner. The results of this review will provide significant data in determining the scanning parameters when scanning a moving object. (author)

  16. An ROI multi-resolution compression method for 3D-HEVC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ti, Chunli; Guan, Yudong; Xu, Guodong; Teng, Yidan; Miao, Xinyuan

    2017-09-01

    3D High Efficiency Video Coding (3D-HEVC) provides a significant potential on increasing the compression ratio of multi-view RGB-D videos. However, the bit rate still rises dramatically with the improvement of the video resolution, which will bring challenges to the transmission network, especially the mobile network. This paper propose an ROI multi-resolution compression method for 3D-HEVC to better preserve the information in ROI on condition of limited bandwidth. This is realized primarily through ROI extraction and compression multi-resolution preprocessed video as alternative data according to the network conditions. At first, the semantic contours are detected by the modified structured forests to restrain the color textures inside objects. The ROI is then determined utilizing the contour neighborhood along with the face region and foreground area of the scene. Secondly, the RGB-D videos are divided into slices and compressed via 3D-HEVC under different resolutions for selection by the audiences and applications. Afterwards, the reconstructed low-resolution videos from 3D-HEVC encoder are directly up-sampled via Laplace transformation and used to replace the non-ROI areas of the high-resolution videos. Finally, the ROI multi-resolution compressed slices are obtained by compressing the ROI preprocessed videos with 3D-HEVC. The temporal and special details of non-ROI are reduced in the low-resolution videos, so the ROI will be better preserved by the encoder automatically. Experiments indicate that the proposed method can keep the key high-frequency information with subjective significance while the bit rate is reduced.

  17. Automated fetal brain segmentation from 2D MRI slices for motion correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keraudren, K; Kuklisova-Murgasova, M; Kyriakopoulou, V; Malamateniou, C; Rutherford, M A; Kainz, B; Hajnal, J V; Rueckert, D

    2014-11-01

    Motion correction is a key element for imaging the fetal brain in-utero using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Maternal breathing can introduce motion, but a larger effect is frequently due to fetal movement within the womb. Consequently, imaging is frequently performed slice-by-slice using single shot techniques, which are then combined into volumetric images using slice-to-volume reconstruction methods (SVR). For successful SVR, a key preprocessing step is to isolate fetal brain tissues from maternal anatomy before correcting for the motion of the fetal head. This has hitherto been a manual or semi-automatic procedure. We propose an automatic method to localize and segment the brain of the fetus when the image data is acquired as stacks of 2D slices with anatomy misaligned due to fetal motion. We combine this segmentation process with a robust motion correction method, enabling the segmentation to be refined as the reconstruction proceeds. The fetal brain localization process uses Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER), which are classified using a Bag-of-Words model with Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) features. The segmentation process is a patch-based propagation of the MSER regions selected during detection, combined with a Conditional Random Field (CRF). The gestational age (GA) is used to incorporate prior knowledge about the size and volume of the fetal brain into the detection and segmentation process. The method was tested in a ten-fold cross-validation experiment on 66 datasets of healthy fetuses whose GA ranged from 22 to 39 weeks. In 85% of the tested cases, our proposed method produced a motion corrected volume of a relevant quality for clinical diagnosis, thus removing the need for manually delineating the contours of the brain before motion correction. Our method automatically generated as a side-product a segmentation of the reconstructed fetal brain with a mean Dice score of 93%, which can be used for further processing. Copyright

  18. Dynamic bowtie filter for cone-beam/multi-slice CT.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fenglin Liu

    Full Text Available A pre-patient attenuator ("bowtie filter" or "bowtie" is used to modulate an incoming x-ray beam as a function of the angle of the x-ray with respect to a patient to balance the photon flux on a detector array. While the current dynamic bowtie design is focused on fan-beam geometry, in this study we propose a methodology for dynamic bowtie design in multi-slice/cone-beam geometry. The proposed 3D dynamic bowtie is an extension of the 2D prior art. The 3D bowtie consists of a highly attenuating bowtie (HB filled in with heavy liquid and a weakly attenuating bowtie (WB immersed in the liquid of the HB. The HB targets a balanced flux distribution on a detector array when no object is in the field of view (FOV. The WB compensates for an object in the FOV, and hence is a scaled-down version of the object. The WB is rotated and translated in synchrony with the source rotation and patient translation so that the overall flux balance is maintained on the detector array. First, the mathematical models of different scanning modes are established for an elliptical water phantom. Then, a numerical simulation study is performed to compare the performance of the scanning modes in the cases of the water phantom and a patient cross-section without any bowtie and with a dynamic bowtie. The dynamic bowtie can equalize the numbers of detected photons in the case of the water phantom. In practical cases, the dynamic bowtie can effectively reduce the dynamic range of detected signals inside the FOV. Furthermore, the WB can be individualized using a 3D printing technique as the gold standard. We have extended the dynamic bowtie concept from 2D to 3D by using highly attenuating liquid and moving a scale-reduced negative copy of an object being scanned. Our methodology can be applied to reduce radiation dose and facilitate photon-counting detection.

  19. Direct cone-beam cardiac reconstruction algorithm with cardiac banding artifact correction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taguchi, Katsuyuki; Chiang, Beshan S.; Hein, Ilmar A.

    2006-01-01

    Multislice helical computed tomography (CT) is a promising noninvasive technique for coronary artery imaging. Various factors can cause inconsistencies in cardiac CT data, which can result in degraded image quality. These inconsistencies may be the result of the patient physiology (e.g., heart rate variations), the nature of the data (e.g., cone-angle), or the reconstruction algorithm itself. An algorithm which provides the best temporal resolution for each slice, for example, often provides suboptimal image quality for the entire volume since the cardiac temporal resolution (TRc) changes from slice to slice. Such variations in TRc can generate strong banding artifacts in multi-planar reconstruction images or three-dimensional images. Discontinuous heart walls and coronary arteries may compromise the accuracy of the diagnosis. A β-blocker is often used to reduce and stabilize patients' heart rate but cannot eliminate the variation. In order to obtain robust and optimal image quality, a software solution that increases the temporal resolution and decreases the effect of heart rate is highly desirable. This paper proposes an ECG-correlated direct cone-beam reconstruction algorithm (TCOT-EGR) with cardiac banding artifact correction (CBC) and disconnected projections redundancy compensation technique (DIRECT). First the theory and analytical model of the cardiac temporal resolution is outlined. Next, the performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated by using computer simulations as well as patient data. It will be shown that the proposed algorithms enhance the robustness of the image quality against inconsistencies by guaranteeing smooth transition of heart cycles used in reconstruction

  20. Mid-term results of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting assessed by multi-slice computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Seijiro; Nitta, Yoshio; Oda, Katsuhiko

    2004-01-01

    Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) has recently increased in popularity, but the long-term results are still unknown. We evaluated the mid-term results of OPCAB surgery using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), which is a non-invasive postoperative evaluation method. Thirty-one consecutive patients who underwent OPCAB surgery at least 2 years prior to the study were selected. The age was 50 to 79 years (66.9±6.5) and the ratio of men to women was 26:5. Coronary angiography was performed in all patients at 2 weeks postoperatively. The follow-up was complete, and mean follow-up was 30.9 months. There were no hospital deaths and 1 non-cardiac late death. The graft patency rate in coronary angiography was left internal thoracic artery (LITA) 30/30 (100%), right internal thoracic artery (RITA) 2/2 (100%), radial artery (RA) 14/15 (93%), saphenous vein graft (SVG) 15/17 (88%). No graft became occluded on MSCT study and all patients have been angina-free during the follow-up period. We suggest that OPCAB is feasible in most patients with good patency and low mortality. MSCT is an effective follow up method for the morphological findings and noninvasive quantitative evaluation of the bypass grafts. (author)

  1. Multi-slice spiral CT detects spread of small laryngeal tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruening, R.; Schoepf, U.; Becker, C.; Reiser, M.; Hong, C.; Sturm, C.; Wollenberg, B.

    1999-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to preoperatively investigate small laryngeal carcinomas using multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) and subsequent multiplanar reconstructions (MPR) and to compare the results to the detailed spread found a surgery and histology. Nine patients with small (T1, T2) laryngeal cancer were investigated on a MSCT scanner (Siemens plus 4 Volume Zoom, Siemens). A 4x1 mm collimation, 120 kV, 200 mAs and a 0.5 seconds rotation time were used, allowing a coverage of the entire larynx in approximately 10 seconds within a single breathhold. Multiplanar reconstruction's (MPR) in sagittal and coronal plane were reconstructed in all patients and rated in consensus reading. In 8 of nine patients, the glottic spread was detected by MSCT, in one case of a supraglottic tumor a glottic invasion was excluded. The infiltration of the anterior commissure, the infiltration into the subglottic space and the extension into the hypo-pharynx was correctly assessed in all patients. MSCT was not able to predict infiltration of the arythnoids in two patients. The use of multi-slice CT for the preoperative assessment of small laryngeal tumors shows great promise. The detection or exclusion of subtle spread of these tumors into the supra- or subglottic space and along the glottic level was possible with high accuracy. As the examination time is short, artifacts are rare and multiplanar reconstructions gain in clinical importance. (orig.) [de

  2. Metabolomics of Therapy Response in Preclinical Glioblastoma: A Multi-Slice MRSI-Based Volumetric Analysis for Noninvasive Assessment of Temozolomide Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arias-Ramos, Nuria; Ferrer-Font, Laura; Lope-Piedrafita, Silvia; Mocioiu, Victor; Julià-Sapé, Margarida; Pumarola, Martí; Arús, Carles; Candiota, Ana Paula

    2017-01-01

    Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a short survival time even after aggressive therapy. Non-invasive surrogate biomarkers of therapy response may be relevant for improving patient survival. Previous work produced such biomarkers in preclinical GBM using semi-supervised source extraction and single-slice Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI). Nevertheless, GBMs are heterogeneous and single-slice studies could prevent obtaining relevant information. The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether a multi-slice MRSI approach, acquiring consecutive grids across the tumor, is feasible for preclinical models and may produce additional insight into therapy response. Nosological images were analyzed pixel-by-pixel and a relative responding volume, the Tumor Responding Index (TRI), was defined to quantify response. Heterogeneous response levels were observed and treated animals were ascribed to three arbitrary predefined groups: high response (HR, n = 2), TRI = 68.2 ± 2.8%, intermediate response (IR, n = 6), TRI = 41.1 ± 4.2% and low response (LR, n = 2), TRI = 13.4 ± 14.3%, producing therapy response categorization which had not been fully registered in single-slice studies. Results agreed with the multi-slice approach being feasible and producing an inverse correlation between TRI and Ki67 immunostaining. Additionally, ca. 7-day oscillations of TRI were observed, suggesting that host immune system activation in response to treatment could contribute to the responding patterns detected. PMID:28524099

  3. Metabolomics of Therapy Response in Preclinical Glioblastoma: A Multi-Slice MRSI-Based Volumetric Analysis for Noninvasive Assessment of Temozolomide Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuria Arias-Ramos

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Glioblastoma (GBM is the most common aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a short survival time even after aggressive therapy. Non-invasive surrogate biomarkers of therapy response may be relevant for improving patient survival. Previous work produced such biomarkers in preclinical GBM using semi-supervised source extraction and single-slice Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI. Nevertheless, GBMs are heterogeneous and single-slice studies could prevent obtaining relevant information. The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether a multi-slice MRSI approach, acquiring consecutive grids across the tumor, is feasible for preclinical models and may produce additional insight into therapy response. Nosological images were analyzed pixel-by-pixel and a relative responding volume, the Tumor Responding Index (TRI, was defined to quantify response. Heterogeneous response levels were observed and treated animals were ascribed to three arbitrary predefined groups: high response (HR, n = 2, TRI = 68.2 ± 2.8%, intermediate response (IR, n = 6, TRI = 41.1 ± 4.2% and low response (LR, n = 2, TRI = 13.4 ± 14.3%, producing therapy response categorization which had not been fully registered in single-slice studies. Results agreed with the multi-slice approach being feasible and producing an inverse correlation between TRI and Ki67 immunostaining. Additionally, ca. 7-day oscillations of TRI were observed, suggesting that host immune system activation in response to treatment could contribute to the responding patterns detected.

  4. Accessory left atrial diverticulae: contractile properties depicted with 64-slice cine-cardiac CT.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Killeen, Ronan P

    2012-02-01

    To assess the contractility of accessory left atrial appendages (LAAs) using multiphasic cardiac CT. We retrospectively analyzed the presence, location, size and contractile properties of accessory LAAs using multiphasic cardiac 64-slice CT in 102 consecutive patients (63 males, 39 females, mean age 57). Multiplanar reformats were used to create image planes in axial oblique, sagittal oblique and coronal oblique planes. For all appendages with an orifice diameter >or= 10 mm, axial and sagittal diameters and appendage volumes were recorded in atrial diastole and systole. Regression analysis was performed to assess which imaging appearances best predicted accessory appendage contractility. Twenty-three (23%) patients demonstrated an accessory LAA, all identified along the anterior LA wall. Dimensions for axial oblique (AOD) and sagittal oblique (SOD) diameters and sagittal oblique length (SOL) were 6.3-19, 3.4-20 and 5-21 mm, respectively. All appendages (>or=10 mm) demonstrated significant contraction during atrial systole (greatest diameter reduction was AOD [3.8 mm, 27%]). Significant correlations were noted between AOD-contraction and AOD (R = 0.57, P < 0.05) and SOD-contraction and AOD, SOD and SOL (R = 0.6, P < 0.05). Mean diverticulum volume in atrial diastole was 468.4 +\\/- 493 mm(3) and in systole was 171.2 +\\/- 122 mm(3), indicating a mean change in volume of 297.2 +\\/- 390 mm(3), P < 0.0001. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed SOL to be the strongest independent predictor of appendage contractility (R(2) = 0.86, P < 0.0001) followed by SOD (R(2) = 0.91, P < 0.0001). Accessory LAAs show significant contractile properties on cardiac CT. Those accessory LAAs with a large sagittal height or depth should be evaluated for contractile properties, and if present should be examined for ectopic activity during electrophysiological studies.

  5. Improved biochemical preservation of heart slices during cold storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bull, D A; Reid, B B; Connors, R C; Albanil, A; Stringham, J C; Karwande, S V

    2000-01-01

    Development of myocardial preservation solutions requires the use of whole organ models which are animal and labor intensive. These models rely on physiologic rather than biochemical endpoints, making accurate comparison of the relative efficacy of individual solution components difficult. We hypothesized that myocardial slices could be used to assess preservation of biochemical function during cold storage. Whole rat hearts were precision cut into slices with a thickness of 200 microm and preserved at 4 degrees C in one of the following solutions: Columbia University (CU), University of Wisconsin (UW), D5 0.2% normal saline with 20 meq/l KCL (QNS), normal saline (NS), or a novel cardiac preservation solution (NPS) developed using this model. Myocardial biochemical function was assessed by ATP content (etamoles ATP/mg wet weight) and capacity for protein synthesis (counts per minute (cpm)/mg protein) immediately following slicing (0 hours), and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours of cold storage. Six slices were assayed at each time point for each solution. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and are presented as the mean +/- standard deviation. ATP content was higher in the heart slices stored in the NPS compared to all other solutions at 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours of cold storage (p cold storage (p cold storage.

  6. Fourier analysis of multi-gated cardiac blood-pool data in patients with congenital heart diseases, (2). Assessment of diseases with complex cardiac anomalies, especially tetralogy of Fallot

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takeda, Kan; Maeda, Hisato; Yamaguchi, Nobuo; Nakamura, Kazuyoshi; Matsumura, Kaname; Nakagawa, Tsuyoshi; Sakurai, Minoru; Aoki, Kenzo

    1985-04-01

    The clinical usefulness of Fourier analysis of multi-gated cardiac blood-pool data was evaluated in 18 subjects with normal cardiac functions and 14 patients with complex cardiac anomalies (ten with tetralogy of Fallot, two with tricuspid atresia (TA), one with double-outlet right ventricle (DORV), and one with Ebstein's anomaly (EA)). Using global ventricular time-activity curves, the phase and amplitude at fundamental frequency were calculated, and emptying patterns of the left and right ventricles (LV, RV) were evaluated by phase difference (D(phase)=RV phase minus LV phase) and amplitude ratio of RV to LV (R(amp)). In patients with TOF, mean values of D (phase) and R(amp) were 25.3 +- 10.5 degrees and 13.5 +- 0.49 respectively and significantly larger than those of normal subjects. D (phase) became larger in inverse proportion to the ratio of pulmonary-to-systemic blood flow and there was an inverse linear correlation between these two variables. On visual interpretation of functional images, the dynamic property of hypoplastic ventricles could be easily estimated in patients with TA or DORV. In a case with EA, the atrialized RV was shown clearly as a hypokinetic, atrial phase area. This method is valuable for pathophysiologic investigation of diseases with complex cardiac anomalies. (author).

  7. Isoproterenol effects evaluated in heart slices of human and rat in comparison to rat heart in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrmann, Julia E.; Heale, Jason; Bieraugel, Mike; Ramos, Meg; Fisher, Robyn L.; Vickers, Alison E.M.

    2014-01-01

    Human response to isoproterenol induced cardiac injury was evaluated by gene and protein pathway changes in human heart slices, and compared to rat heart slices and rat heart in vivo. Isoproterenol (10 and 100 μM) altered human and rat heart slice markers of oxidative stress (ATP and GSH) at 24 h. In this in vivo rat study (0.5 mg/kg), serum troponin concentrations increased with lesion severity, minimal to mild necrosis at 24 and 48 h. In the rat and the human heart, isoproterenol altered pathways for apoptosis/necrosis, stress/energy, inflammation, and remodeling/fibrosis. The rat and human heart slices were in an apoptotic phase, while the in vivo rat heart exhibited necrosis histologically and further progression of tissue remodeling. In human heart slices genes for several heat shock 70 kD members were altered, indicative of stress to mitigate apoptosis. The stress response included alterations in energy utilization, fatty acid processing, and the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, a marker of increased oxidative stress in both species. Inflammation markers linked with remodeling included IL-1α, Il-1β, IL-6 and TNFα in both species. Tissue remodeling changes in both species included increases in the TIMP proteins, inhibitors of matrix degradation, the gene/protein of IL-4 linked with cardiac fibrosis, and the gene Ccl7 a chemokine that induces collagen synthesis, and Reg3b a growth factor for cardiac repair. This study demonstrates that the initial human heart slice response to isoproterenol cardiac injury results in apoptosis, stress/energy status, inflammation and tissue remodeling at concentrations similar to that in rat heart slices. - Highlights: • Human response to isoproterenol induced cardiac injury evaluated in heart slices. • Isoproterenol altered apoptosis, energy, inflammation and remodeling pathways. • Human model verified by comparison to rat heart slices and rat heart in vivo. • Human and rat respond to isoproterenol

  8. Evaluation of the nutcracker syndrome using multi-slice spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Heshui; Fan Yanqing; Han Ping; Zhou Chengkai; Zhao Long; Wu Hongying; Yu Qun; Liu Yonghua

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the ability of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) in diagnosing nutcracker syndrome(NCS). Methods: MSCT angiography (MSCTA) or contrast enhanced CT data of 16 patients clinically diagnosed as NCS( patient group) and 80 subjects with nomal kidneys and renal vessels (control group ) were retrospectively reviewed. The anatomy, course and relationship to the adjacent structure of left renal vein (LRV) and its branches were observed. The angle (a) between SMA and the abdominal aorta (AA), the distance (d) between SMA and AA at the level of LRV passing through, the cross areas of LRV through the angle (s1) and at the largest diameter near the renal hilar (s2) were measured and the ratio(q) of s2 to sl was calculated. Results: All LRVs were compressed and showed dilated, 7 of them with the genesial gland vein enlargement. The causes of the LRV narrowing and obstruction were small angle (a) in 14 patients and abnormal path of LRV posterior to AA in 2 cases. The value of a,d,s1,s2 and q in the patient group and the control group were: (21±4) degree, (0.53±0.11) cm, (0.28±0.06) cm 2 , (1.42±0.48) cm 2 , 5.26 and (52±24) degree, (1.39±0.70) cm, (0.81±0.32) cm 2 , (1.21±0.35) cm 2 , 1.52, respectively. The differences were significant between the two groups (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The appearance and its path of the LRV could be well delineated on the MSCT, allowing a accurate evaluation of the LRV narrowing non-invasively. (authors)

  9. Highly-accelerated self-gated free-breathing 3D cardiac cine MRI: validation in assessment of left ventricular function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jing; Feng, Li; Shen, Hsin-Wei; Zhu, Chengcheng; Wang, Yan; Mukai, Kanae; Brooks, Gabriel C; Ordovas, Karen; Saloner, David

    2017-08-01

    This work presents a highly-accelerated, self-gated, free-breathing 3D cardiac cine MRI method for cardiac function assessment. A golden-ratio profile based variable-density, pseudo-random, Cartesian undersampling scheme was implemented for continuous 3D data acquisition. Respiratory self-gating was achieved by deriving motion signal from the acquired MRI data. A multi-coil compressed sensing technique was employed to reconstruct 4D images (3D+time). 3D cardiac cine imaging with self-gating was compared to bellows gating and the clinical standard breath-held 2D cine imaging for evaluation of self-gating accuracy, image quality, and cardiac function in eight volunteers. Reproducibility of 3D imaging was assessed. Self-gated 3D imaging provided an image quality score of 3.4 ± 0.7 vs 4.0 ± 0 with the 2D method (p = 0.06). It determined left ventricular end-systolic volume as 42.4 ± 11.5 mL, end-diastolic volume as 111.1 ± 24.7 mL, and ejection fraction as 62.0 ± 3.1%, which were comparable to the 2D method, with bias ± 1.96 × SD of -0.8 ± 7.5 mL (p = 0.90), 2.6 ± 3.3 mL (p = 0.84) and 1.4 ± 6.4% (p = 0.45), respectively. The proposed 3D cardiac cine imaging method enables reliable respiratory self-gating performance with good reproducibility, and provides comparable image quality and functional measurements to 2D imaging, suggesting that self-gated, free-breathing 3D cardiac cine MRI framework is promising for improved patient comfort and cardiac MRI scan efficiency.

  10. Budd-Chiari syndrome: dynamic enhancement findings with multi-slice helical CT and CT angiography analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng Xiaochun; Shan Hong; Zhu Kangshun; Xu Chuan; Zhang Jiansheng; Liu Lingyun; Ye Binbin

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the dynamic enhancement regulations of liver and their mechanism in Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) by using multi-slice CT and evaluate the value of CT angiography in the diagnosis of BCS. Methods: 28 cases with BCS confirmed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent dynamic enhancement examinations with multi-slice CT within 1 week before DSA. The relevant vessels were reconstructed respectively with MIP, VR and MPR. Compared with the results of DSA, we analyzed the dynamic enhancement regulations of liver in BCS, estimated the value of dynamic enhancement CT exams and CTA techniques in judging the obstruction level and showing collateral vessels. Results: Of all 28 cases, CT correctly showed the obstruction level in 26 cases, and 2 had incorrect results which proved to be membranous obstruction of the inferior vena cava superior to diaphragm. In 22 cases with hepatic vein obstructions, hepatic parenchyma displayed typical patchy enhancement in 19, atypical patchy enhancement in 3.8 cases among these showed benign nodules. Simultaneously, CT showed stenosis and rigidity of portal vein branches in 20, enlargement of hepatic artery in 14, hepatic collateral vessels in 20 out of 22 cases. In 6 cases with simple obstruction of inferior vena cava, hepatic changes were not found. Collateral circulations in or out of liver corresponded to the obstruction level. Conclusion: Dynamic enhancement examinations with multi-slice CT can correctly reflect the hepatic hemodynamic changes. Transverse images, combined with CTA, can explicitly display the obstruction level of vascular lesions and collateral circulations in BCS. (authors)

  11. Dose reduction strategies for cardiac CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Midgley, S.M.; Einsiedel, P.; Langenberg, F.; Lui, E.

    2010-01-01

    Full text: Recent advances in CT technology have produced brighter X-ray sources. gantries capable of increased rotation speeds, faster scintil lation materials arranged into multiple rows of detectors, and associated advances in 3D reconstruction methods. These innovations have allowed multi-detector CT to be turned to the diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities and compliment traditional imaging techniques such as coronary angiography. This study examines the cardiac imaging solution offered by the Siemens Somatom Definition Dual Source 64 slice CT scanner. Our dose reduction strategies involve optimising the data acquisition protocols according to diagnostic task, patient size and heart rate. The relationship between scan parameters, image quality and patient dose is examined and verified against measurements with phantoms representing the standard size patient. The dose reduction strategies are reviewed with reference to survey results of patient dose. Some cases allow the insertion of shielding to protect radiosensitive organs, and results are presented to quantify the dose saving.

  12. Experimental study of quantity to be taken as patient dose in helical multi-slice CT scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Lantao; Wei Kedao; Yue Brorong; Wang Jianchao

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To bring forward a novel quantity which is used to be taken as effective dose in helical multi - slice CT scan and to validate it by experiment. Methods: Dot chamber and pencil-chamber were used to measure the doses which were performed under axial mode and helical multi-slice mode. Then the readings of doses were compared and analyzed. Results: The dose reading from dot chamber was close to the one from pencil - chamber under axial mode. The ratio is 1.14 for the readings from dot chamber under two scan modes and is 2.88 for the readings from pencil-chamber under two scan modes. Conclusions: The dose measured from dot chamber is an effective quantity to be taken as effective dose. However it is insufficient that the CTDI and DLP be used to be taken as effective dose as the limitation of pencil-chamber in length. (authors)

  13. Multi-slice CT (MSCT) in cardiac function imaging: threshold-value-supported 3D volume reconstructions to determine the left ventricular ejection fraction in comparison to MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ehrhard, K.; Oberholzer, K.; Gast, K.; Mildenberger, P.; Kreitner, K.F.; Thelen, M.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To assess MSCT of the heart to determining left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) based on threshold-value-supported 3D volume reconstructions compared to MRI. Methods: Cardiac MSCT was performed in 7 patients. Images were reconstructed during end-systolic and end-diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle and transformed to 3D volumes to determine end-systolic (ESV) and end-diastolic volume (EDV) by using different lower threshold values: besides fixed lower threshold values, identical for each image sequence, individual lower threshold values dependent on contrast enhancement of the left ventricle were applied. The latter represent the mean value calculated by combining the average CT-density of the myocardium and the contrast-enhanced blood in the left ventricle. The EF derived from ESV and EDV. Results: The best correlation with MR imaging was obtained for ESV and EDV by using the individual lower threshold values for the respective sequence. The correlation coefficient for ESV was 0.95 and for EDV it was 0.93. On average, the ESV was overestimated by 3.72 ml, while the ESD was underestimated by 2.85 ml. The respective standard deviation for the ESV was 14,87 ml, for the EDV it was 26.83 ml. On average, the EF was underestimated by 3.57% with a standard deviation of 9.43% and a correlation coefficient of 0.83 in comparison to MRI. Conclusion: The threshold-value-supported 3D volume reconstruction of the left ventricle represents a good method to determine the left ventricular function parameters. Due to the differences in the contrast enhancement, the use of an individual lower threshold value for every image sequence is of particular importance. (orig.) [de

  14. Approximations of noise covariance in multi-slice helical CT scans: impact on lung nodule size estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Rongping; Petrick, Nicholas; Gavrielides, Marios A; Myers, Kyle J

    2011-10-07

    Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scanners have become popular volumetric imaging tools. Deterministic and random properties of the resulting CT scans have been studied in the literature. Due to the large number of voxels in the three-dimensional (3D) volumetric dataset, full characterization of the noise covariance in MSCT scans is difficult to tackle. However, as usage of such datasets for quantitative disease diagnosis grows, so does the importance of understanding the noise properties because of their effect on the accuracy of the clinical outcome. The goal of this work is to study noise covariance in the helical MSCT volumetric dataset. We explore possible approximations to the noise covariance matrix with reduced degrees of freedom, including voxel-based variance, one-dimensional (1D) correlation, two-dimensional (2D) in-plane correlation and the noise power spectrum (NPS). We further examine the effect of various noise covariance models on the accuracy of a prewhitening matched filter nodule size estimation strategy. Our simulation results suggest that the 1D longitudinal, 2D in-plane and NPS prewhitening approaches can improve the performance of nodule size estimation algorithms. When taking into account computational costs in determining noise characterizations, the NPS model may be the most efficient approximation to the MSCT noise covariance matrix.

  15. Multi-slice Computed Tomography Appearance of Abscess of Cavum Septum Pellucidum: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vasudev, M.K.; Chavan, R.G.; Nagarajan, K.; Shukla, D.; Devi, B.I. [National Inst. of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore (India). Depts. of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology and of Neurosurgery

    2006-04-15

    Abscesses involving the cavum septum pellucidum are rare and, owing to their location, detection may be difficult with routine conventional computed tomography (CT). Only a few isolated cases have been reported and mostly in children. We report a case of abscess involving the cavum septum pellucidum in an adult and its appearance on multi-slice spiral CT Abscess, cavum septum pellucidum, multi-slice CT, surgery.

  16. Errors during MRT measurements of the left ventricular volume using a multi-slice technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pitton, M.B.; Just, M.; Grebe, P.; Kreitner, K.F.; Erbel, R.; Thelen, M.

    1992-01-01

    A multi-slice technique for MRT measurements of the left ventricular volume is much faster than the use of single-slice methods and is therefore better tolerated, leaving time for additional measurements. The end-diastolic left ventricular volume can be reliably measured by this method (123.3±13.5 ml vs. 124.1±ml). The end-systolic volume is consistently overestimated by 23.7±18,3% compared with the reference value obtained by single slice measurements (47.9±8.9 ml vs 39.1±7.9 ml). Correspondingly, stroke volume and ejection fraction is underestimated on average by 10.6±9.7% and 10.6±7.6% respectively). (orig.) [de

  17. Radio resource management scheme and outage analysis for network-assisted multi-hop D2D communications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leila Melki

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In a cellular network it's very difficult to make spectrum resource more efficiently. Device-to-Device (D2D technology enables new service opportunities, and provides high throughput and reliable communication while reducing the base station load. For better total performance, short-range D2D links and cellular links share the same radio resource and the management of interference becomes a crucial task. Here we argue that single-hop D2D technology can be used to further improve cellular networks performance if the key D2D radio resource management algorithms are suitably extended to support multi-hop D2D communications. Aiming to establish a new paradigm for the analysis and design of multi-hop D2D communications, We propose a radio resource allocation for multi-hop D2D routes based on interference avoidance approach in LTE-A networks. On top of that, we investigate the outage probability of D2D communication. We first introduce a new definition of outage probability by considering the maximum distance to be allowable for single-hop transmission. Then we study and analyze the outage performance of a multi-hop D2D route. We derive the general closed form expression of outage probability of the multi-hop D2D routes. The results demonstrate that the D2D radio, sharing the same resources as the cellular network, provide higher capacity compared to pure cellular communication where all the data is transmitted through the base station. They also demonstrate that the new method of calculation of D2D multi hop outage probability has better performance than classical method defined in the literature.

  18. Acquisition and automated 3-D segmentation of respiratory/cardiac-gated PET transmission images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reutter, B.W.; Klein, G.J.; Brennan, K.M.; Huesman, R.H.

    1996-01-01

    To evaluate the impact of respiratory motion on attenuation correction of cardiac PET data, we acquired and automatically segmented gated transmission data for a dog breathing on its own under gas anesthesia. Data were acquired for 20 min on a CTI/Siemens ECAT EXACT HR (47-slice) scanner configured for 12 gates in a static study, Two respiratory gates were obtained using data from a pneumatic bellows placed around the dog's chest, in conjunction with 6 cardiac gates from standard EKG gating. Both signals were directed to a LabVIEW-controlled Macintosh, which translated them into one of 12 gate addresses. The respiratory gating threshold was placed near end-expiration to acquire 6 cardiac-gated datasets at end-expiration and 6 cardiac-gated datasets during breaths. Breaths occurred about once every 10 sec and lasted about 1-1.5 sec. For each respiratory gate, data were summed over cardiac gates and torso and lung surfaces were segmented automatically using a differential 3-D edge detection algorithm. Three-dimensional visualizations showed that lung surfaces adjacent to the heart translated 9 mm inferiorly during breaths. Our results suggest that respiration-compensated attenuation correction is feasible with a modest amount of gated transmission data and is necessary for accurate quantitation of high-resolution gated cardiac PET data

  19. Cardiac re-entry dynamics and self-termination in DT-MRI based model of Human Foetal Heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biktasheva, Irina V.; Anderson, Richard A.; Holden, Arun V.; Pervolaraki, Eleftheria; Wen, Fen Cai

    2018-02-01

    The effect of human foetal heart geometry and anisotropy on anatomy induced drift and self-termination of cardiac re-entry is studied here in MRI based 2D slice and 3D whole heart computer simulations. Isotropic and anisotropic models of 20 weeks of gestational age human foetal heart obtained from 100μm voxel diffusion tensor MRI data sets were used in the computer simulations. The fiber orientation angles of the heart were obtained from the orientation of the DT-MRI primary eigenvectors. In a spatially homogeneous electrophysiological monodomain model with the DT-MRI based heart geometries, cardiac re-entry was initiated at a prescribed location in a 2D slice, and in the 3D whole heart anatomy models. Excitation was described by simplified FitzHugh-Nagumo kinetics. In a slice of the heart, with propagation velocity twice as fast along the fibres than across the fibers, DT-MRI based fiber anisotropy changes the re-entry dynamics from pinned to an anatomical re-entry. In the 3D whole heart models, the fiber anisotropy changes cardiac re-entry dynamics from a persistent re-entry to the re-entry self-termination. The self-termination time depends on the re-entry’s initial position. In all the simulations with the DT-MRI based cardiac geometry, the anisotropy of the myocardial tissue shortens the time to re-entry self-termination several folds. The numerical simulations depend on the validity of the DT-MRI data set used. The ventricular wall showed the characteristic transmural rotation of the helix angle of the developed mammalian heart, while the fiber orientation in the atria was irregular.

  20. Effect of hybrid iterative reconstruction technique on quantitative and qualitative image analysis at 256-slice prospective gating cardiac CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Weigold, W. Guy; Weissman, Gaby; Taylor, Allen J.

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of hybrid iterative reconstruction on qualitative and quantitative parameters at 256-slice cardiac CT. Prospective cardiac CT images from 20 patients were analysed. Paired image sets were created using 3 reconstructions, i.e. filtered back projection (FBP) and moderate- and high-level iterative reconstructions. Quantitative parameters including CT-attenuation, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were determined in both proximal- and distal coronary segments. Image quality was graded on a 4-point scale. Coronary CT attenuation values were similar for FBP, moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction at 293 ± 74-, 290 ± 75-, and 283 ± 78 Hounsfield units (HU), respectively. CNR was significantly higher with moderate- and high-level iterative reconstructions (10.9 ± 3.5 and 18.4 ± 6.2, respectively) than FBP (8.2 ± 2.5) as was the visual grading of proximal vessels. Visualisation of distal vessels was better with high-level iterative reconstruction than FBP. The mean number of assessable segments among 289 segments was 245, 260, and 267 for FBP, moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction, respectively; the difference between FBP and high-level iterative reconstruction was significant. Interobserver agreement was significantly higher for moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction than FBP. Cardiac CT using hybrid iterative reconstruction yields higher CNR and better image quality than FBP. circle Cardiac CT helps clinicians to assess patients with coronary artery disease circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction provides improved cardiac CT image quality circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction improves the number of assessable coronary segments circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction improves interobserver agreement on cardiac CT. (orig.)

  1. Free breathing whole-heart 3D CINE MRI with self-gated Cartesian trajectory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usman, M; Ruijsink, B; Nazir, M S; Cruz, G; Prieto, C

    2017-05-01

    To present a method that uses a novel free-running self-gated acquisition to achieve isotropic resolution in whole heart 3D Cartesian cardiac CINE MRI. 3D cardiac CINE MRI using navigator gating results in long acquisition times. Recently, several frameworks based on self-gated non-Cartesian trajectories have been proposed to accelerate this acquisition. However, non-Cartesian reconstructions are computationally expensive due to gridding, particularly in 3D. In this work, we propose a novel highly efficient self-gated Cartesian approach for 3D cardiac CINE MRI. Acquisition is performed using CArtesian trajectory with Spiral PRofile ordering and Tiny golden angle step for eddy current reduction (so called here CASPR-Tiger). Data is acquired continuously under free breathing (retrospective ECG gating, no preparation pulses interruption) for 4-5min and 4D whole-heart volumes (3D+cardiac phases) with isotropic spatial resolution are reconstructed from all available data using a soft gating technique combined with temporal total variation (TV) constrained iterative SENSE reconstruction. For data acquired on eight healthy subjects and three patients, the reconstructed images using the proposed method had good contrast and spatio-temporal variations, correctly recovering diastolic and systolic cardiac phases. Non-significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in cardiac functional measurements obtained with proposed 3D approach and gold standard 2D multi-slice breath-hold acquisition. The proposed approach enables isotropic 3D whole heart Cartesian cardiac CINE MRI in 4 to 5min free breathing acquisition. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Acute and chronic myocardial infarction in a pig model: Utility of multi-slice cardiac computed tomography in assessing myocardial viability and infarct parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qu Xinkai; Fang Weiyi; Ye Jianding; Koh, Angela S.; Xu Yingjia; Guan Shaofeng; Li Ruogu; Shen Yan

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) biphasic imaging in assessing myocardial viability and infarct parameters in both acutely and chronically infarcted pig models. Materials and methods: Seven pigs underwent ligation of the distal left anterior descending artery. Imaging was performed on the day of infarction and 3 months post-infarct, with contrast infusion followed by MSCT scan acquisition at different time-points. Left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs) were obtained by left ventriculography (LVG) after 3 months. Infarcted locations found using MSCT were compared with those obtained using SPECT. Infarcted areas were also analysed histopathologically and compared with the findings from MSCT. Results: Chronic phase images had perfusion defects with lower CT values relative to normal myocardium (43 ± 10 HU vs. 156 ± 13 HU, p = 0.001) on the early images but no residual defects on delayed images. However, we found hyperenhancing regions on delayed images (244 ± 20 HU vs. 121 ± 25 HU, p = 0.001), and good correlation between MSCT- and LVG-derived LVEFs (60.56 ± 7.56%). The areas identified by MSCT corresponded to the location of 201 Tl SPECT-/pathologic staining-derived regions in all models. Infarct size was in good agreement with MSCT and pathological analyses of chronic phase models. Conclusions: Necrotic myocardium in different stages after infarction could be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed using MSCT biphasic imaging, as could the status of microcirculation formation. MSCT-measured LVEFs matched well with other modalities, and hence MSCT is a useful tool in assessing post-infarct cardiac function.

  3. Influence of slice thickness of computed tomography and type of rapid protyping on the accuracy of 3-dimensional medical model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Um, Ki Doo; Lee, Byung Do [Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

    2004-03-15

    This study was to evaluate the influence of slice thickness of computed tomography (CT) and rapid protyping (RP) type on the accuracy of 3-dimensional medical model. Transaxial CT data of human dry skull were taken from multi-detector spiral CT. Slice thickness were 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm respectively. Three-dimensional image model reconstruction using 3-D visualization medical software (V-works 3.0) and RP model fabrication were followed. 2-RP models were 3D printing (Z402, Z Corp., Burlington, USA) and Stereolithographic Apparatus model. Linear measurements of anatomical landmarks on dry skull, 3-D image model, and 2-RP models were done and compared according to slice thickness and RP model type. There were relative error percentage in absolute value of 0.97, 1.98, 3.83 between linear measurements of dry skull and image models of 1, 2, 3 mm slice thickness respectively. There was relative error percentage in absolute value of 0.79 between linear measurements of dry skull and SLA model. There was relative error difference in absolute value of 2.52 between linear measurements of dry skull and 3D printing model. These results indicated that 3-dimensional image model of thin slice thickness and stereolithographic RP model showed relative high accuracy.

  4. Influence of slice thickness of computed tomography and type of rapid protyping on the accuracy of 3-dimensional medical model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Um, Ki Doo; Lee, Byung Do

    2004-01-01

    This study was to evaluate the influence of slice thickness of computed tomography (CT) and rapid protyping (RP) type on the accuracy of 3-dimensional medical model. Transaxial CT data of human dry skull were taken from multi-detector spiral CT. Slice thickness were 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm respectively. Three-dimensional image model reconstruction using 3-D visualization medical software (V-works 3.0) and RP model fabrication were followed. 2-RP models were 3D printing (Z402, Z Corp., Burlington, USA) and Stereolithographic Apparatus model. Linear measurements of anatomical landmarks on dry skull, 3-D image model, and 2-RP models were done and compared according to slice thickness and RP model type. There were relative error percentage in absolute value of 0.97, 1.98, 3.83 between linear measurements of dry skull and image models of 1, 2, 3 mm slice thickness respectively. There was relative error percentage in absolute value of 0.79 between linear measurements of dry skull and SLA model. There was relative error difference in absolute value of 2.52 between linear measurements of dry skull and 3D printing model. These results indicated that 3-dimensional image model of thin slice thickness and stereolithographic RP model showed relative high accuracy.

  5. Anatomic features of interest in women at risk of cardiac exposure from whole breast radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Grace; Rosewall, Tara; Fyles, Anthony; Harnett, Nicole; Dinniwell, Robert E.

    2015-01-01

    Background and purpose: Left-sided breast radiotherapy (RT) can result in cardiac exposure. This study aims to identify predictive anatomic features in women requiring breath-hold (RT BH ) for cardiac sparing during adjuvant whole breast RT. Material and methods: We retrospectively reviewed free-breathing (FB) CT scans of 80 women previously treated with left-sided breast RT. Unfavourable cardiac anatomy was defined as the number of consecutive axial CT slices (2 mm) in which the anterior chest wall contacted the heart (Contact Heart ) or left ventricle (Contact LV ). The sternal angle and Haller Index (HI) were used to measure chest concavity. Position and volume of post-operative cavity was also quantified. Results: Heart mean dose (D mean ) was strongly correlated with Contact LV (r = 0.625, p < 0.001) and Contact Heart (r = 0.524, p < 0.001) but not significantly correlated with tumor size, cavity volume, heart volume, cavity distance to chest wall, sternal angle, or HI. ROC analysis of Contact Heart was most predictive of the need for breath-hold (RT BH ) technique [Area Under Curve = 0.815 (SE: 0.048; 95% CI: 0.721–0.91)] and ⩾25 Contact Heart CT slices predicted for heart D mean ⩾1.7 Gy (68% sensitivity and 82% specificity). Conclusion: Contact Heart on FB CT of ⩾25 axial slices (2 mm), ⩾50 mm of para-sagittal heart contact, was predictive of higher heart D mean and suggest a potential need for RT BH

  6. Cochlear Implant Electrode Localization Using an Ultra-High Resolution Scan Mode on Conventional 64-Slice and New Generation 192-Slice Multi-Detector Computed Tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Matthew L; Leng, Shuai; Diehn, Felix E; Witte, Robert J; Krecke, Karl N; Grimes, Josh; Koeller, Kelly K; Bruesewitz, Michael R; McCollough, Cynthia H; Lane, John I

    2017-08-01

    A new generation 192-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) clinical scanner provides enhanced image quality and superior electrode localization over conventional MDCT. Currently, accurate and reliable cochlear implant electrode localization using conventional MDCT scanners remains elusive. Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric temporal bones were implanted with full-length cochlear implant electrodes. Specimens were subsequently scanned with conventional 64-slice and new generation 192-slice MDCT scanners utilizing ultra-high resolution modes. Additionally, all specimens were scanned with micro-CT to provide a reference criterion for electrode position. Images were reconstructed according to routine temporal bone clinical protocols. Three neuroradiologists, blinded to scanner type, reviewed images independently to assess resolution of individual electrodes, scalar localization, and severity of image artifact. Serving as the reference standard, micro-CT identified scalar crossover in one specimen; imaging of all remaining cochleae demonstrated complete scala tympani insertions. The 192-slice MDCT scanner exhibited improved resolution of individual electrodes (p implant imaging compared with conventional MDCT. This technology provides important feedback regarding electrode position and course, which may help in future optimization of surgical technique and electrode design.

  7. Integrating 4-d light-sheet imaging with interactive virtual reality to recapitulate developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Yichen; Yu, Jing; Abiri, Arash; Abiri, Parinaz; Lee, Juhyun; Chang, Chih-Chiang; Baek, Kyung In; Sevag Packard, René R.; Hsiai, Tzung K.

    2018-02-01

    There currently is a limited ability to interactively study developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology. We therefore combined light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) with virtual reality (VR) to provide a hybrid platform for 3- dimensional (3-D) architecture and time-dependent cardiac contractile function characterization. By taking advantage of the rapid acquisition, high axial resolution, low phototoxicity, and high fidelity in 3-D and 4-D (3-D spatial + 1-D time or spectra), this VR-LSFM hybrid methodology enables interactive visualization and quantification otherwise not available by conventional methods such as routine optical microscopes. We hereby demonstrate multi-scale applicability of VR-LSFM to 1) interrogate skin fibroblasts interacting with a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, 2) navigate through the endocardial trabecular network during zebrafish development, and 3) localize gene therapy-mediated potassium channel expression in adult murine hearts. We further combined our batch intensity normalized segmentation (BINS) algorithm with deformable image registration (DIR) to interface a VR environment for the analysis of cardiac contraction. Thus, the VR-LSFM hybrid platform demonstrates an efficient and robust framework for creating a user-directed microenvironment in which we uncovered developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology with high spatiotemporal resolution.

  8. Noninvasive detection of coronary abnormalities in pediatric patients with Kawassaki disease using multi-slice spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou Yang; Guo Wenli; Yue Yong; Chen Liying; Guo Qiyong; Yu Xianyi; Wang Hong

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and value of detecting coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT). Methods: Thirty-four pediatric patients underwent 16-slice or 64-slice CT coronary, angiography. 18 patients were also examined with 2 dimension echocardiography (2DE). In all cases, visibility of coronary artery segment was recorded. The diameter of the LCA, RCA were measured in MSCTA and compared with 2DE. Correlation coefficient of dimension and coincidence rate of two methods were calculated. Results: Coronary artery lesions were found in 14 patients (22 branches) of the 34 cases with KD on MSCT. Six cases were dialated, 3 cases were dialated with aneurysms, 2 cases had aneurysms without dialation. Coronary artery stenosis in 1 eases, calcification in 2 cases. Three cases had multiple aneurysms with the presence of alternate stenosis that made the artery a bead-like appearance. CC of LM and RCA were 0.85, 0.91, respectively (P>0.05). Three coronary artery aneurysm in the distal RCA was missed by 2DE. MSCT could not detect slight or moderate mitral regurgitation in 2 patients and artery wall thickening in 5 patients. Conclusion: MSCT would be an effective complementary or alternative method for CDEC to evaluate coronary artery lesions non-invasively in pediatric patients with Kawasaki disease. (authors)

  9. Reduction of thoracic aorta motion artifact with high-pitch 128-slice dual-source computed tomographic angiography: a historical control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Junichiro; Tasaki, Osamu; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Azuma, Takeo; Ohnishi, Mitsuo; Ukai, Isao; Tahara, Kenichi; Ogura, Hiroshi; Kuwagata, Yasuyuki; Hamasaki, Toshimitsu; Shimazu, Takeshi

    2013-01-01

    Electrocardiogram-gated imaging combined with multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) has reduced cardiac motion artifacts, but it was not practical in the emergency setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a high-pitch, 128-slice dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner to reduce motion artifacts in patients admitted to the emergency room. This study comprised 100 patients suspected of having thoracic aorta lesions. We examined 47 patients with the 128-slice DSCT scanner (DSCT group), and 53 patients were examined with a 64-slice MDCT scanner (MDCT group). Six anatomic areas in the thoracic aorta were evaluated. Computed tomography images in the DSCT group were distinct, and significant differences were observed in images of all areas between the 2 groups except for the descending aorta. The high-pitch DSCT scanner can reduce motion artifacts of the thoracic aorta and enable radiological diagnosis even in patients with tachycardia and without breath hold.

  10. Basic examination of in-plane spatial resolution in multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara, Takanori; Kato, Hideki; Akiyama, Mitsutoshi; Murata, Katsutoshi

    2002-01-01

    In computed tomography (single-slice spiral CT, conventional CT), in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution is consistently identified as depending on the detector density of the in-plane (x-y plane). However, we considered that the in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of multi-slice CT (MSCT) was influenced by an error in the detector's sensitivity to the Z-axis and by the frequency of use of direct row data and complementary row data when the image of spiral pitches (SP) was reconstructed. Our goal in this experiment was to analyze the relationship of the in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of an asymmetric-type detector in MSCT to SP, tube current, and rotation time. By employing a tungsten wire phantom of 0.2 mm in diameter, we examined modulation transfer functions (MTF) by point-spread functions (PSF) of CT-images. Next, using the mean-square-root bandwidth theory, we analyzed the MTF of wire phantoms. The analysis of in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution revealed that various tube currents had no effect on the value of the mean-square-root bandwidth. However, rotation time and high spiral pitch did have an effect on mean-square-root bandwidth. Considering the results mentioned above, spiral pitch (z-axis reconstruction algorithm) had a slight effect on in-plane (x-y plane) spatial resolution of asymmetric-type detectors in MSCT. Accordingly, we proposed a new general view of VDDz (view/mm) in MSCT that considered view data density on the Z-axis according to spiral pitch (mm/rotation), rotation time (view/rotation), and slice collimation. (author)

  11. Multi-slice computed tomography-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary macroadenoma: a comparison with conventional microscopic transsphenoidal surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosaka, Masahiko; Nagaki, Tomohito; Honda, Fumiaki; Takahashi, Katsumasa; Yoshimoto, Yuhei

    2015-11-01

    Intraoperative computed tomography (iCT) is a reliable method for the detection of residual tumour, but previous single-slice low-resolution computed tomography (CT) without coronal or sagittal reconstructions was not of adequate quality for clinical use. The present study evaluated the results of multi-slice iCT-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary macroadenoma. This retrospective study included 30 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent pituitary macroadenoma with supradiaphragmatic extension who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery using iCT (eTSS+iCT group), and control 30 consecutive patients who underwent conventional endoscope-assisted transsphenoidal surgery (cTSS group). The tumour volume was calculated by multiplying the tumour area by the slice thickness. Visual acuity and visual field were estimated by the visual impairment score (VIS). The resection extent, (preoperative tumour volume - postoperative residual tumour volume)/preoperative tumour volume, was 98.9% (median) in the eTSS+iCT group and 91.7% in the cTSS group, and had significant difference between the groups (P = 0.04). Greater than 95 and >90% removal rates were significantly higher in the eTSS+iCT group than in the cTSS group (P = 0.02 and P = 0.001, respectively). However, improvement in VIS showed no significant difference between the groups. The rate of complications also showed no significant difference. Multi-slice iCT-assisted endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery may improve the resection extent of pituitary macroadenoma. Multi-slice iCT may have advantages over intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging in less expensive, short acquisition time, and that special protection against magnetic fields is not needed.

  12. Extraction of the 3D local orientation of myocytes in human cardiac tissue using X-ray phase-contrast micro-tomography and multi-scale analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varray, François; Mirea, Iulia; Langer, Max; Peyrin, Françoise; Fanton, Laurent; Magnin, Isabelle E

    2017-05-01

    This paper presents a methodology to access the 3D local myocyte arrangements in fresh human post-mortem heart samples. We investigated the cardiac micro-structure at a high and isotropic resolution of 3.5 µm in three dimensions using X-ray phase micro-tomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We then processed the reconstructed volumes to extract the 3D local orientation of the myocytes using a multi-scale approach with no segmentation. We created a simplified 3D model of tissue sample made of simulated myocytes with known size and orientations, to evaluate our orientation extraction method. Afterwards, we applied it to 2D histological cuts and to eight 3D left ventricular (LV) cardiac tissue samples. Then, the variation of the helix angles, from the endocardium to the epicardium, was computed at several spatial resolutions ranging from 3.6 3  mm 3 to 112 3  µm 3 . We measure an increased range of 20° to 30° from the coarsest resolution level to the finest level in the experimental samples. This result is in line with the higher values measured from histology. The displayed tractography demonstrates a rather smooth evolution of the transmural helix angle in six LV samples and a sudden discontinuity of the helix angle in two septum samples. These measurements bring a new vision of the human heart architecture from macro- to micro-scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The slice balance approach (SBA): a characteristic-based, multiple balance SN approach on unstructured polyhedral meshes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grove, R.E.

    2005-01-01

    The Slice Balance Approach (SBA) is an approach for solving geometrically-complex, neutral-particle transport problems within a multi-group discrete ordinates (S N ) framework. The salient feature is an angle-dependent spatial decomposition. We approximate general surfaces with arbitrary polygonal faces and mesh the geometry with arbitrarily-shaped polyhedral cells. A cell-local spatial decomposition divides cells into angle-dependent slices for each S N direction. This subdivision follows from a characteristic-based view of the transport problem. Most balance-based characteristic methods use it implicitly; we use it explicitly and exploit its properties. Our mathematical approach is a multiple balance approach using exact spatial moments balance equations on cells and slices along with auxiliary relations on slices. We call this the slice balance approach; it is a characteristic-based multiple balance approach. The SBA is intentionally general and can extend differencing schemes to arbitrary 2-D and 3-D meshes. This work contributes to development of general-geometry deterministic transport capability to complement Monte Carlo capability for large, geometrically-complex transport problems. The purpose of this paper is to describe the SBA. We describe the spatial decomposition and mathematical framework and highlight a few interesting properties. We sketch the derivation of two solution schemes, a step characteristic scheme and a diamond-difference-like scheme, to illustrate the approach and we present interesting results for a 2-D problem. (author)

  14. Genetic association of glutathione peroxidase-1 with coronary artery calcification in type 2 diabetes: a case control study with multi-slice computed tomography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fujimoto Kei

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although oxidative stress by accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS in diabetes has become evident, it remains unclear what genes, involved in redox balance, would determine susceptibility for development of atherosclerosis in diabetes. This study evaluated the effect of genetic polymorphism of enzymes producing or responsible for reducing ROS on coronary artery calcification in type 2 diabetes (T2D. Methods An index for coronary-arteriosclerosis, coronary artery calcium score (CACS was evaluated in 91 T2D patients using a multi-slice computed tomography. Patients were genotyped for ROS-scavenging enzymes, Glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1, Catalase, Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD, as well as SNPs of NADPH oxidase as ROS-promoting elements, genes related to onset of T2D (CAPN10, ADRB3, PPAR gamma, FATP4. Age, blood pressure, BMI, HbA1c, lipid and duration of diabetes were evaluated for a multivariate regression analysis. Results CACS with Pro/Leu genotype of the GPx-1 gene was significantly higher than in those with Pro/Pro (744 ± 1,291 vs. 245 ± 399, respectively, p = 0.006. In addition, genotype frequency of Pro/Leu in those with CACS ≥ 1000 was significantly higher than in those with CACS OR = 3.61, CI = 0.97–13.42; p = 0.045 when tested for deviation from Hardy-Weinberg's equilibrium. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that CACS significantly correlated with GPx-1 genotypes and age. Conclusion The presence of Pro197Leu substitution of the GPx-1 gene may play a crucial role in determining genetic susceptibility to coronary-arteriosclerosis in T2D. The mechanism may be associated with a decreased ability to scavenge ROS with the variant GPx-1.

  15. Automatic slice identification in 3D medical images with a ConvNet regressor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vos, Bob D.; Viergever, Max A.; de Jong, Pim A.; Išgum, Ivana

    2016-01-01

    Identification of anatomical regions of interest is a prerequisite in many medical image analysis tasks. We propose a method that automatically identifies a slice of interest (SOI) in 3D images with a convolutional neural network (ConvNet) regressor. In 150 chest CT scans two reference slices were

  16. Clinical evaluation of 64-slice CT assessment of global left ventricular function using automated cardiac phase selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joemai, Raoul M.S.; Geleijns, Joemai; Veldkamp, Wouter J.H.; Kroft, Lucia J.M.

    2008-01-01

    Left ventricular (LV) function provides prognostic information regarding the morbidity and mortality of patients. An automated cardiac phase selection algorithm has the potential to support the assessment of LV function with computed tomography (CT). This algorithm is clinically evaluated for 64-slice cardiac CT. Examinations of twenty consecutive patients were selected. Electrocardiogram gated contrast-enhanced CT was performed. Reconstructions were performed using an automated and a manual method, followed by the determination of the global LV function. Significances were tested using 2-sided Student's t-tests. Reduction in post processing time and storage capacity were estimated. A slightly smaller mean end-systolic volume was found with the automated method (52±18 ml vs 54±17 ml, p=0.02, r=0.99). The mean LV ejection fraction was slightly larger with the automated method (65±8% vs 64±8%, p=0.004, r=0.99). The estimated reduction in post processing time was maximal 5 min per patient with a potential 80% data storage reduction. Results of the automated phase selection algorithm are similar to the manual method. The automated tool reduces post processing time, reconstruction time and transfer time. (author)

  17. Multi-slice MRI reveals heterogeneity in disease distribution along the length of muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrzanowski, Stephen M; Baligand, Celine; Willcocks, Rebecca J; Deol, Jasjit; Schmalfuss, Ilona; Lott, Donovan J; Daniels, Michael J; Senesac, Claudia; Walter, Glenn A; Vandenborne, Krista

    2017-09-01

    Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) causes progressive pathologic changes to muscle secondary to a cascade of inflammation, lipid deposition, and fibrosis. Clinically, this manifests as progressive weakness, functional loss, and premature mortality. Though insult to whole muscle groups is well established, less is known about the relationship between intramuscular pathology and function. Differences of intramuscular heterogeneity across muscle length were assessed using an ordinal MRI grading scale in lower leg muscles of boys with DMD and correlated to patient's functional status. Cross sectional T 1 weighted MRI images with fat suppression were obtained from ambulatory boys with DMD. Six muscles (tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, peroneus, soleus, medial and lateral gastrocnemii) were graded using an ordinal grading scale over 5 slice sections along the lower leg length. The scores from each slice were combined and results were compared to global motor function and age. Statistically greater differences of involvement were observed at the proximal ends of muscle compared to the midbellies. Multi-slice assessment correlated significantly to age and the Vignos functional scale, whereas single-slice assessment correlated to the Vignos functional scale only. Lastly, differential disease involvement of whole muscle groups and intramuscular heterogeneity were observed amongst similar age subjects. A multi-slice ordinal MRI grading scale revealed that muscles are not uniformly affected, with more advanced disease visible near the tendons in a primarily ambulatory population with DMD. A geographically comprehensive evaluation of the heterogeneously affected muscle in boys with DMD may more accurately assess disease involvement.

  18. Choice ofoptimal phase for liver angiography and multi-phase scanning with multi-slice spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Hong; Song Yunlong; Bi Yongmin; Wang Dong; Shi Huiping; Zhang Wanshi; Zhu Hongxian; Yang Hua; Ji Xudong; Fan Hongxia

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of test bolus technique with multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) for determining the optimal scan delay time in CT Hepatic artery (HA)-portal vein (PV) angiography and multi-phase scanning. Methods: MSCT liver angiography and multi-phase scanning were performed in 187 patients divided randomly into two groups. In group A (n=59), the scan delay time was set according to the subjective experiences of operators; in group B (n=128), the scan delay time was determined by test bolus technique. Abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric, vein were selected as target blood vessels, and 50 HU was set as enhancement threshold value. 20 ml contrast agent was injected intravenously and time-density curve of target blood vessels were obtained, then HA-PV scanning delay time were calculated respectively. The quality of CTA images obtained by using these 2 methods were compared and statistically analysed using Chi-square criterion. Results: For hepatic artery phase, the images of group A are: excellent in 34 (58%), good in 17 (29%), and poor in 8 (13%), while those of group B are excellent in 128(100%), good in 0(0%), and poor in 0(0%). For portal vein phase, the images of group A are: excellent in 23 (39%), good in 27 (46%), and poor in 9 (15%), while those of group B are excellent in 96 (75%), good in 28 (22%), and poor in 4 (3%) respectively. There was statistically significant difference between the ratios of image quality in group A and group B (χ 2 =14.97, 9.18, P< 0.05). Conclusion: Accurate scan delay time was best determined by using test bolus technique, which can improve the image quality of liver angiography and multi-phase scanning. (authors)

  19. The comparative study between multi-slice spiral CT angiography and color flow ultrasonography in hepatic and splenic trauma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Youxia; Zhang Jin'e; Chen Xiaocong; Cai Shufang

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical value of multi-slice spiral CT angiography and color flow ultra- sonography in hepatic and splenic trauma. Methods Thirty-six cases of hepatic and splenic trauma were collected, the MSCT were analyzed and compared with that of color flow ultrasonography. Results: Seventeen cases were Hepatic trauma including nine cases of hepatic contusion, six cases of sub-envelope hematoma, two cases of both sub-envelope hematoma and hepatic contusion. Nineteen cases were splenic trauma including nine cases of splenic contusion, ten cases of sub-envelope hematoma. Conclusion: Multi-slice spiral CT angiography show hepatic and splenic trauma clearer than that of color flow ultrasonography, and can provide reliable basis for clinic diagnosis and therapy. (authors)

  20. Comparative study of multi-slice spiral CT angiography and color doppler ultrasound in diagnosis of arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of lower extremity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Wanjun; Lai Zhenhui; Cui Dong; Lin Xiupeng; Du Muxuan

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To compare the difference between multi-slice spiral CT angiography (MSCTA) and color doppler ultrasound in diagnosis of arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of lower extremity. Methods: Patients with arteriosclerosis occlusion were assessed by color doppler ultrasound, multi-slice spiral CT angiography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The image information of color doppler ultrasound and MSCTA were compared with that of DSA. Results: Color doppler ultrasound showed the anatomical shape and hemodynamics of the arteries of lower extremity. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosis arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of lower extremity were 88.04%, 90.69% and 88.77% respectively. MSCTA showed the three dimensional structure of the arteries of lower extremity as well as the collateral arteries and the distal arterials. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MSCTA were 97.69%, 96.90% and 97.66%, respectively. Conclusion: Multi-slice spiral CT angiography is an ideal imaging method for the diagnosis of arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of lower extremity. (authors)

  1. A multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography system for real-time 2D and 3D imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunjie; Jia, Jiabin

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents the design and evaluation of a configurable, fast multi-frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography (mfEIT) system for real-time 2D and 3D imaging, particularly for biomedical imaging. The system integrates 32 electrode interfaces and the current frequency ranges from 10 kHz to 1 MHz. The system incorporates the following novel features. First, a fully adjustable multi-frequency current source with current monitoring function is designed. Second, a flexible switching scheme is developed for arbitrary sensing configuration and a semi-parallel data acquisition architecture is implemented for high-frame-rate data acquisition. Furthermore, multi-frequency digital quadrature demodulation is accomplished in a high-capacity Field Programmable Gate Array. At last, a 3D imaging software, visual tomography, is developed for real-time 2D and 3D image reconstruction, data analysis, and visualization. The mfEIT system is systematically tested and evaluated from the aspects of signal to noise ratio (SNR), frame rate, and 2D and 3D multi-frequency phantom imaging. The highest SNR is 82.82 dB on a 16-electrode sensor. The frame rate is up to 546 fps at serial mode and 1014 fps at semi-parallel mode. The evaluation results indicate that the presented mfEIT system is a powerful tool for real-time 2D and 3D imaging.

  2. Dose reduction in multi-slice CT of the heart by use of ECG-controlled tube current modulation (''ECG pulsing''): phantom measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poll, L.W.; Cohnen, M.; Brachten, S.; Moedder, U.; Ewen, K.

    2002-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of ECG-controlled tube current modulation on radiation exposure in retrospectively-ECG-gated multislice CT (MSCT) of the heart. Material and methods: Three different cardiac MSCT protocols with different slice collimation (4 x 1, and 4 x 2.5 mm), and a pitch-factor of 1.5 and 1.8 were investigated at a multi-slice CT scanner Somatom Volume Zoom, Siemens. An anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom was equipped with LiF-Thermoluminescence dosimeters at several organ sites, and effective doses were calculated using ICRP-weighting factors. Scan protocols were performed with ECG-controlled tube current modulation ('ECG pulsing') at two different heart rates (60 and 80 bpm). These data were compared to previous data from MSCT of the heart without use of 'ECG pulsing'. Results: Radiation exposure with (60 bpm) and without tube current modulation using a 2.5 mm collimation was 1.8 mSv and 2.9 mSv for females, and 1.5 mSv and 2.4 mSv for males, respectively. For protocols using a 1 mm collimation with a pitch-factor of 1.5 (1.8), radiation exposure with and without tube current modulation was 5.6 (6.3) mSv and 9.5 (11.2) mSv for females, and 4.6 (5.2) mSv and 7.7 (9.2) mSv for males, respectively. At higher heart rates (80 bpm) radiation exposure is increased from 1.5-1.8 mSv to 1.8-2.1 mSv, using the 2.5 mm collimation, and from 4.6-5.6 mSv to 5.9-7.2 mSv, for protocols using 1 mm collimation. Conclusions: The ECG-controlled tube current modulation allows a dose reduction of 37% to 44% when retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT of the heart is performed. The tube current - as a function over time - and therefore the radiation exposure is dependent on the heart rate. (orig.) [de

  3. 3D/2D model-to-image registration by imitation learning for cardiac procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toth, Daniel; Miao, Shun; Kurzendorfer, Tanja; Rinaldi, Christopher A; Liao, Rui; Mansi, Tommaso; Rhode, Kawal; Mountney, Peter

    2018-05-12

    In cardiac interventions, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), image guidance can be enhanced by involving preoperative models. Multimodality 3D/2D registration for image guidance, however, remains a significant research challenge for fundamentally different image data, i.e., MR to X-ray. Registration methods must account for differences in intensity, contrast levels, resolution, dimensionality, field of view. Furthermore, same anatomical structures may not be visible in both modalities. Current approaches have focused on developing modality-specific solutions for individual clinical use cases, by introducing constraints, or identifying cross-modality information manually. Machine learning approaches have the potential to create more general registration platforms. However, training image to image methods would require large multimodal datasets and ground truth for each target application. This paper proposes a model-to-image registration approach instead, because it is common in image-guided interventions to create anatomical models for diagnosis, planning or guidance prior to procedures. An imitation learning-based method, trained on 702 datasets, is used to register preoperative models to intraoperative X-ray images. Accuracy is demonstrated on cardiac models and artificial X-rays generated from CTs. The registration error was [Formula: see text] on 1000 test cases, superior to that of manual ([Formula: see text]) and gradient-based ([Formula: see text]) registration. High robustness is shown in 19 clinical CRT cases. Besides the proposed methods feasibility in a clinical environment, evaluation has shown good accuracy and high robustness indicating that it could be applied in image-guided interventions.

  4. Is a Three-Dimensional Printing Model Better Than a Traditional Cardiac Model for Medical Education? A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhongmin; Liu, Yuhao; Luo, Hongxing; Gao, Chuanyu; Zhang, Jing; Dai, Yuya

    2017-11-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a newly-emerged technology converting a series of two-dimensional images to a touchable 3D model, but no studies have investigated whether or not a 3D printing model is better than a traditional cardiac model for medical education. A 3D printing cardiac model was generated using multi-slice computed tomography datasets. Thirty-four medical students were randomized to either the 3D Printing Group taught with the aid of a 3D printing cardiac model or the Traditional Model Group with a commonly used plastic cardiac model. Questionnaires with 10 medical questions and 3 evaluative questions were filled in by the students. A 3D printing cardiac model was successfully generated. Students in the 3D Printing Group were slightly quicker to answer all questions when compared with the Traditional Model Group (224.53 ± 44.13 s vs. 238.71 ± 68.46 s, p = 0.09), but the total score was not significantly different (6.24 ± 1.30 vs. 7.18 ± 1.70, p = 0.12). Neither the students'satisfaction (p = 0.48) nor their understanding of cardiac structures (p = 0.24) was significantly different between two groups. More students in the 3D Printing Group believed that they had understood at least 90% of teaching content (6 vs. 1). Both groups had 12 (70.6%) students who preferred a 3D printing model for medical education. A 3D printing model was not significantly superior to a traditional model in teaching cardiac diseases in our pilot randomized controlled study, yet more studies may be conducted to validate the real effect of 3D printing on medical education.

  5. Disruption of dopamine D1/D2 receptor complex is involved in the function of haloperidol in cardiac H9c2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lencesova, L; Szadvari, I; Babula, P; Kubickova, J; Chovancova, B; Lopusna, K; Rezuchova, I; Novakova, Z; Krizanova, O; Novakova, M

    2017-12-15

    Haloperidol is an antipsychotic agent and acts as dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) antagonist, as a prototypical ligand of sigma1 receptors (Sig1R) and it increases expression of type 1 IP 3 receptors (IP 3 R1). However, precise mechanism of haloperidol action on cardiomyocytes through dopaminergic signaling was not described yet. This study investigated a role of dopamine receptors in haloperidol-induced increase in IP 3 R1 and Sig1R, and compared physiological effect of melperone and haloperidol on basic heart parameters in rats. We used differentiated NG-108 cells and H9c2 cells. Gene expression, Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate haloperidol-induced differences; proximity ligation assay (PLA) and immunoprecipitation to determine interactions of D1/D2 receptors. To evaluate cardiac parameters, Wistar albino male rats were used. We have shown that antagonism of D2R with either haloperidol or melperone results in upregulation of both, IP 3 R1 and Sig1R, which is associated with increased D2R, but reduced D1R expression. Immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation and PLA support formation of heteromeric D1/D2 complexes in H9c2 cells. Treatment with haloperidol (but not melperone) caused decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and significant increase in heart rate. Because D1R/D2R complexes can engage Gq-like signaling in other experimental systems, these results are consistent with the possibility that disruption of D1R/D2R complex in H9c2 cells might cause a decrease in IP 3 R1 activity, which in turn may account for the increase expression of IP 3 R and Sig1R. D2R is probably not responsible for changes in cardiac parameters, since melperone did not have any effect. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. 640-slice DVCT multi-dimensionally and dynamically presents changes in bladder volume and urine flow rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yunshan; Fang, Kewei; Mao, Chongwen; Xiang, Shutian; Wang, Jin; Li, Yingwen

    2018-01-01

    The present study aimed to explore the application of 640-slice dynamic volume computed tomography (DVCT) to excretory cystography and urethrography. A total of 70 healthy subjects were included in the study. Excretory cystography and urethrography using 640-slice DVCT was conducted to continuously record the motions of the bladder and the proximal female and male urethra. The patients' voiding process was divided into early, early to middle, middle, middle to late, and late voiding phases. The subjects were analyzed using DVCT and conventional CT. The cross-sectional areas of various sections of the male and female urethra were evaluated, and the average urine flow rate was calculated. The 640-slice DVCT technique was used to dynamically observe the urine flow rate and changes in bladder volume at all voiding phases. The urine volume detected by 640-slice DVCT exhibited no significant difference compared with the actual volume, and no significant difference compared with that determined using conventional CT. Furthermore, no significant difference in the volume of the bladder at each phase of the voiding process was detected between 640-slice DVCT and conventional CT. The results indicate that 640-slice DVCT can accurately evaluate the status of the male posterior urethra and female urethra. In conclusion, 640-slice DVCT is able to multi-dimensionally and dynamically present changes in bladder volume and urine flow rate, and could obtain similar results to conventional CT in detecting urine volume, as well as the status of the male posterior urethra and female urethra. PMID:29467853

  7. TU-EF-204-11: Impact of Using Multi-Slice Training Sets On the Performance of a Channelized Hotelling Observer in a Low-Contrast Detection Task in CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Favazza, C; Yu, L; Leng, S; McCollough, C [Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To investigate using multiple CT image slices from a single acquisition as independent training images for a channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) model to reduce the number of repeated scans for CHO-based CT image quality assessment. Methods: We applied a previously validated CHO model to detect low contrast disk objects formed from cross-sectional images of three epoxy-resin-based rods (diameters: 3, 5, and 9 mm; length: ∼5cm). The rods were submerged in a 35x 25 cm2 iodine-doped water filled phantom, yielding-15 HU object contrast. The phantom was scanned 100 times with and without the rods present. Scan and reconstruction parameters include: 5 mm slice thickness at 0.5 mm intervals, 120 kV, 480 Quality Reference mAs, and a 128-slice scanner. The CHO’s detectability index was evaluated as a function of factors related to incorporating multi-slice image data: object misalignment along the z-axis, inter-slice pixel correlation, and number of unique slice locations. In each case, the CHO training set was fixed to 100 images. Results: Artificially shifting the object’s center position by as much as 3 pixels in any direction relative to the Gabor channel filters had insignificant impact on object detectability. An inter-slice pixel correlation of >∼0.2 yielded positive bias in the model’s performance. Incorporating multi-slice image data yielded slight negative bias in detectability with increasing number of slices, likely due to physical variations in the objects. However, inclusion of image data from up to 5 slice locations yielded detectability indices within measurement error of the single slice value. Conclusion: For the investigated model and task, incorporating image data from 5 different slice locations of at least 5 mm intervals into the CHO model yielded detectability indices within measurement error of the single slice value. Consequently, this methodology would Result in a 5-fold reduction in number of image acquisitions. This project

  8. TU-EF-204-11: Impact of Using Multi-Slice Training Sets On the Performance of a Channelized Hotelling Observer in a Low-Contrast Detection Task in CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Favazza, C; Yu, L; Leng, S; McCollough, C

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate using multiple CT image slices from a single acquisition as independent training images for a channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) model to reduce the number of repeated scans for CHO-based CT image quality assessment. Methods: We applied a previously validated CHO model to detect low contrast disk objects formed from cross-sectional images of three epoxy-resin-based rods (diameters: 3, 5, and 9 mm; length: ∼5cm). The rods were submerged in a 35x 25 cm2 iodine-doped water filled phantom, yielding-15 HU object contrast. The phantom was scanned 100 times with and without the rods present. Scan and reconstruction parameters include: 5 mm slice thickness at 0.5 mm intervals, 120 kV, 480 Quality Reference mAs, and a 128-slice scanner. The CHO’s detectability index was evaluated as a function of factors related to incorporating multi-slice image data: object misalignment along the z-axis, inter-slice pixel correlation, and number of unique slice locations. In each case, the CHO training set was fixed to 100 images. Results: Artificially shifting the object’s center position by as much as 3 pixels in any direction relative to the Gabor channel filters had insignificant impact on object detectability. An inter-slice pixel correlation of >∼0.2 yielded positive bias in the model’s performance. Incorporating multi-slice image data yielded slight negative bias in detectability with increasing number of slices, likely due to physical variations in the objects. However, inclusion of image data from up to 5 slice locations yielded detectability indices within measurement error of the single slice value. Conclusion: For the investigated model and task, incorporating image data from 5 different slice locations of at least 5 mm intervals into the CHO model yielded detectability indices within measurement error of the single slice value. Consequently, this methodology would Result in a 5-fold reduction in number of image acquisitions. This project

  9. The diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT virtual bronchoscopy in tracheal and bronchial disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Ying; Ma Daqing

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT virtual bronchoscopy (CTVB) in tracheal and bronchial disease. Methods: Forty-two patients including central lung cancer (n=35), endobronchial tuberculosis (n=3), intrabronchial benign tumor (n=3), and intrabronchial foreign body (n=1) were examined by using multi-slice spiral CT examinations. All the final diagnosis were proved by pathology except 1 patient with endoluminal foreign body was proved by clinic. All patients were scanned on GE Lightspeed 99 scanner, using 10 mm collimation, pitch of 1.35, and reconstructed at 1 mm intervals and 1.25 mm thickness. The chest images of transverse CT and virtual bronchoscopy were viewed by two separate radiologists who were familiar with the tracheal and bronchial anatomy. Results: Among the 42 patients, the tumor of trachea and bronchial lumen appeared as masses in 22 of 35 patients with central lung cancer and bronchial stenosis was found in 13 of 35 patients with central lung cancer, and bronchial wall thickening was revealed on transverse CT in all 35 cases. 3 patients of endobronchial tuberculosis showed bronchial lumen narrowing on CTVB, the bronchial wall thickening was revealed on transverse CT, and the length of the wall thickening was long. 3 patients with intrabronchial benign tumor showed nodules in trachea and bronchial lumen on CTVB, and without wall thickening on transverse CT. CTVB could detect the occlusion of bronchial lumen in 1 patient with intrabronchial foreign body and CTVB was able to visualize the areas beyond stenosis, and the bronchial wall was without thickening on transverse CT. Conclusion: Multi- slice spiral CTVB could reflect the morphology of tracheal and bronchial disease. Combined with transverse CT, it could provide diagnostic reference value for bronchial disease. (authors)

  10. Dosimetric variation due to CT inter-slice spacing in four-dimensional carbon beam lung therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumagai, Motoki; Mori, Shinichiro; Kandatsu, Susumu; Baba, Masayuki; Sharp, Gregory C; Asakura, Hiroshi; Endo, Masahiro

    2009-01-01

    When CT data with thick slice thickness are used in treatment planning, geometrical uncertainty may induce dosimetric errors. We evaluated carbon ion dose variations due to different CT slice thicknesses using a four-dimensional (4D) carbon ion beam dose calculation, and compared results between ungated and gated respiratory strategies. Seven lung patients were scanned in 4D mode with a 0.5 mm slice thickness using a 256-multi-slice CT scanner. CT images were averaged with various numbers of images to simulate reconstructed images with various slice thicknesses (0.5-5.0 mm). Two scenarios were studied (respiratory-ungated and -gated strategies). Range compensators were designed for each of the CT volumes with coarse inter-slice spacing to cover the internal target volume (ITV), as defined from 4DCT. Carbon ion dose distribution was computed for each resulting ITV on the 0.5 mm slice 4DCT data. The accumulated dose distribution was then calculated using deformable registration for 4D dose assessment. The magnitude of over- and under-dosage was found to be larger with the use of range compensators designed with a coarser inter-slice spacing than those obtained with a 0.5 mm slice thickness. Although no under-dosage was observed within the clinical target volume (CTV) region, D95 remained at over 97% of the prescribed dose for the ungated strategy and 95% for the gated strategy for all slice thicknesses. An inter-slice spacing of less than 3 mm may be able to minimize dose variation between the ungated and gated strategies. Although volumes with increased inter-slice spacing may reduce geometrical accuracy at a certain respiratory phase, this does not significantly affect delivery of the accumulated dose to the target during the treatment course.

  11. Ground-glass opacity: High-resolution computed tomography and 64-multi-slice computed tomography findings comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sergiacomi, Gianluigi; Ciccio, Carmelo; Boi, Luca; Velari, Luca; Crusco, Sonia; Orlacchio, Antonio; Simonetti, Giovanni

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Comparative evaluation of ground-glass opacity using conventional high-resolution computed tomography technique and volumetric computed tomography by 64-row multi-slice scanner, verifying advantage of volumetric acquisition and post-processing technique allowed by 64-row CT scanner. Methods: Thirty-four patients, in which was assessed ground-glass opacity pattern by previous high-resolution computed tomography during a clinical-radiological follow-up for their lung disease, were studied by means of 64-row multi-slice computed tomography. Comparative evaluation of image quality was done by both CT modalities. Results: It was reported good inter-observer agreement (k value 0.78-0.90) in detection of ground-glass opacity with high-resolution computed tomography technique and volumetric Computed Tomography acquisition with moderate increasing of intra-observer agreement (k value 0.46) using volumetric computed tomography than high-resolution computed tomography. Conclusions: In our experience, volumetric computed tomography with 64-row scanner shows good accuracy in detection of ground-glass opacity, providing a better spatial and temporal resolution and advanced post-processing technique than high-resolution computed tomography.

  12. Coronary artery visibility in free-breathing young children with congenital heart disease on cardiac 64-slice CT: dual-source ECG-triggered sequential scan vs. single-source non-ECG-synchronized spiral scan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goo, Hyun Woo; Yang, Dong Hyun [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-15

    The potential impact of dual-source ECG-triggered sequential CT scan on coronary artery visibility has not been evaluated in free-breathing young children. To compare coronary artery visibility in free-breathing young children with congenital heart disease on cardiac 64-slice CT between dual-source ECG-triggered sequential (DSET) scan and single-source non-ECG-synchronized spiral (SSNE) scan. In 93 young children, 108 cardiac 64-slice CT examinations were performed during free-breathing. Visibility of coronary arteries and side branches was compared between SSNE and DSET scans. Heart rates and trigger delays for DSET scan were recorded. Effective dose of each scan technique was calculated. Visual grades were significantly higher (P < 0.001 or =0.011) on DSET scan than on SSNE scan except for the distal left anterior descending artery. Coronary arteries were traceable in 79.3% on DSET scan and 54.3% on SSNE scan in the overlapped scan range (P < 0.0001), and 97.1% and 71.9% for the origins and proximal segments (P < 0.0001). Visibility of side branches was improved on DSET scan by a factor of 2.0. Heart rates and trigger delays for DSET scan were 131 {+-} 24 beats per min and 199 {+-} 44 ms, respectively. Effective doses of DSET and SSNE scans were 0.36 {+-} 0.12 mSv and 0.99 {+-} 0.23 mSv, respectively. DSET scan improves visibility of coronary arteries on cardiac 64-slice CT in free-breathing young children with congenital heart disease, compared with SSNE scan. (orig.)

  13. Clinical feasibility and validation of 3D principal strain analysis from cine MRI: comparison to 2D strain by MRI and 3D speckle tracking echocardiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satriano, Alessandro; Heydari, Bobak; Narous, Mariam; Exner, Derek V; Mikami, Yoko; Attwood, Monica M; Tyberg, John V; Lydell, Carmen P; Howarth, Andrew G; Fine, Nowell M; White, James A

    2017-12-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) strain analysis is constrained by geometry-dependent reference directions of deformation (i.e. radial, circumferential, and longitudinal) following the assumption of cylindrical chamber architecture. Three-dimensional (3D) principal strain analysis may overcome such limitations by referencing intrinsic (i.e. principal) directions of deformation. This study aimed to demonstrate clinical feasibility of 3D principal strain analysis from routine 2D cine MRI with validation to strain from 2D tagged cine analysis and 3D speckle tracking echocardiography. Thirty-one patients undergoing cardiac MRI were studied. 3D strain was measured from routine, multi-planar 2D cine SSFP images using custom software designed to apply 4D deformation fields to 3D cardiac models to derive principal strain. Comparisons of strain estimates versus those by 2D tagged cine, 2D non-tagged cine (feature tracking), and 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) were performed. Mean age was 51 ± 14 (36% female). Mean LV ejection fraction was 66 ± 10% (range 37-80%). 3D principal strain analysis was feasible in all subjects and showed high inter- and intra-observer reproducibility (ICC range 0.83-0.97 and 0.83-0.98, respectively-p analysis is feasible using routine, multi-planar 2D cine MRI and shows high reproducibility with strong correlations to 2D conventional strain analysis and 3D STE-based analysis. Given its independence from geometry-related directions of deformation this technique may offer unique benefit for the detection and prognostication of myocardial disease, and warrants expanded investigation.

  14. Slice profile and B1 corrections in 2D magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Dan; Coppo, Simone; Chen, Yong; McGivney, Debra F; Jiang, Yun; Pahwa, Shivani; Gulani, Vikas; Griswold, Mark A

    2017-11-01

    The goal of this study is to characterize and improve the accuracy of 2D magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) scans in the presence of slice profile (SP) and B 1 imperfections, which are two main factors that affect quantitative results in MRF. The SP and B 1 imperfections are characterized and corrected separately. The SP effect is corrected by simulating the radiofrequency pulse in the dictionary, and the B 1 is corrected by acquiring a B 1 map using the Bloch-Siegert method before each scan. The accuracy, precision, and repeatability of the proposed method are evaluated in phantom studies. The effects of both SP and B 1 imperfections are also illustrated and corrected in the in vivo studies. The SP and B 1 corrections improve the accuracy of the T 1 and T 2 values, independent of the shape of the radiofrequency pulse. The T 1 and T 2 values obtained from different excitation patterns become more consistent after corrections, which leads to an improvement of the robustness of the MRF design. This study demonstrates that MRF is sensitive to both SP and B 1 effects, and that corrections can be made to improve the accuracy of MRF with only a 2-s increase in acquisition time. Magn Reson Med 78:1781-1789, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  15. Multi-slice CT three dimensional volume measurement of tumors and livers in hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Yuanlong; Li Liangcai; Tang Binghang; Hu Zemin

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To examine the accuracy of multi-slice CT (MSCT) three dimensional (3D) volume measurement of tumors and livers in hepatocellular carcinoma cases by using immersion method as the standard. Methods: (1) The volume of 25 porkling livers was measured using immersion method in experiment group in vitro. Then the models were built according to Matsumoto's method and CT scanning and special software were used to measure the volume of the livers. (2) The volume of the tumors in 25 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma was measured using diameter measurement method and special volume measurement software (tissue measurements). Two tumors of them were measured respectively using MSCT 3D measurement, diameter measurement before the operation and immersion method after the operation. The data of the two groups were examined using pairing t test. Results: (1) The volume range of 25 porkling livers was 68.50-1150.10 ml using immersion method and 69.78-1069.97 ml using MSCT 3D measurement. There was no significant difference of the data in these two groups using t-test (t=1.427, P>0.05). (2) The volume range of 25 hepatocellular tumors was 395.16-2747.7 ml using diameter measurement and 203.10-1463.19 ml using MSCT 3D measurement before the operation. There was significant difference of the data in these two groups using t-test (t=7.689, P<0.001). In 2 ablated tumors, 1 case's volume was (21.75±0.60) ml using MSCT 3D measurement and 33.73 ml using diameter measurement before the operation and 21.50 ml using immersion measurement after the operation. The other case's volume was (696.13±5.30) ml using MSCT 3D measurement and 1323.51 ml using diameter measurement before the operation and 685.50 ml using immersion measurement after the operation. Conclusion: MSCT 3D volume measurement can accurately measure the volume of tumor and liver and has important clinical application value. There is no significant difference between MSCT 3D volume measurement and immersion method

  16. Generalized multi-dimensional adaptive filtering for conventional and spiral single-slice, multi-slice, and cone-beam CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kachelriess, Marc; Watzke, Oliver; Kalender, Willi A.

    2001-01-01

    In modern computed tomography (CT) there is a strong desire to reduce patient dose and/or to improve image quality by increasing spatial resolution and decreasing image noise. These are conflicting demands since increasing resolution at a constant noise level or decreasing noise at a constant resolution level implies a higher demand on x-ray power and an increase of patient dose. X-ray tube power is limited due to technical reasons. We therefore developed a generalized multi-dimensional adaptive filtering approach that applies nonlinear filters in up to three dimensions in the raw data domain. This new method differs from approaches in the literature since our nonlinear filters are applied not only in the detector row direction but also in the view and in the z-direction. This true three-dimensional filtering improves the quantum statistics of a measured projection value proportional to the third power of the filter size. Resolution tradeoffs are shared among these three dimensions and thus are considerably smaller as compared to one-dimensional smoothing approaches. Patient data of spiral and sequential single- and multi-slice CT scans as well as simulated spiral cone-beam data were processed to evaluate these new approaches. Image quality was assessed by evaluation of difference images, by measuring the image noise and the noise reduction, and by calculating the image resolution using point spread functions. The use of generalized adaptive filters helps to reduce image noise or, alternatively, patient dose. Image noise structures, typically along the direction of the highest attenuation, are effectively reduced. Noise reduction values of typically 30%-60% can be achieved in noncylindrical body regions like the shoulder. The loss in image resolution remains below 5% for all cases. In addition, the new method has a great potential to reduce metal artifacts, e.g., in the hip region

  17. 2.5D Multi-View Gait Recognition Based on Point Cloud Registration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Jin; Luo, Jian; Tjahjadi, Tardi; Gao, Yan

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a method for modeling a 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) human body and extracting the gait features for identifying the human subject. To achieve view-invariant gait recognition, a multi-view synthesizing method based on point cloud registration (MVSM) to generate multi-view training galleries is proposed. The concept of a density and curvature-based Color Gait Curvature Image is introduced to map 2.5D data onto a 2D space to enable data dimension reduction by discrete cosine transform and 2D principle component analysis. Gait recognition is achieved via a 2.5D view-invariant gait recognition method based on point cloud registration. Experimental results on the in-house database captured by a Microsoft Kinect camera show a significant performance gain when using MVSM. PMID:24686727

  18. Multi-feature-based plaque characterization in ex vivo MRI trained by registration to 3D histology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Engelen, Arna; Niessen, Wiro J; Klein, Stefan; De Bruijne, Marleen; Groen, Harald C; Wentzel, Jolanda J; Verhagen, Hence JM; Lugt, Aad van der

    2012-01-01

    We present a new method for automated characterization of atherosclerotic plaque composition in ex vivo MRI. It uses MRI intensities as well as four other types of features: smoothed, gradient magnitude and Laplacian images at several scales, and the distances to the lumen and outer vessel wall. The ground truth for fibrous, necrotic and calcified tissue was provided by histology and μCT in 12 carotid plaque specimens. Semi-automatic registration of a 3D stack of histological slices and μCT images to MRI allowed for 3D rotations and in-plane deformations of histology. By basing voxelwise classification on different combinations of features, we evaluated their relative importance. To establish whether training by 3D registration yields different results than training by 2D registration, we determined plaque composition using (1) a 2D slice-based registration approach for three manually selected MRI and histology slices per specimen, and (2) an approach that uses only the three corresponding MRI slices from the 3D-registered volumes. Voxelwise classification accuracy was best when all features were used (73.3 ± 6.3%) and was significantly better than when only original intensities and distance features were used (Friedman, p < 0.05). Although 2D registration or selection of three slices from the 3D set slightly decreased accuracy, these differences were non-significant. (paper)

  19. Automatic slice-alignment method in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of the right ventricle in patients with pulmonary hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoyama, Kenichi; Nitta, Shuhei; Kuhara, Shigehide; Ishimura, Rieko; Kariyasu, Toshiya; Imai, Masamichi; Nitatori, Toshiaki; Takeguchi, Tomoyuki; Shiodera, Taichiro

    2015-09-01

    We propose a new automatic slice-alignment method, which enables right ventricular scan planning in addition to the left ventricular scan planning developed in our previous work, to simplify right ventricular cardiac scan planning and assess its accuracy and the clinical acceptability of the acquired imaging planes in the evaluation of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequences covering the whole heart in the end-diastolic phase with ECG gating were used to acquire 2D axial multislice images. To realize right ventricular scan planning, two morphological feature points are added to be detected and a total of eight morphological features of the heart were extracted from these series of images, and six left ventricular planes and four right ventricular planes were calculated simultaneously based on the extracted features. The subjects were 33 patients (25 with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and 8 with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension). The four right ventricular reference planes including right ventricular short-axis, 4-chamber, 2-chamber, and 3-chamber images were evaluated. The acceptability of the acquired imaging planes was visually evaluated using a 4-point scale, and the angular differences between the results obtained by this method and by conventional manual annotation were measured for each view. The average visual scores were 3.9±0.4 for short-axis images, 3.8±0.4 for 4-chamber images, 3.8±0.4 for 2-chamber images, and 3.5±0.6 for 3-chamber images. The average angular differences were 8.7±5.3, 8.3±4.9, 8.1±4.8, and 7.9±5.3 degrees, respectively. The processing time was less than 2.5 seconds in all subjects. The proposed method, which enables right ventricular scan planning in addition to the left ventricular scan planning developed in our previous work, can provide clinically acceptable planes in a short time and is useful because special proficiency in performing cardiac MR for

  20. Multi-slice spiral CT perfusion imaging of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao Yanhui; Qian Nong; Xue Yuejun; Dao Yinhong

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) perfusion imaging in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Twenty COPD patients and 20 volunteers underwent 8-row detector spiral CT (MSCT) perfusion imaging using cine scan mode with 5 mm slice thickness, 0.5 s rotation time and a total scan time of 45 s with 5 s intervals. 60 ml contrast agent (300 nag I/ml) were administered at a rate of 4 ml/s from the forearm superficial vein. The imaging data were transferred to a workstation. A time-density curve and pseudo-color map were generated automatically with GE CT perfusion 3 software, the blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT) and permeability surface (PS) were measured. Results: Time-density curve was flatter and the peak of the curve was obviously lower in COPD patients than the volunteers. The BF, BV, PS in COPD patients was (24.77±11.49) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 , (2.48±1.02) ml/100 g and (2.75±1.13) ml· min -1 ·100 g -1 respectively. In volunteers was (290.14±107.59) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 , (16.51 ± 5.98) ml/100 g, (8.80±3.03) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 respectively. The MTT in COPD patients and volunteers was (10.58±4.85) s and (4.50±1.71)s respectively. The BF, BV and PS in COPD patients was lower than the volunteers, the MTY was higher (P<0.01). Conclusion: MSCT perfusion imaging is helpful for the diagnosis of COPD. (authors)

  1. Ripple artifact reduction using slice overlap in slice encoding for metal artifact correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Harder, J Chiel; van Yperen, Gert H; Blume, Ulrike A; Bos, Clemens

    2015-01-01

    Multispectral imaging (MSI) significantly reduces metal artifacts. Yet, especially in techniques that use gradient selection, such as slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC), a residual ripple artifact may be prominent. Here, an analysis is presented of the ripple artifact and of slice overlap as an approach to reduce the artifact. The ripple artifact was analyzed theoretically to clarify its cause. Slice overlap, conceptually similar to spectral bin overlap in multi-acquisition with variable resonances image combination (MAVRIC), was achieved by reducing the selection gradient and, thus, increasing the slice profile width. Time domain simulations and phantom experiments were performed to validate the analyses and proposed solution. Discontinuities between slices are aggravated by signal displacement in the frequency encoding direction in areas with deviating B0. Specifically, it was demonstrated that ripple artifacts appear only where B0 varies both in-plane and through-plane. Simulations and phantom studies of metal implants confirmed the efficacy of slice overlap to reduce the artifact. The ripple artifact is an important limitation of gradient selection based MSI techniques, and can be understood using the presented simulations. At a scan-time penalty, slice overlap effectively addressed the artifact, thereby improving image quality near metal implants. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT for atlantoaxial spine injuries in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Chengde; Qin Hongwei; Li Junhong

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) for the atlantoaxial spine injuries in children. Methods: The CT findings of 21 cases with the atlantoaxial spine injuries in children were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Fractures of dens occurred in 4 cases, isolated atlantoaxial dislocation in 15 cases, subluxation of the C2/3 right vertebra facet in 1 and atlanto-occipital subluxation in 1. CT diagnosis was correct in all cases. And plain film diagnosis was correct ia 13. Conclusion: MSCT could clearly demonstrate the fractures and dislocations of the atlantoaxial spine injuries in children and correctly determine the type of the atlantoaxial spine injuries in children, MSCT is the modality of choice in diagnosis of the atlantoaxial spine injuries in children and should be performed routinely. (authors)

  3. Basic conception of simultaneous multi-layer hybrid type ECT apparatus 'HEADTOME-2'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakanishi, Shigemasa

    1981-01-01

    Following on the one-slice hybrid type ECT (emission computer tomography) apparatus HEADTOME-1 for the measurement of local cerebral blood stream by single-photon measurement and the measurement of local cerebral metabolism by positron measurement, the development of the simultaneous multi-layer hybrid type ECT apparatus HEADTOME-2 was started for the simultaneous measurement of whole brains. Being designed also for obtaining single-photon simultaneous multi-layer tomography, a peculiar mode of collimator structure was employed, thereby the defect in HEADTOME-1 was eliminated. The design of the detector section is as follows: detector array diameter 42 cm, effective vision-field diameter 21 cm, patient tunnel diameter 25 cm, detector rings 3, slice interval 35 cm, and NaI (Tl) crystals 64 per layer. The basic conception of HEADTOME-2, such as the detectors, collimator, the number of slices, specifications, and data processing system, is described. (J.P.N.)

  4. Assessment of calcium scoring performance in cardiac computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulzheimer, Stefan; Kalender, Willi A.

    2003-01-01

    Electron beam tomography (EBT) has been used for cardiac diagnosis and the quantitative assessment of coronary calcium since the late 1980s. The introduction of mechanical multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) scanners with shorter rotation times opened new possibilities of cardiac imaging with conventional CT scanners. The purpose of this work was to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the performance for EBT and MSCT for the task of coronary artery calcium imaging as a function of acquisition protocol, heart rate, spiral reconstruction algorithm (where applicable) and calcium scoring method. A cardiac CT semi-anthropomorphic phantom was designed and manufactured for the investigation of all relevant image quality parameters in cardiac CT. This phantom includes various test objects, some of which can be moved within the anthropomorphic phantom in a manner that mimics realistic heart motion. These tools were used to qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate the accuracy of coronary calcium imaging using typical protocols for an electron beam (Evolution C-150XP, Imatron, South San Francisco, Calif.) and a 0.5-s four-slice spiral CT scanner (Sensation 4, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). A special focus was put on the method of quantifying coronary calcium, and three scoring systems were evaluated (Agatston, volume, and mass scoring). Good reproducibility in coronary calcium scoring is always the result of a combination of high temporal and spatial resolution; consequently, thin-slice protocols in combination with retrospective gating on MSCT scanners yielded the best results. The Agatston score was found to be the least reproducible scoring method. The hydroxyapatite mass, being better reproducible and comparable on different scanners and being a physical quantitative measure, appears to be the method of choice for future clinical studies. The hydroxyapatite mass is highly correlated to the Agatston score. The introduced phantoms can be used to quantitatively assess the

  5. Imaging of oxygenation in 3D tissue models with multi-modal phosphorescent probes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papkovsky, Dmitri B.; Dmitriev, Ruslan I.; Borisov, Sergei

    2015-03-01

    Cell-penetrating phosphorescence based probes allow real-time, high-resolution imaging of O2 concentration in respiring cells and 3D tissue models. We have developed a panel of such probes, small molecule and nanoparticle structures, which have different spectral characteristics, cell penetrating and tissue staining behavior. The probes are compatible with conventional live cell imaging platforms and can be used in different detection modalities, including ratiometric intensity and PLIM (Phosphorescence Lifetime IMaging) under one- or two-photon excitation. Analytical performance of these probes and utility of the O2 imaging method have been demonstrated with different types of samples: 2D cell cultures, multi-cellular spheroids from cancer cell lines and primary neurons, excised slices from mouse brain, colon and bladder tissue, and live animals. They are particularly useful for hypoxia research, ex-vivo studies of tissue physiology, cell metabolism, cancer, inflammation, and multiplexing with many conventional fluorophors and markers of cellular function.

  6. 3D cardiac wall thickening assessment for acute myocardial infarction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalid, A.; Chan, B. T.; Lim, E.; Liew, Y. M.

    2017-06-01

    Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most severe form of coronary artery disease leading to localized myocardial injury and therefore irregularities in the cardiac wall contractility. Studies have found very limited differences in global indices (such as ejection fraction, myocardial mass and volume) between healthy subjects and AMI patients, and therefore suggested regional assessment. Regional index, specifically cardiac wall thickness (WT) and thickening is closely related to cardiac function and could reveal regional abnormality due to AMI. In this study, we developed a 3D wall thickening assessment method to identify regional wall contractility dysfunction due to localized myocardial injury from infarction. Wall thickness and thickening were assessed from 3D personalized cardiac models reconstructed from cine MRI images by fitting inscribed sphere between endocardial and epicardial wall. The thickening analysis was performed in 5 patients and 3 healthy subjects and the results were compared against the gold standard 2D late-gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) images for infarct localization. The notable finding of this study is the highly accurate estimation and visual representation of the infarct size and location in 3D. This study provides clinicians with an intuitive way to visually and qualitatively assess regional cardiac wall dysfunction due to infarction in AMI patients.

  7. Study of imaging time shortening in Whole Heart MRCA. Evaluation of slice thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwai, Mitsuhiro; Tateishi, Toshiki; Takeda, Soji; Hayashi, Ryuji

    2005-01-01

    A series of examinations in cardiac MR imaging, such as cine, perfusion, MR coronary angiography (MRCA) and viability, is generally known as One Stop Cardiac Examination. It takes about 40 to 60 minutes to perform One Stop Cardiac Examination, and Whole Heart MRCA accounts for most of the examination time. Therefore, we aimed to shorten imaging time of Whole Heart MRCA, especially in a large imaging area such as that in the case of the postoperative evaluation of a bypass graft, by investigating the depiction of a diameter of mimic blood vessels as changing the slice thickness of Whole Heart MRCA. The results showed that the maximum slice thickness of about 1 mm was excellent considering the diameters of actual coronary arteries are about 3 mm. In this study, we could grasp the relationships among slice thickness of Whole Heart MRCA, the diameter of a blood vessel, and shortened examination time. We suggested that it was useful for selecting the suitable sequence depending on a patient's conditions. (author)

  8. Assessment of sphenoid sinus volume in order to determine sexual identity, using multi-slice CT images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Habibeh Farazdaghi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aims: Gender determination is an important step in identification. For gender determination, anthropometric evaluation is one of the main forensic evaluations. The aim of this study was the assessment of sphenoid sinus volume in order to determine sexual identity, using multi-slice CT images. Materials and Methods: For volumetric analysis, axial paranasal sinus CT scan with 3-mm slice thickness was used. For this study, 80 images (40 women and 40 men older than 18 years were selected. For the assessment of sphenoid sinus volume, Digimizer software was used. The volume of sphenoid sinus was calculated using the following equation: v=∑ (area of each slice × thickness of each slice. Statistical analysis was performed by independent T-test. Results: The mean volume of sphenoid sinus was significantly greater in male gender (P=0.01.The assessed Cut off point was 9/35 cm3, showing that 63.4% of volume assessments greater than cut off point was supposed to be male and 64.1% of volumetry lesser than cut off point were female. Conclusion: According to the area under Roc curve (1.65%, sphenoid sinus volume is not an appropriate factor for differentiation of male and female from each other, which means the predictability of cut off point (9/35 cm3 is 65/1% close to reality.

  9. Trabecular bone structure parameters from 3D image processing of clinical multi-slice and cone-beam computed tomography data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klintstroem, Eva; Smedby, Oerjan [Linkoeping University, Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linkoeping (Sweden); UHL County Council of Oestergoetland, Department of Radiology, Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH)/Radiology, Linkoeping (Sweden); Moreno, Rodrigo [Linkoeping University, Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linkoeping (Sweden); Linkoeping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH)/Radiology, Linkoeping (Sweden); Brismar, Torkel B. [KUS Huddinge, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology at Karolinska Institutet and Department of Radiology, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2014-02-15

    Bone strength depends on both mineral content and bone structure. The aim of this in vitro study was to develop a method of quantitatively assessing trabecular bone structure by applying three-dimensional image processing to data acquired with multi-slice and cone-beam computed tomography using micro-computed tomography as a reference. Fifteen bone samples from the radius were examined. After segmentation, quantitative measures of bone volume, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular number, trabecular nodes, and trabecular termini were obtained. The clinical machines overestimated bone volume and trabecular thickness and underestimated trabecular nodes and number, but cone-beam CT to a lesser extent. Parameters obtained from cone beam CT were strongly correlated with μCT, with correlation coefficients between 0.93 and 0.98 for all parameters except trabecular termini. The high correlation between cone-beam CT and micro-CT suggest the possibility of quantifying and monitoring changes of trabecular bone microarchitecture in vivo using cone beam CT. (orig.)

  10. Investigation of the slice sensitivity profile for step-and-shoot mode multi-slice computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsieh Jiang

    2001-01-01

    Multislice computed tomography (MCT) is one of the recent technology advancements in CT. Compared to single slice CT, MCT significantly improves examination time, x-ray tube efficiency, and contrast material utilization. Although the scan mode of MCT is predominately helical, step-and-shoot (axial) scans continue to be an important part of routine clinical protocols. In this paper, we present a detailed investigation on the slice sensitivity profile (SSP) of MCT in the step-and-shoot mode. Our investigation shows that, unlike single slice CT, the SSP for MCT exhibits multiple peaks and valleys resulting from intercell gaps between detector rows. To fully understand the characteristics of the SSP, we developed an analytical model to predict the behavior of MCT. We propose a simple experimental technique that can quickly and accurately measure SSP. The impact of the SSP on image artifacts and low contrast detectability is also investigated

  11. Assessment of left atrial volume and function: a comparative study between echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and multi slice computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kühl, J Tobias; Lønborg, Jacob; Fuchs, Andreas; Andersen, Mads J; Vejlstrup, Niels; Kelbæk, Henning; Engstrøm, Thomas; Møller, Jacob E; Kofoed, Klaus F

    2012-06-01

    Measurement of left atrial (LA) maximal volume (LA(max)) using two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) provides prognostic information in several cardiac diseases. However, the relationship between LA(max) and LA function is poorly understood and TTE is less well suited for measuring dynamic LA volume changes. Conversely, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) appears more appropriate for such measures. We sought to determine the relationship between LA size assessed with TTE and LA size and function assessed with CMR and MSCT. Fifty-four patients were examined 3 months post myocardial infarction with echocardiography, CMR and MSCT. Left atrial volumes and LA reservoir function were assessed by TTE. LA time-volume curves were determined and LA reservoir function (cyclic change and fractional change), passive emptying function (reservoir volume) and pump function (left atrial ejection fraction-LAEF) were derived using CMR and MSCT. Left atrial fractional change and left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF) determined with CMR and MSCT were unrelated to LA(max) enlargement by echocardiography (P = NS). There was an overall good agreement between CMR and MSCT, with a small to moderate bias in LA(max) (4.9 ± 10.4 ml), CC (3.1 ± 9.1 ml) and reservoir volume (3.4 ± 9.1 ml). TTE underestimates LA(max) with up to 32% compared with CMR and MSCT (P fractional change and LAEF is not significantly related to LA(max) measured by TTE. TTE systematically underestimated LA volumes, whereas there are good agreements between MSCT and CMR for volumetric and functional properties.

  12. Subtraction imaging of the ECG gated cardiac CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanegashima, K.; Fukui, M.; Hyodo, H.

    1987-05-01

    The subtracting manipulation of contrast-enhanced gated cardiac CT (GCCT) images was experimentally studied with TCT 60A - 30 type (Toshiba) for clinical use, thereby reducing the amount of contrast medium (CM). Initially the optimum relationship between the concentration of CM and its injected velocity was determined using the model of resected canine hearts and in actual dogs. The emphasized good-subtracted images were obtained when the difference of CT values was approximately 40 H.U. between cardiac cavity and myocardium. Such condition was feasible in the use of 25 % Diatrizoic acid and its injected velocity of 0.02 ml/kg/sec. Finally the reduction of the amount of CM by 1/3 became possible in clinical settings. The method is applicable to multi-slice GCCT in various heart diseases.

  13. Accelerated magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the median nerve using simultaneous multi-slice echo planar imaging with blipped CAIPIRINHA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filli, Lukas; Piccirelli, Marco; Kenkel, David; Boss, Andreas; Manoliu, Andrei; Andreisek, Gustav; Bhat, Himanshu; Runge, Val M; Guggenberger, Roman

    2016-06-01

    To investigate the feasibility of MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the median nerve using simultaneous multi-slice echo planar imaging (EPI) with blipped CAIPIRINHA. After federal ethics board approval, MR imaging of the median nerves of eight healthy volunteers (mean age, 29.4 years; range, 25-32) was performed at 3 T using a 16-channel hand/wrist coil. An EPI sequence (b-value, 1,000 s/mm(2); 20 gradient directions) was acquired without acceleration as well as with twofold and threefold slice acceleration. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and quality of nerve tractography (number of tracks, average track length, track homogeneity, anatomical accuracy) were compared between the acquisitions using multivariate ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Acquisition time was 6:08 min for standard DTI, 3:38 min for twofold and 2:31 min for threefold acceleration. No differences were found regarding FA (standard DTI: 0.620 ± 0.058; twofold acceleration: 0.642 ± 0.058; threefold acceleration: 0.644 ± 0.061; p ≥ 0.217) and MD (standard DTI: 1.076 ± 0.080 mm(2)/s; twofold acceleration: 1.016 ± 0.123 mm(2)/s; threefold acceleration: 0.979 ± 0.153 mm(2)/s; p ≥ 0.074). Twofold acceleration yielded similar tractography quality compared to standard DTI (p > 0.05). With threefold acceleration, however, average track length and track homogeneity decreased (p = 0.004-0.021). Accelerated DTI of the median nerve is feasible. Twofold acceleration yields similar results to standard DTI. • Standard DTI of the median nerve is limited by its long acquisition time. • Simultaneous multi-slice acquisition is a new technique for accelerated DTI. • Accelerated DTI of the median nerve yields similar results to standard DTI.

  14. The multi-slice CT perfusion imaging in evaluating the prevention and treatment by edaravone on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury after pulmonary thromboembolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jianjun; Zhai Renyou; Zhang Dongpo; Huang Qiang; Dai Dingke; Yu Ping; Bao Na

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the multi-slice CT perfusion imaging in investigating whether edaravone can prevent and treat pulmonary thromboembolism ischemia-reperfusion injury (PTE-IRI). Methods: Twenty mongrel canines were included. A Swan-Ganz catheter was introduced into the right internal jugular vein using the Seldinger technique, and then was inserted into the pulmonary artery. Balloon occlusion of the right inferior lobe pulmonary artery for 4 h was followed by removing catheter and 4 h o reperfusion. Animals were divided into four groups of A (no edaravone during ischenmia and reperfusion), B (edaravone used only during ischemia), C (edaravone used during both ischemia and reperfusion) and D group (edaravone used only during reperfusion) (n=5 per group). Every group was divided into three time points including before ischemia, 4 h after ischemia and 4 h after reperfusion. CT scan and CT perfusion were performed at the three time points. The blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and mean transit time (MTT) of the bilateral inferior regional lung parenchyma were measured with the software of perfusion 3. Results: CT examination showed pulmonary edema in the right inferior lung lobe at 4 h after reperfusion. (1) The BF and MTT of A, B, C and D group were[(259.4±15.7)ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 , (293.7± 7.9) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 , (379.4±14.5)ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 , (382.5±16.6)ml·min -1 ·. 100 g -1 ] and [(3.1±0.2)s, (2.6±0.2)s, (2.2±0.1)s, (1.9±0.2)s] respectively at 4 h after reperfusion. The BF and MTT were statistically different (P 0.05) at 4 h after reperfusion, but the BV was not statistically different between groups (P>0.05). (2) The BF [(397.2± 19.2)ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 and (259.4±15.7) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 in group A, (393.2±16.1) ml· min -1 ·100 g -1 and (293.7±7.9) ml·min -1 ·100 g -1 in group B] and MTF [(1.8±0.1)s and (3.1±0.2) s in group A, (1.8±0.2) s and (2.6±0.2) s in group B] were statistically different (P 0.05) between groups

  15. Primary research on direct multi-slice spiral CT venography in inferior vena cava

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong Peiyou; Liu Fengli; Ma Xianying; Zhao Li; Wang Liping; Li Xuehua; Li Jian

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the superiority of direct multi-slice spiral CT venography in inferior vena cava. Methods: Twenty-eight patients performed MSCT venography in inferior vena cava, including 2 cases with both indirect and direct venography, 10 cases with indirect venography, 20 cases with direct venography through unilateral or bilateral lower extremity venous injection. The image quality and enhancement degree of the inferior vena cava were compared in double-blind method. Results: Of 10 cases with indirect venography of inferior vena cava, 1 case was failed due to mild enhancement in inferior vena cava. Image quality was good in 2 cases, poor in 7 cases, no excellent case. Of 20 cases with direct venography of inferior vena cava, the enhancement degree was scored 1, 2 degree in 16, 4 cases respectively and no case was scored 3 degree, the image quality was excellent, good in 16, 4 cases and no case was bad. The success rate was 100%. Conclusion: The image quality of direct MSCT venography in inferior vena cava is better than that of indirect method. (authors)

  16. Comparison of bone-implant contact and bone-implant volume between 2D-histological sections and 3D-SRµCT slices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R Bernhardt

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Histological imaging is still considered the gold standard for analysing bone formation around metallic implants. Generally, a limited number of histological sections per sample are used for the approximation of mean values of peri-implant bone formation. In this study we compared statistically the results of bone-implant contact (BIC and bone-implant volume (BIV obtained by histological sections, with those obtained by X-ray absorption images from synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SRµCT using osseointegrated screw-shaped implants from a mini-pig study. Comparing the BIC results of 3-4 histological sections per implant sample with the appropriate 3-4 SRµCT slices showed a non-significant difference of 1.9 % (p = 0.703. The contact area assessed by the whole 3D information from the SRµCT measurement in comparison to the histomorphometric results showed a non-significant difference in BIC of 4.9 % (p = 0.171. The amount of the bone-implant volume in the histological sections and the appropriate SRµCT slices showed a non-significant difference by only 1.4 % (p = 0.736 and also remains non-significant with 2.6 % (p = 0.323 using the volumetric SRµCT information. We conclude that for a clinical evaluation of implant osseointegration with histological imaging at least 3-4 sections per sample are sufficient to represent the BIC or BIV for a sample. Due to the fact that in this study we have found a significant intra-sample variation in BIC of up to ± 35 % the selection of only one or two histological sections per sample may strongly influence the determined BIC.

  17. 2D deblending using the multi-scale shaping scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qun; Ban, Xingan; Gong, Renbin; Li, Jinnuo; Ge, Qiang; Zu, Shaohuan

    2018-01-01

    Deblending can be posed as an inversion problem, which is ill-posed and requires constraint to obtain unique and stable solution. In blended record, signal is coherent, whereas interference is incoherent in some domains (e.g., common receiver domain and common offset domain). Due to the different sparsity, coefficients of signal and interference locate in different curvelet scale domains and have different amplitudes. Take into account the two differences, we propose a 2D multi-scale shaping scheme to constrain the sparsity to separate the blended record. In the domain where signal concentrates, the multi-scale scheme passes all the coefficients representing signal, while, in the domain where interference focuses, the multi-scale scheme suppresses the coefficients representing interference. Because the interference is suppressed evidently at each iteration, the constraint of multi-scale shaping operator in all scale domains are weak to guarantee the convergence of algorithm. We evaluate the performance of the multi-scale shaping scheme and the traditional global shaping scheme by using two synthetic and one field data examples.

  18. Substantial dose reduction in modern multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT)-guided craniofacial and skull base surgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Widmann, G.; Fasser, M.; Jaschke, W.; Bale, R.; Schullian, P.; Zangerl, A.; Puelacher, W.; Kral, F.; Riechelmann, H.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Reduction of the radiation exposure involved in image-guided craniofacial and skull base surgery is an important goal. The purpose was to evaluate the influence of low-dose protocols in modern multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) on target registration errors (TREs). Materials and Methods: An anthropomorphic skull phantom with target markers at the craniofacial bone and the anterior skull base was scanned in Sensation Open (40-slice), LightSpeed VCT (64-slice) and Definition Flash (128-slice). Identical baseline protocols (BP) at 120 kV/100 mAs were compared to the following low-dose protocols (LD) in care dose/dose modulation: (LD-I) 100 kV/35ref. mAs, (LD-II) 80 kV/40 - 41ref. mAs, and (LD-III) 80 kV/15 - 17ref. mAs. CTDIvol and DLP were obtained. TREs using an optical navigation system were calculated for all scanners and protocols. Results were statistically analyzed in SPSS and compared for significant differences (p ≤ 0.05). Results: CTDIvol for the Sensation Open/LightSpeed VCT/Definition Flash showed: (BP) 22.24 /32.48 /14.32 mGy; (LD-I) 4.61 /3.52 /1,62 mGy; (LD-II) 3.15 /2.01 /0.87 mGy; and (LD-III) na/0.76 /0.76 mGy. Differences between the BfS (Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz) reference CTDIvol of 9 mGy and the lowest CTDIvol were approximately 3-fold for Sensation Open, and 12-fold for the LightSpeed VCT and Definition Flash. A total of 33 registrations and 297 TRE measurements were performed. In all MSCT scanners, the TREs did not significantly differ between the low-dose and the baseline protocols. Conclusion: Low-dose protocols in modern MSCT provided substantial dose reductions without significant influence on TRE and should be strongly considered in image-guided surgery. (orig.)

  19. Multi-slice CT for visualization of acute pulmonary embolism: single breath-hold subtraction technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wildberger, J.E.; Mahnken, A.H.; Spuentrup, E.; Guenther, R.W.; Klotz, E.; Ditt, H.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: the purpose of our preliminary animal study was to evaluate the feasibility of a new subtraction technique for visualization of perfusion defects within the lung parenchyma in segmental and subsegmental pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and methods: in three healthy pigs, PE were artificially induced by fresh human clot material. Within a single breath-hold, CT angiography (CTA) was performed on a 16-slice multi-slice CT scanner (SOMATOM Sensation 16; Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) before and after intravenous application of 80 mL of contrast-medium, followed by a saline chaser. Scan parameters were 120 kV and 100 mAs eff. , using a collimation of 16 x 1.5 mm and a table speed/rot. of 36 mm (pitch: 1.5; rotation time: 0.5 s). A new 3D subtraction technique was developed, which is based on automated segmentation, non-linear spatial filtering and non-rigid registration. Data were analysed using a color-encoded ''compound view'' of parenchymal enhancement and CTA information displayed in axial, coronal and sagittal orientation. Results: subtraction was technically feasible in all three data sets. The mean scan time for each series was 4.7 s, interscan delay was 14.7 s, respectively. Therefore, an average breath-hold of approximately 24 s was required for the overall scanning procedure. Downstream of occluded segmental and subsegmental arteries, perfusion defects were clearly assessable, showing lower or missing enhancement compared to normally perfused lung parenchyma. In all pigs, additional peripheral areas with triangular shaped perfusion defects were delineated, considered typical for PE. Conclusions: our initial results from the animal model studied slow that perfusion imaging of PE is feasible within a single breath-hold. It allows a comprehensive assessment of perfusion deficits as the direct proof of a pulmonary embolus, can be combined with an indirect visual quantification of the density changes in the adjacent lung tissue. (orig.)

  20. Clinical advantages of three dimensional cine cardiac images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinosada, Yasutomi; Okuda, Yasuyuki; Nakagawa, Tsuyoshi; Itou, Takafumi; Hattori, Takao.

    1996-01-01

    We evaluated clinical advantages and the quantitativeness of computerized three-dimensional (3D) cinematic images of a human heart, which were produced with a set of magnetic resonance (MR) images by using the computer graphic technique. Many contiguous, multi-location and multi-phase short axis images were obtained with the ECG gated conventional and fast cardiac imaging sequences in normal volunteers and selected patients with myocardial infarction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular dysfunction. Judging by visual impressions of the computerized 3D cinematic cardiac images, we could easily understand and evaluate the myocardial motions or the anatomic and volumetric changes of a heart according to the cardiac phases. These images were especially useful to compare the wall motion, the left ventricular ejection-fraction (LVEF), or other cardiac functions and conditions between before and after therapeutic procedures such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for patients with myocardial infarction. A good correlation between the LVEF calculated from a set of computerized 3D cinematic images and the ultra sound examinations were found. The results of our study showed that computerized 3D cinematic cardiac images were clinically useful to understand the myocardial motions qualitatively and to evaluate cardiac functions such as the LVEF quantitatively. (author)

  1. Current role of cardiac and extra-cardiac pathologies in clinically indicated cardiac computed tomography with emphasis on status before pulmonary vein isolation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sohns, J.M.; Lotz, J. [Goettingen University Medical Center (Germany). Inst. for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Goettingen (Germany); Menke, J.; Staab, W.; Fasshauer, M.; Kowallick, J.T.; Zwaka, P.A.; Schwarz, A. [Goettingen University Medical Center (Germany). Inst. for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology; Spiro, J. [Koeln University Hospital (Germany). Radiology; Bergau, L.; Unterberg-Buchwald, C. [Goettingen University Medical Center (Germany). Cardiology and Pneumology

    2014-09-15

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of cardiac and significant extra-cardiac findings in clinical computed tomography of the heart in patients with atrial fibrillation before pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Materials and Methods: 224 patients (64 ± 10 years; male 63%) with atrial fibrillation were examined by cardiac 64-slice multidetector CT before PVI. Extra-cardiac findings were classified as 'significant' if they were recommended to additional diagnostics or therapy, and otherwise as 'non-significant'. Additionally, cardiac findings were documented in detail. Results: A total of 724 cardiac findings were identified in 203 patients (91% of patients). Additionally, a total of 619 extra-cardiac findings were identified in 179 patients (80% of patients). Among these extra-cardiac findings 196 (32%) were 'significant', and 423 (68%) were 'non-significant'. In 2 patients (1%) a previously unknown malignancy was detected (esophageal cancer and lung cancer, local stage, no metastasis). 203 additional imaging diagnostics followed to clarify the 'significant' findings (124 additional CT, costs 38,314.69 US dollars). Overall, there were 3.2 cardiac and 2.8 extra-cardiac findings per patient. Extra-cardiac findings appear significantly more frequently in patients over 60 years old, in smokers and in patients with a history of cardiac findings (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Cardiac CT scans before PVI should be screened for extracardiac incidental findings that could have important clinical implications for each patient. (orig.)

  2. Application of the FDK algorithm for multi-slice tomographic image reconstruction; Aplicacao do algoritmo FDK para a reconstrucao de imagens tomograficas multicortes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Costa, Paulo Roberto, E-mail: pcosta@if.usp.b [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IFUSP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica. Dept. de Fisica Nuclear; Araujo, Ericky Caldas de Almeida [Fine Image Technology, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2010-08-15

    This work consisted on the study and application of the FDK (Feldkamp- Davis-Kress) algorithm for tomographic image reconstruction using cone-beam geometry, resulting on the implementation of an adapted multi-slice computed tomography system. For the acquisition of the projections, a rotating platform coupled to a goniometer, an X-ray equipment and a digital image detector charge-coupled device type were used. The FDK algorithm was implemented on a computer with a Pentium{sup R} XEON{sup TM} 3.0 processor, which was used for the reconstruction process. Initially, the original FDK algorithm was applied considering only the ideal physical conditions in the measurement process. Then some artifacts corrections related to the projections measurement process were incorporated. The implemented MSCT system was calibrated. A specially designed and manufactured object with a known linear attenuation coefficient distribution ({mu}(r)) was used for this purpose. Finally, the implemented MSCT system was used for multi-slice tomographic reconstruction of an inhomogeneous object, whose distribution {mu}(r) was unknown. Some aspects of the reconstructed images were analyzed to assess the robustness and reproducibility of the system. During the system calibration, a linear relationship between CT number and linear attenuation coefficients of materials was verified, which validate the application of the implemented multi-slice tomographic system for the characterization of linear attenuation coefficients of distinct several objects. (author)

  3. The multi-slice CT perfusion imaging in evaluating the prevention and treatment by edaravone on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury after pulmonary thromboembolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jianjun, Li; Renyou, Zhai; Dongpo, Zhang; Qiang, Huang; Dingke, Dai; Ping, Yu; Na, Bao [Department of Radiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical Univ., Beijing (China)

    2008-10-15

    Objective: To evaluate the multi-slice CT perfusion imaging in investigating whether edaravone can prevent and treat pulmonary thromboembolism ischemia-reperfusion injury (PTE-IRI). Methods: Twenty mongrel canines were included. A Swan-Ganz catheter was introduced into the right internal jugular vein using the Seldinger technique, and then was inserted into the pulmonary artery. Balloon occlusion of the right inferior lobe pulmonary artery for 4 h was followed by removing catheter and 4 h o reperfusion. Animals were divided into four groups of A (no edaravone during ischenmia and reperfusion), B (edaravone used only during ischemia), C (edaravone used during both ischemia and reperfusion) and D group (edaravone used only during reperfusion) (n=5 per group). Every group was divided into three time points including before ischemia, 4 h after ischemia and 4 h after reperfusion. CT scan and CT perfusion were performed at the three time points. The blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and mean transit time (MTT) of the bilateral inferior regional lung parenchyma were measured with the software of perfusion 3. Results: CT examination showed pulmonary edema in the right inferior lung lobe at 4 h after reperfusion. (1) The BF and MTT of A, B, C and D group were[(259.4{+-}15.7)ml{center_dot}min{sup -1{center_dot}}100 g{sup -1}, (293.7{+-} 7.9) ml{center_dot}min{sup -1{center_dot}}100 g {sup -1}, (379.4{+-}14.5)ml{center_dot}min{sup -1{center_dot}}100 g{sup -1}, (382.5{+-}16.6)ml{center_dot}min{sup -1{center_dot}}. 100 g{sup -1}] and [(3.1{+-}0.2)s, (2.6{+-}0.2)s, (2.2{+-}0.1)s, (1.9{+-}0.2)s] respectively at 4 h after reperfusion. The BF and MTT were statistically different (P<0.01) between groups (A and B, A and C, A and D, B and C, B and D) except between group C and D (the P value >0.05) at 4 h after reperfusion, but the BV was not statistically different between groups (P>0.05). (2) The BF [(397.2{+-} 19.2)ml{center_dot}min{sup -1{center_dot}}100 g{sup -1} and (259

  4. Clinical application of multi-slice helical CT volumetric scanning in lumber spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Ling; Ge Yinghui; Zhu Shaocheng; Zhang Ming; Cheng Tianming; Lei Zhidan; Lv Chuanjian; Sun Xiaoping; Wu Minghui; Guo Ying; Ma Qianli; Wen Zeying

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the clinical application value of multi-slice helical CT volumetric (VH) scanning in lumber spine. Methods: One thousand of patients with back and leg pain who underwent CT examinations were selected as subjects. We simulated the traditional protocol of single-slice(SS) discrete scanning for L3/4, L4/5, and L5/S1 intervertebral discs. The VH scanning mode was performed with 120 kV, 210 mAs, pitch of 1.5 and coverage of 97.5 mm. The simulated SS scanning mode was performed with 120 kV, 240 mAs and coverage of 45.0 mm. The diagnostic outcomes and the radiation doses were compared between the two scanning modes. Two groups doctors observed ten terms, including the osseous spinal stenosis, narrowed intervertebral space and so on in two scanning modes respectively. Then consistency analysis of the data was carded out. Results: The VH scanning mode showed far more features than the SS mode. The detection rates of the VH mode in the osseous spinal stenosis, narrowed intervertebral space, herniated nucleus pulposus, narrowed lateral recess, vertebral lesion, hypertrophy of L5 transverse process, abnormal direction of facet, facet degeneration, lumbar spondyloschisis, and paraspinal soft tissue were 11.8% (n=118), 38.5% (n=385), 9.3% (n=93), 46.8% (n=468), 31.4% (n=314), 5.7% (n= 57), 25.4% (n=254), 49.7% (n=497), 9.9% (n=99), and 0.6% (n=6) respectively, while the detection rates of the SS mode in ten terms were 5.6% (n=56), 0, 0.6% (n=6), 27.9% (n=279), 22.4% (n=224), 1.2% (n=12), 16.7% (n=167), 37.2% (n=372), 0.5% (n=5), and 0.2% (n=2) respectively. The difference between the two groups had statistically significance (average P 0.05). The detection rates of the VH mode were higher than the SS mode in the osseous spinal stenosis, narrowed intervertebral space, herniated nucleus pulposus, lumbar spondyloschisis, being 6.2% (n=62), 38.5% (n=385), 8.7% (n=87), and 9.4% (n=94), respectively. In addition, VH mode only partially showed the articular

  5. Bicuspid aortic valves: Diagnostic accuracy of standard axial 64-slice chest CT compared to aortic valve image plane ECG-gated cardiac CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murphy, David J., E-mail: david.murphy@st-vincents.ie [Department of Radiology, St Vincent' s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4 (Ireland); McEvoy, Sinead H., E-mail: s.mcevoy@st-vincents.ie [Department of Radiology, St Vincent' s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Iyengar, Sri, E-mail: sri.iyengar@nhs.net [Department of Radiology, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth Devon PL6 8DH (United Kingdom); Feuchtner, Gudrun, E-mail: Gudrun.Feuchtner@i-med.ac.at [Department of Radiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstr. 35, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria); Cury, Ricardo C., E-mail: r.cury@baptisthealth.net [Department of Radiology, Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, 8900 North Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33176 (United States); Roobottom, Carl, E-mail: carl.roobottom@nhs.net [Department of Radiology, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth Devon PL6 8DH (United Kingdom); Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (United Kingdom); Baumueller, Stephan, E-mail: Hatem.Alkadhi@usz.ch [Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, CH-8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Alkadhi, Hatem, E-mail: stephan.baumueller@usz.ch [Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, CH-8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Dodd, Jonathan D., E-mail: jonniedodd@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, St Vincent' s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4 (Ireland)

    2014-08-15

    Objectives: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of standard axial 64-slice chest CT compared to aortic valve image plane ECG-gated cardiac CT for bicuspid aortic valves. Materials and methods: The standard axial chest CT scans of 20 patients with known bicuspid aortic valves were blindly, randomly analyzed for (i) the appearance of the valve cusps, (ii) the largest aortic sinus area, (iii) the longest aortic cusp length, (iv) the thickest aortic valve cusp and (v) valve calcification. A second blinded reader independently analyzed the appearance of the valve cusps. Forty-two age- and sex-matched patients with known tricuspid aortic valves were used as controls. Retrospectively ECG-gated cardiac CT multiphase reconstructions of the aortic valve were used as the gold-standard. Results: Fourteen (21%) scans were scored as unevaluable (7 bicuspid, 7 tricuspid). Of the remainder, there were 13 evaluable bicuspid valves, ten of which showed an aortic valve line sign, while the remaining three showed a normal Mercedes-Benz appearance owing to fused valve cusps. The 35 evaluable tricuspid aortic valves all showed a normal Mercedes-Benz appearance (P = 0.001). Kappa analysis = 0.62 indicating good interobserver agreement for the aortic valve cusp appearance. Aortic sinus areas, aortic cusp lengths and aortic cusp thicknesses of ≥3.8 cm{sup 2}, 3.2 cm and 1.6 mm respectively on standard axial chest CT best distinguished bicuspid from tricuspid aortic valves (P < 0.0001 for all). Of evaluable scans, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of standard axial chest CT in diagnosing bicuspid aortic valves was 77% (CI 0.54–1.0), 100%, 100% and 70% respectively. Conclusion: The aortic valve is evaluable in approximately 80% of standard chest 64-slice CT scans. Bicuspid aortic valves may be diagnosed on evaluable scans with good diagnostic accuracy. An aortic valve line sign, enlarged aortic sinuses and elongated, thickened valve cusps are specific CT

  6. Unbiased stereological estimation of d-dimensional volume in Rn from an isotropic random slice through a fixed point

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Eva B. Vedel; Kiêu, K

    1994-01-01

    Unbiased stereological estimators of d-dimensional volume in R(n) are derived, based on information from an isotropic random r-slice through a specified point. The content of the slice can be subsampled by means of a spatial grid. The estimators depend only on spatial distances. As a fundamental ...... lemma, an explicit formula for the probability that an isotropic random r-slice in R(n) through 0 hits a fixed point in R(n) is given....

  7. A multi-slice gradient sequence for contrast enhanced MR diagnosis of intracranial tumours

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoerner, W.; Sander, B.; Kornmesser, W.; Laniado, M.; Nakamura, T.; Felix, R.

    1988-01-01

    A multi-slice gradient echo sequence (FLASH) was compared with a conventional spin-echo (SE) technique with regard to its value for contrast enhanced MR diagnosis. In 28 patients with cerebral tumours, SE images (SE 400/30; four images/3.4 minutes) and FLASH images (FLASH 315/14; 15 images/1.4 minutes) were obtained before and after gadolinium DTPA. After gadolinium-DTPA results were comparable for both techniques with respect to contrast enhancement, tumor contrast and delineation. Because of the higher efficiency of the FLASH 315/14 technique, this sequence is the method of choice for contrast enhanced cerebral MR imaging. (orig.) [de

  8. Type D patients report poorer health status prior to and after cardiac rehabilitation compared to non-type D patients

    OpenAIRE

    Pelle, Aline; Erdman, Ruud; Domburg, Ron; Spiering, Marquita; Kazemier, Marten; Pedersen, Susanne

    2008-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Type D personality is an emerging risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes, but little is known about the effects of CR on Type D patients. Purpose: We examined (1) variability in Type D caseness following CR, (2) Type D as a determinant of health status, and (3) the clinical relevance of Type D as a determinant of health status compared to cardiac history. Methods: CAD patients (n = 368) participating in CR completed ...

  9. Cardiac carcinoid: tricuspid delayed hyperenhancement on cardiac 64-slice multidetector CT and magnetic resonance imaging.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Martos, R

    2012-02-01

    INTRODUCTION: Carcinoid heart disease is a rare condition in adults. Its diagnosis can be easily missed in a patient presenting to a primary care setting. We revised the advantages of using coronary multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied a 65-year-old patient with carcinoid heart disease and right heart failure using transthoracic Doppler-echocardiogram, cardiac MDCT and MRI. Cardiac echocardiogram revealed marked thickening and retraction of the tricuspid leaflets with dilated right atrium and ventricle. Cardiac MDCT and MRI demonstrated fixation and retraction of the tricuspid leaflets with delayed contrast hyperenhancement of the tricuspid annulus. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates fascinating imaging findings of cardiac carcinoid disease and highlights the increasing utility of contrast-enhanced MRI and cardiac MDCT in the diagnosis of this interesting condition.

  10. A Unified Approach to Diffusion Direction Sensitive Slice Registration and 3-D DTI Reconstruction From Moving Fetal Brain Anatomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Mads Fogtmann; Seshamani, Sharmishtaa; Kroenke, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    to the underlying anatomy. Previous image registration techniques have been described to estimate the between slice fetal head motion, allowing the reconstruction of 3D a diffusion estimate on a regular grid using interpolation. We propose Approach to Unified Diffusion Sensitive Slice Alignment and Reconstruction...... (AUDiSSAR) that explicitly formulates a process for diffusion direction sensitive DW-slice-to-DTI-volume alignment. This also incorporates image resolution modeling to iteratively deconvolve the effects of the imaging point spread function using the multiple views provided by thick slices acquired...

  11. Studies on intracranial collateral circulation with multi-slice CT angiography in patients with symptomatic cerebral artery stenosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shu-qing ZHOU

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective To explore the features of intracranial collateral circulation in patients with symptomatic cerebral artery stenosis.Method Ninety-four patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease admitted from Apr.2004 to Jun.2009 were involved in present study.All the patients were examined with cerebral multi-slice CT angiography,and the features of cerebral artery stenosis and intracranial collateral circulation were evaluated using maximum intensity projection(MIP and volume rendering(VR images of CT angiography.Result Of the 94 patients involved,48 were diagnosed as cerebral artery stenosis,including 29 cases of cerebral infarction,18 of transient ischemic attack(TIA and 1 of moyamoya disease(MMD.Among the 14 cases of severe cerebral artery stenosis or occlusion,cerebral infarction was found in 6 cases with lesser intracranial collateral vessels(including massive cerebral infarction in 4 cases and watershed infarction in 2 cases,and focal infarction of central semi-ovale in 1 case and TIA in 7 cases were found with abundant intracranial collateral vessels.Multiple lacunar infarction was found in 22 cases of mild or moderate cerebral artery stenosis,but there was no significant correlation between the stenosed arteries and infarction sites.Abundant intracranial collateral vessels were found in one patient with Moyamoya disease but no infarction was observed.Conclusions Intracranial collateral circulation plays an important role of compensation in patients with severe cerebral artery stenosis or occlusion.Cerebral angiography with multi-slice CT is of great significance in evaluation of cerebral artery stenosis and intracranial collateral circulation.

  12. Determination of vitality in myocardial infarction. Comparison of single- and multi-slice MRI techniques with TurboFlash and TrueFISP sequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huber, A.; Schoenberg, S.O.; Spannagl, B.; Rieber, J.; Klauss, V.; Reiser, M.F.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy in imaging viability of the myocardium with a multislice inversions recovery 2D single shot TrueFISP sequence and an established inversion recovery TurboFlash sequence. Twelve patients with myocardial infarction were examined at a 1.5 tesla MR system (Sonata, Siemens, Medical Systems) 10 min after application of a single dose multihance (0,1 mmol/kg body weight) with a 2D multislice technique (inversion recovery single shot TrueFISP), that allows to image the entire short axis during one breathhold and a 2D single slice technique (inversion recovery TurboFlash), that requires one breathhold per slice. Signal intensity was determined in normal myocardium, in the infarcted myocardium and in the left ventricle. The contrast/noise ratio of normal and infarcted myocardium was determined. The areas of hyperintense infarction were compared for both sequence techniques. The multislice single shot 2D IR-TrueFisp sequence has a lower contrast/noise ratio than the IR-TurboFlash sequence (mean values 6.9 vs. 12.5) for viable and non viable myocardium. The assessment of the volume of the infarction is possible with excellent correlation of both techniques (r=0.97, p [de

  13. Relationship between noise, dose, and pitch in cardiac multi-detector row CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Primak, Andrew N; McCollough, Cynthia H; Bruesewitz, Michael R; Zhang, Jie; Fletcher, Joel G

    2006-01-01

    In spiral computed tomography (CT), dose is always inversely proportional to pitch. However, the relationship between noise and pitch (and hence noise and dose) depends on the scanner type (single vs multi-detector row) and reconstruction mode (cardiac vs noncardiac). In single detector row spiral CT, noise is independent of pitch. Conversely, in noncardiac multi-detector row CT, noise depends on pitch because the spiral interpolation algorithm makes use of redundant data from different detector rows to decrease noise for pitch values less than 1 (and increase noise for pitch values > 1). However, in cardiac spiral CT, redundant data cannot be used because such data averaging would degrade the temporal resolution. Therefore, the behavior of noise versus pitch returns to the single detector row paradigm, with noise being independent of pitch. Consequently, since faster rotation times require lower pitch values in cardiac multi-detector row CT, dose is increased without a commensurate decrease in noise. Thus, the use of faster rotation times will improve temporal resolution, not alter noise, and increase dose. For a particular application, the higher dose resulting from faster rotation speeds should be justified by the clinical benefits of the improved temporal resolution. RSNA, 2006

  14. "Just-In-Time" Simulation Training Using 3-D Printed Cardiac Models After Congenital Cardiac Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivieri, Laura J; Su, Lillian; Hynes, Conor F; Krieger, Axel; Alfares, Fahad A; Ramakrishnan, Karthik; Zurakowski, David; Marshall, M Blair; Kim, Peter C W; Jonas, Richard A; Nath, Dilip S

    2016-03-01

    High-fidelity simulation using patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) models may be effective in facilitating pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) provider training for clinical management of congenital cardiac surgery patients. The 3D-printed heart models were rendered from preoperative cross-sectional cardiac imaging for 10 patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery. Immediately following surgical repair, a congenital cardiac surgeon and an intensive care physician conducted a simulation training session regarding postoperative care utilizing the patient-specific 3D model for the PCICU team. After the simulation, Likert-type 0 to 10 scale questionnaire assessed participant perception of impact of the training session. Seventy clinicians participated in training sessions, including 22 physicians, 38 nurses, and 10 ancillary care providers. Average response to whether 3D models were more helpful than standard hand off was 8.4 of 10. Questions regarding enhancement of understanding and clinical ability received average responses of 9.0 or greater, and 90% of participants scored 8 of 10 or higher. Nurses scored significantly higher than other clinicians on self-reported familiarity with the surgery (7.1 vs. 5.8; P = .04), clinical management ability (8.6 vs. 7.7; P = .02), and ability enhancement (9.5 vs. 8.7; P = .02). Compared to physicians, nurses and ancillary providers were more likely to consider 3D models more helpful than standard hand off (8.7 vs. 7.7; P = .05). Higher case complexity predicted greater enhancement of understanding of surgery (P = .04). The 3D heart models can be used to enhance congenital cardiac critical care via simulation training of multidisciplinary intensive care teams. Benefit may be dependent on provider type and case complexity. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. 2-D response mapping of multi-linear silicon drift detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castoldi, A.; Guazzoni, C.; Hartmann, R.; Mezza, D.; Strueder, L.; Tassan Garofolo, F.

    2010-01-01

    Multi-linear silicon drift detectors (MLSDDs) are good candidates to fulfill simultaneous requirements for 2-D position-sensing and spectroscopy applications. The optimization of their design and performance as 2-D imagers requires a detailed study of timing properties of the charge cloud in the MLSDD architecture. In particular it is important to experimentally determine the dependence of the measured amplitude and time-of-arrival on the photon position of interaction so as to derive the 2D detector response. In this paper we will present a detailed experimental characterization aimed at measuring the detector amplitude response and its timing response. The dependence of charge cloud drift time on precise position of interaction has been measured as a function of detector biasing conditions.

  16. [Virtual bronchoscopy in the child using multi-slice CT: initial clinical experiences].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchner, J; Laufer, U; Jendreck, M; Kickuth, R; Schilling, E M; Liermann, D

    2000-01-01

    Virtual bronchoscopy of the pediatric patient has been reported to be more difficult because of artifacts due to breathing or motion. We demonstrate the benefit of the accelerated examination based on multislice spiral CT (MSCT) in the pediatric patient which has not been reported so far. MSCT (tube voltage 120 kV, tube current 110 mA, 4 x 1 mm Slice thickness, 500 ms rotation time, Pitch 6) was performed on a CT scanner of the latest generation (Volume Zoom, Siemens Corp. Forchheim, Germany). In totally we examined 11 patients (median age 48 months, range 2-122 months) suspected of having tracheoesophageal fistula (n = 2), tracheobronchial narrowing (n = 8) due to intrinsic or extrinsic factors or injury of the bronchial system (n = 1). In all patients we obtained sufficient data for 3D reconstruction avoiding general anesthesia. 6/11 examinations were described to be without pathological finding. A definite diagnosis was obtained in 10 patients. Virtual bronchoscopy could avoid other invasive diagnostic examination in 8/11 patients (73%). Helical CT provides 3D-reconstruction and virtual bronchoscopy in the newborn as well as the infant. It avoids additional diagnostic bronchoscopy in a high percentage of all cases.

  17. Multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography: influence of heart rate and reconstruction window on image quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao Dingbiao; Hua Yanqing; Wang Mingpeng; Zhang Guozhen; Wu Weilan; Hu Fei; Ge Xiaojun; Ding Qiyong

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the influence of heart rate and reconstruction window on image quality of multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography. Methods: Retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT coronary angiography were performed in 80 healthy cases. Results: Four coronary (RCA, LM, LAD, LCX) segments were analyzed in each patient with regard to image quality. 82.1% (46/56) of the coronary segments were sufficient for analysis in patients with heart rate ≤60 bpm, 63.4% (104/164) with 61-70 bpm, 41.2%(28/68) with 71-80 bpm, and 31.2%(10/32) with>80 bpm, respectively. The left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and the right coronary artery were best visualized when the reconstruction window was 60%-70%, 50%-60%, and 50%-70%, respectively. Conclusion: Image quality of MSCT coronary angiography is highly dependent on heart rate and reconstruction window

  18. Improving Cardiac Action Potential Measurements: 2D and 3D Cell Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daily, Neil J; Yin, Yue; Kemanli, Pinar; Ip, Brian; Wakatsuki, Tetsuro

    2015-11-01

    Progress in the development of assays for measuring cardiac action potential is crucial for the discovery of drugs for treating cardiac disease and assessing cardiotoxicity. Recently, high-throughput methods for assessing action potential using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cardiomyocytes in both two-dimensional monolayer cultures and three-dimensional tissues have been developed. We describe an improved method for assessing cardiac action potential using an ultra-fast cost-effective plate reader with commercially available dyes. Our methods improve dramatically the detection of the fluorescence signal from these dyes and make way for the development of more high-throughput methods for cardiac drug discovery and cardiotoxicity.

  19. Non-invasive assessment of congenital pulmonary vein stenosis in children using cardiac-non-gated CT with 64-slice technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ou, Phalla; Marini, Davide; Celermajer, David S.; Agnoletti, Gabriella; Vouhe, Pascal; Sidi, Daniel; Bonnet, Damien; Brunelle, Francis

    2009-01-01

    Background: Management of congenital pulmonary vein stenosis is a diagnostic challenge. Echocardiography may be insufficient and thus cardiac catheterization remains the reference standard in this setting. The aim of the study was to investigate the accuracy of cardiac-non-gated CT using 64-slice technology in detecting congenital pulmonary vein stenosis in children. Materials and methods: CT examinations were consecutively performed from May 2005 to December 2006 in 13 children aged 1.5-12 months (median 5 months) for suspected congenital pulmonary vein stenosis. Cardiac-non-gated CT acquisitions were performed after the peripheral injection of contrast agent. Pulmonary veins were evaluated for their pattern of connectivity from the lung to the left atrium and for the presence of stenosis. CT findings of pulmonary vein stenosis were compared with combined findings available from echocardiography, catheterization and surgery. Results: Pulmonary veins from the right lung (n = 29) and left lung (n = 26) were evaluated as separate structures (N = 55). Of the 55 structures, 32 had surgical and/or catheterization data and 45 had echocardiography for comparison. CT visualized 100% (55/55) of the investigated structures, while echocardiography visualized 82% (45/55). In the 13 subjects CT identified 10 stenotic pulmonary veins. CT confirmed the echocardiography suspicion of pulmonary vein stenosis in 100% (7/7) and established a new diagnosis in 3 other patients. CT agreed with surgery/catheterization in 100% (10/10) of the available comparisons. Conclusion: Cardiac-non-gated CT assessed the pulmonary veins more completely than echocardiography and should be considered as a viable alternative for invasive pulmonary venography for detecting pulmonary vein stenosis in children.

  20. Non Invasive 3D Characterization of Materials at Multi scale Resolution in Correlative and 4D microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lau, S.H.

    2011-01-01

    We describe a suite of novel lab-based X-ray computed tomography (CT) systems for high contrast 3D characterization of hard to soft materials with resolution across length scales. The system has similar resolution and contrast range obtained from x-ray micro and nano tomography systems in synchrotron radiation facilities, except it makes use of conventional lab sources. Samples with dimensions from several cm to several microns may be imaged non invasively at varying resolution from tens of microns to 20 nm voxel. The novel multi scale CT helps bridge the resolution, scaling and 3D visualization gap in the traditional destructive 2D imaging modalities such as optical microscopes, AFM, SEM, SEM-FIB and TEM. It provides a direct non-invasive volumetric imaging technique at the macro to nano scale, making it ideal for accurate prediction and modeling of whole systems and components. For example, using 3D visualization, segmentation and computational analysis tools, pore networks, FEA, fluid, thermal and ionic transport in various systems and materials from ceramics, geo materials, composites, metals, and coatings may be characterized and modeled. The high resolution and unique phase contrast features of the novel CTs also lend themselves very well to characterize inherently low contrast soft materials such as polymers; membranes and biological tissue or to differentiate small differences in material and mineral phases in geo material and composites. Tomography of samples may be acquired at different volume vs resolution using local tomography technique, often without sample destruction. In the emerging field of 3D correlative microscopy, these larger CT volumetric data sets can be correlated at the different length scales with conventional 2D imaging modalities. For example, after a CT scan, specimen may undergo destructive sample sectioning at specific region of interest, to obtain the corresponding 2D slices with SEM and TEM or with X-ray microanalysis derive its

  1. Maximal slicing of D-dimensional spherically symmetric vacuum spacetime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakao, Ken-ichi; Abe, Hiroyuki; Yoshino, Hirotaka; Shibata, Masaru

    2009-01-01

    We study the foliation of a D-dimensional spherically symmetric black-hole spacetime with D≥5 by two kinds of one-parameter families of maximal hypersurfaces: a reflection-symmetric foliation with respect to the wormhole slot and a stationary foliation that has an infinitely long trumpetlike shape. As in the four-dimensional case, the foliations by the maximal hypersurfaces avoid the singularity irrespective of the dimensionality. This indicates that the maximal slicing condition will be useful for simulating higher-dimensional black-hole spacetimes in numerical relativity. For the case of D=5, we present analytic solutions of the intrinsic metric, the extrinsic curvature, the lapse function, and the shift vector for the foliation by the stationary maximal hypersurfaces. These data will be useful for checking five-dimensional numerical-relativity codes based on the moving puncture approach.

  2. Multi-slice spiral CT diagnosis of carotid body tumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Peiling; Leng Renli; Li Shu; Xie Xiuli; Xu Ke

    2006-01-01

    Objective: to explore the Multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) findings of carotid body tumor (CBT). Methods: Twelve cases of CBT proved by surgery were collected in this study and all patients accepted contrast-enhanced MSCT examination. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional post-processing were performed at diagnostic workstation using Aquilion 1.42. The CT features of CBT were analyzed. Results Each of 12 patients had one lesion. All lesions demonstrated well-marginated masses of homogeneous soft- tissue density with CT value within 29-48 HU on pre-enhanced images. All lesions were markedly enhanced with CT value over 200 HU on arterial-phase images, and the density of lesions decreased rapidly on delay- phase images. Twelve lesions were all located at the level of carotid artery bifurcation, 3 of them enveloping common carotid artery and internal/external carotid artery, and other 9 of them riding right on the carotid bifurcation. Internal carotid artery usually were shifted toward posterior-lateral, and external carotid artery toward anterior or anterior-medial. Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced MSCT examination not only can make a qualitative diagnosis of CBT, but determine its accurate location. It plays an importantly instructional role in clinical diagnosis and treatment. (authors)

  3. Impact of 64-slice coronary CT on the management of patients presenting with acute chest pain: results of a prospective two-centre study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christiaens, Luc [Departement d' imagerie Cardiovasculaire, Assistance Publique- Hopitaux de Paris, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France); CHU de Poitiers, Departement de Cardiologie, Poitiers (France); Duchat, Florent; Boudiaf, Mourad; Fargeaudou, Yann; Ledref, Olivier; Soyer, Philippe [Departement d' imagerie Cardiovasculaire, Assistance Publique- Hopitaux de Paris, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France); Tasu, Jean-Pierre [CHU de Poitiers, Departement de Radiologie, Poitiers (France); Sirol, Marc [Departement d' imagerie Cardiovasculaire, Assistance Publique- Hopitaux de Paris, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France); INSERM UFR U942, Insuffisance Cardiaque et Biomarqueurs, Universite Paris 7 - Denis Diderot, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France); Universite Paris VII - Denis Diderot, Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris, Service de Radiologie Vasculaire, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris (France)

    2012-05-15

    Our two-centre prospective study evaluates the usefulness of 64-slice coronary computed tomography (CCT) to rule out significant coronary artery stenosis in patients admitted in emergency departments (ED) for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) with low-to-intermediate risk score. Patients (175) admitted for acute chest pain (ACP), unmodified electrocardiogram and first troponin measurement within normal ranges were included. A second troponin measurement and a 64-slice CCT within 24 h were performed. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded during follow-up (6 months {+-} 2). 64-slice CCT was either normal or showed non-significant coronary stenosis in the majority of patients (78%). 64-slice CCT depicted significant stenosis (>50% diameter) in 22% of patient whereas initial clinical and biological evaluation was reassuring. For negative CCTs, elevated troponin at second measurement did not modify the strategy or treatment of patients. No MACEs were noted during follow up. In 12% of patients CCT identified unsuspected non-coronary abnormalities. Our study confirms 64-slice CCT utility to rule out significant coronary artery stenosis in 8/10 patients admitted in ED with ACP or ACS with low-to-intermediate risk score. Early discharge with a negative 64-slice CCT is associated with very low risk of cardiac events at 6 months. (orig.)

  4. Reconstruction of incomplete cell paths through a 3D-2D level set segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hariri, Maia; Wan, Justin W. L.

    2012-02-01

    Segmentation of fluorescent cell images has been a popular technique for tracking live cells. One challenge of segmenting cells from fluorescence microscopy is that cells in fluorescent images frequently disappear. When the images are stacked together to form a 3D image volume, the disappearance of the cells leads to broken cell paths. In this paper, we present a segmentation method that can reconstruct incomplete cell paths. The key idea of this model is to perform 2D segmentation in a 3D framework. The 2D segmentation captures the cells that appear in the image slices while the 3D segmentation connects the broken cell paths. The formulation is similar to the Chan-Vese level set segmentation which detects edges by comparing the intensity value at each voxel with the mean intensity values inside and outside of the level set surface. Our model, however, performs the comparison on each 2D slice with the means calculated by the 2D projected contour. The resulting effect is to segment the cells on each image slice. Unlike segmentation on each image frame individually, these 2D contours together form the 3D level set function. By enforcing minimum mean curvature on the level set surface, our segmentation model is able to extend the cell contours right before (and after) the cell disappears (and reappears) into the gaps, eventually connecting the broken paths. We will present segmentation results of C2C12 cells in fluorescent images to illustrate the effectiveness of our model qualitatively and quantitatively by different numerical examples.

  5. Cardiac blood pool emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itti, R.; Philippe, L.; Lorgeron, J.M.; Charbonnier, B.; Raynaud, P.; Brochier, M.

    1983-01-01

    After blood pool labeling using technetium-99m, a series of cardiac pictures is acquired during the rotation of a gamma-camera about the patient. Computer processing leads to reconstruction of various tomographic slices from the original planar projection. Electrocardiographic gating selects the different phases of the cardiac cycle. Individual slices through the left ventricular region are added in order to provide ''thick'' slices on which global and regional parameters of the left ventricular function can be determined. Due to the proportionality existing between count rates and labeled blood volumes, any geometrical model can be avoided. The delineation of regions of interest for count integration is made easier due to the absence of superimposition of structures; no correction for background is necessary. Tomography thus appears to be more consistent and more accurate than the classical methods using planar projections. In addition, right ventricular morphological and kinetic studies can be performed in the same conditions as for the left ventricle [fr

  6. Multi-slice Fractional Ventilation Imaging in Large Animals with Hyperpolarized Gas MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emami, Kiarash; Xu, Yinan; Hamedani, Hooman; Xin, Yi; Profka, Harrilla; Rajaei, Jennia; Kadlecek, Stephen; Ishii, Masaru; Rizi, Rahim R.

    2012-01-01

    Noninvasive assessment of regional lung ventilation is of critical importance in quantifying the severity of disease and evaluating response to therapy in many pulmonary diseases. This work presents for the first time the implementation of a hyperpolarized (HP) gas MRI technique for measuring whole-lung regional fractional ventilation (r) in Yorkshire pigs (n = 5) through the use of a gas mixing and delivery device in supine position. The proposed technique utilizes a series of back-to-back HP gas breaths with images acquired during short end-inspiratory breath-holds. In order to decouple the RF pulse decay effect from ventilatory signal build-up in the airways, regional distribution of flip angle (α) was estimated in the imaged slices by acquiring a series of back-to-back images with no inter-scan time delay during a breath-hold at the tail-end of the ventilation sequence. Analysis was performed to assess the multi-slice ventilation model sensitivity to noise, oxygen and number of flip angle images. The optimal α value was determined based on minimizing the error in r estimation; αopt = 5–6° for the set of acquisition parameters in pigs. The mean r values for the group of pigs were 0.27±0.09, 0.35±0.06, 0.40±0.04 for ventral, middle and dorsal slices, respectively, (excluding conductive airways r > 0.9). A positive gravitational (ventral-dorsal) ventilation gradient effect was present in all animals. The trachea and major conductive airways showed a uniform near-unity r value, with progressively smaller values corresponding to smaller diameter airways, and ultimately leading to lung parenchyma. Results demonstrate the feasibility of measurements of fractional ventilation in large species, and provides a platform to address technical challenges associated with long breathing time scales through the optimization of acquisition parameters in species with a pulmonary physiology very similar to that of human beings. PMID:22290603

  7. Feasibility study on 3D image reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI for MRI-guided radiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paganelli, Chiara; Lee, Danny; Kipritidis, John; Whelan, Brendan; Greer, Peter B; Baroni, Guido; Riboldi, Marco; Keall, Paul

    2018-02-11

    In-room MRI is a promising image guidance strategy in external beam radiotherapy to acquire volumetric information for moving targets. However, limitations in spatio-temporal resolution led several authors to use 2D orthogonal images for guidance. The aim of this work is to present a method to concurrently compensate for non-rigid tumour motion and provide an approach for 3D reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI slices for MRI-guided treatments. Free-breathing sagittal/coronal interleaved 2D cine-MRI were acquired in addition to a pre-treatment 3D volume in two patients. We performed deformable image registration (DIR) between cine-MRI slices and corresponding slices in the pre-treatment 3D volume. Based on an extrapolation of the interleaved 2D motion fields, the 3D motion field was estimated and used to warp the pre-treatment volume. Due to the lack of a ground truth for patients, the method was validated on a digital 4D lung phantom. On the phantom, the 3D reconstruction method was able to compensate for tumour motion and compared favourably to the results of previously adopted strategies. The difference in the 3D motion fields between the phantom and the extrapolated motion was 0.4 ± 0.3 mm for tumour and 0.8 ± 1.5 mm for whole anatomy, demonstrating feasibility of performing a 3D volumetric reconstruction directly from 2D orthogonal cine-MRI slices. Application of the method to patient data confirmed the feasibility of utilizing this method in real world scenarios. Preliminary results on phantom and patient cases confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach in an MRI-guided scenario, especially for non-rigid tumour motion compensation. © 2018 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

  8. Fast multi-core based multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scharfe, Michael; Pielot, Rainer; Schreiber, Falk

    2010-01-11

    Solving bioinformatics tasks often requires extensive computational power. Recent trends in processor architecture combine multiple cores into a single chip to improve overall performance. The Cell Broadband Engine (CBE), a heterogeneous multi-core processor, provides power-efficient and cost-effective high-performance computing. One application area is image analysis and visualisation, in particular registration of 2D cross-sections into 3D image datasets. Such techniques can be used to put different image modalities into spatial correspondence, for example, 2D images of histological cuts into morphological 3D frameworks. We evaluate the CBE-driven PlayStation 3 as a high performance, cost-effective computing platform by adapting a multimodal alignment procedure to several characteristic hardware properties. The optimisations are based on partitioning, vectorisation, branch reducing and loop unrolling techniques with special attention to 32-bit multiplies and limited local storage on the computing units. We show how a typical image analysis and visualisation problem, the multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets, benefits from the multi-core based implementation of the alignment algorithm. We discuss several CBE-based optimisation methods and compare our results to standard solutions. More information and the source code are available from http://cbe.ipk-gatersleben.de. The results demonstrate that the CBE processor in a PlayStation 3 accelerates computational intensive multimodal registration, which is of great importance in biological/medical image processing. The PlayStation 3 as a low cost CBE-based platform offers an efficient option to conventional hardware to solve computational problems in image processing and bioinformatics.

  9. Type 2 Endoleaks: The Diagnostic Performance of Non-Specialized Readers on Arterial and Venous Phase Multi-Slice CT Angiography.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Nolz

    Full Text Available To define the diagnostic precision of non-specialized readers in the detection of type 2 endoleaks (T2EL in arterial versus venous phase acquisitions, and to evaluate an approach for radiation dose reduction.The pre-discharge and final follow-up multi-slice CT angiographies of 167 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Image data were separated into an arterial and a venous phase reading set. Two radiology residents assessed the reading sets for the presence of a T2EL, feeding vessels, and aneurysm sac size. Findings were compared with a standard of reference established by two experts in interventional radiology. The effective dose was calculated.Overall, experts detected 131 T2ELs, and 331 feeding vessels in 334 examinations. Persistent T2ELs causing aneurysm sac growth > 5 mm were detected in 20 patients. Radiation in arterial and venous phases contributed to a mean of 58.6% and 39.0% of the total effective dose. Findings of reader 1 and 2 showed comparable sensitivities in arterial sets of 80.9 versus 85.5 (p = 0.09, and in venous sets of 73.3 versus 79.4 (p = 0.15, respectively. Reader 1 and 2 achieved a significant higher detection rate of feeding vessels with arterial compared to venous set (p = 0.04, p < 0.01. Both readers correctly identified T2ELs with growing aneurysm sac in all cases, independent of the acquisition phase.Arterial acquisitions enable non-specialized readers an accurate detection of T2ELs, and a significant better identification of feeding vessels. Based on our results, it seems reasonable to eliminate venous phase acquisitions.

  10. [Diagnostic significance of multi-slice computed tomography imaging in congenital inner ear malformations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Hui; Han, Ping; Liang, Bo; Liu, Fang; Tian, Zhi-Liang; Lei, Zi-Qiao; Li, You-Lin; Kong, Wei-Jia

    2005-04-01

    To evaluate the feasibility and usability of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) in congenital inner ear malformations. Fourty-four patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) were examined by a Somatom Sensation 16 (siemens, Germany) CT scanner with following parameters: 120 kV, 100 mAs, 0.75 mm collimation, 1 mm reconstruction increment, a pitch factor of 1 and a field of view of 100 mm. The axial images of interested ears were reconstructed with 0.1 mm reconstruction increment, and a field of view of 50 mm. The 3D reconstructions were done with volume rendering technique (VRT) on the workstation (3D Virtuoso and Wizard,siemens). Twenty-five patients were normal and 19 patients (36 ears) were congenital inner ear malformations among 44 patients scanned with MSCT. Of the malformations, all the axial, MPR and VRT images can display the site and degree in 33 ears. VRT images were superior to the axial images in displaying the malformations in 3 ears with the small lateral semicircular canal malformations. The malformations were Michel deformity (1 ear), common cavity deformity (3 ears), incomplete partition I (3 ears), incomplete partition II (Mondini deformity, 5 ears), vestibular and semicircular canal malformations( 14 ears), vestibular aqueduct dilate( 16 ears, of which 6 ears accompanied by other malformations), the internal auditory canal malformation(8 ears, all accompanied by other malformations). MSCT allows a comprehensively assessing various congenital ear malformations through high quality MPR and VRT reconstructions. VRT images can display the site and degree of the malformations three-dimensionally and intuitionisticly. It is very useful to the cochlear implantation.

  11. Standardization of the first-trimester fetal cardiac examination using spatiotemporal image correlation with tomographic ultrasound and color Doppler imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turan, S; Turan, O M; Ty-Torredes, K; Harman, C R; Baschat, A A

    2009-06-01

    The challenges of the first-trimester examination of the fetal heart may in part be overcome by technical advances in three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound techniques. Our aim was to standardize the first-trimester 3D imaging approach to the cardiac examination to provide the most consistent and accurate display of anatomy. Low-risk women with normal findings on first-trimester screening at 11 to 13 + 6 weeks had cardiac ultrasound using the following sequence: (1) identification of the four-chamber view; (2) four-dimensional (4D) volume acquisition with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and color Doppler imaging (angle = 20 degrees, sweep 10 s); (3) offline, tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) analysis with standardized starting plane (four-chamber view), slice number and thickness; (4) assessment of fetal cardiac anatomy (four-chamber view, cardiac axis, size and symmetry, atrioventricular valves, great arteries and descending aorta) with and without color Doppler. 107 consecutive women (age, 16-42 years, body mass index 17.2-50.2 kg/m(2)) were studied. A minimum of three 3D volumes were obtained for each patient, transabdominally in 91.6%. Fetal motion artifact required acquisition of more than three volumes in 20%. The median time for TUI offline analysis was 100 (range, 60-240) s. Individual anatomic landmarks were identified in 89.7-99.1%. Visualization of all structures in one panel was observed in 91 patients (85%). Starting from a simple two-dimensional cardiac landmark-the four-chamber view-the standardized STIC-TUI technique enables detailed segmental cardiac evaluation of the normal fetal heart in the first trimester. (c) 2009 ISUOG.

  12. A comparative evaluation of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and Multi-Slice CT (MSCT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang Xin, E-mail: Xin.Liang@med.kuleuven.b [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); College of Stomatology, Dalian Medical University (China); Jacobs, Reinhilde, E-mail: Reinhilde.Jacobs@uz.kuleuven.b [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Hassan, Bassam, E-mail: b.hassan@acta.n [Department of Oral Radiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam (Netherlands); Li Limin, E-mail: Limin.Li@uz.kuleuven.b [Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Special Dental Care, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Pauwels, Ruben, E-mail: Ruben.Pauwels@med.kuleuven.b [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Corpas, Livia, E-mail: LiviaCorpas@gmail.co [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Souza, Paulo Couto, E-mail: Paulo.CoutoSouza@med.kuleuven.b [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Martens, Wendy, E-mail: wendy.martens@uhasselt.b [Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hasselt, Diepenbeek (Belgium); Shahbazian, Maryam, E-mail: Maryam.Shahbazian@student.kuleuven.b [Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Alonso, Arie, E-mail: ariel.alonso@uhasselt.b [Department of Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Universiteit Hasselt (Belgium)

    2010-08-15

    Aims: To compare image quality and visibility of anatomical structures in the mandible between five Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scanners and one Multi-Slice CT (MSCT) system. Materials and methods: One dry mandible was scanned with five CBCT scanners (Accuitomo 3D, i-CAT, NewTom 3G, Galileos, Scanora 3D) and one MSCT system (Somatom Sensation 16) using 13 different scan protocols. Visibility of 11 anatomical structures and overall image noise were compared between CBCT and MSCT. Five independent observers reviewed the CBCT and the MSCT images in the three orthographic planes (axial, sagittal and coronal) and assessed image quality on a five-point scale. Results: Significant differences were found in the visibility of the different anatomical structures and image noise level between MSCT and CBCT and among the five CBCT systems (p = 0.0001). Delicate structures such as trabecular bone and periodontal ligament were significantly less visible and more variable among the systems in comparison with other anatomical structures (p = 0.0001). Visibility of relatively large structures such as mandibular canal and mental foramen was satisfactory for all devices. The Accuitomo system was superior to MSCT and all other CBCT systems in depicting anatomical structures while MSCT was superior to all other CBCT systems in terms of reduced image noise. Conclusions: CBCT image quality is comparable or even superior to MSCT even though some variability exists among the different CBCT systems in depicting delicate structures. Considering the low radiation dose and high-resolution imaging, CBCT could be beneficial for dentomaxillofacial radiology.

  13. A comparative evaluation of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and Multi-Slice CT (MSCT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang Xin; Jacobs, Reinhilde; Hassan, Bassam; Li Limin; Pauwels, Ruben; Corpas, Livia; Souza, Paulo Couto; Martens, Wendy; Shahbazian, Maryam; Alonso, Arie

    2010-01-01

    Aims: To compare image quality and visibility of anatomical structures in the mandible between five Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scanners and one Multi-Slice CT (MSCT) system. Materials and methods: One dry mandible was scanned with five CBCT scanners (Accuitomo 3D, i-CAT, NewTom 3G, Galileos, Scanora 3D) and one MSCT system (Somatom Sensation 16) using 13 different scan protocols. Visibility of 11 anatomical structures and overall image noise were compared between CBCT and MSCT. Five independent observers reviewed the CBCT and the MSCT images in the three orthographic planes (axial, sagittal and coronal) and assessed image quality on a five-point scale. Results: Significant differences were found in the visibility of the different anatomical structures and image noise level between MSCT and CBCT and among the five CBCT systems (p = 0.0001). Delicate structures such as trabecular bone and periodontal ligament were significantly less visible and more variable among the systems in comparison with other anatomical structures (p = 0.0001). Visibility of relatively large structures such as mandibular canal and mental foramen was satisfactory for all devices. The Accuitomo system was superior to MSCT and all other CBCT systems in depicting anatomical structures while MSCT was superior to all other CBCT systems in terms of reduced image noise. Conclusions: CBCT image quality is comparable or even superior to MSCT even though some variability exists among the different CBCT systems in depicting delicate structures. Considering the low radiation dose and high-resolution imaging, CBCT could be beneficial for dentomaxillofacial radiology.

  14. Stochastic precision analysis of 2D cardiac strain estimation in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bunting, E A; Provost, J; Konofagou, E E

    2014-01-01

    Ultrasonic strain imaging has been applied to echocardiography and carries great potential to be used as a tool in the clinical setting. Two-dimensional (2D) strain estimation may be useful when studying the heart due to the complex, 3D deformation of the cardiac tissue. Increasing the framerate used for motion estimation, i.e. motion estimation rate (MER), has been shown to improve the precision of the strain estimation, although maintaining the spatial resolution necessary to view the entire heart structure in a single heartbeat remains challenging at high MERs. Two previously developed methods, the temporally unequispaced acquisition sequence (TUAS) and the diverging beam sequence (DBS), have been used in the past to successfully estimate in vivo axial strain at high MERs without compromising spatial resolution. In this study, a stochastic assessment of 2D strain estimation precision is performed in vivo for both sequences at varying MERs (65, 272, 544, 815 Hz for TUAS; 250, 500, 1000, 2000 Hz for DBS). 2D incremental strains were estimated during left ventricular contraction in five healthy volunteers using a normalized cross-correlation function and a least-squares strain estimator. Both sequences were shown capable of estimating 2D incremental strains in vivo. The conditional expected value of the elastographic signal-to-noise ratio (E(SNRe|ε)) was used to compare strain estimation precision of both sequences at multiple MERs over a wide range of clinical strain values. The results here indicate that axial strain estimation precision is much more dependent on MER than lateral strain estimation, while lateral estimation is more affected by strain magnitude. MER should be increased at least above 544 Hz to avoid suboptimal axial strain estimation. Radial and circumferential strain estimations were influenced by the axial and lateral strain in different ways. Furthermore, the TUAS and DBS were found to be of comparable precision at similar MERs. (paper)

  15. Fast multi-core based multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pielot Rainer

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Solving bioinformatics tasks often requires extensive computational power. Recent trends in processor architecture combine multiple cores into a single chip to improve overall performance. The Cell Broadband Engine (CBE, a heterogeneous multi-core processor, provides power-efficient and cost-effective high-performance computing. One application area is image analysis and visualisation, in particular registration of 2D cross-sections into 3D image datasets. Such techniques can be used to put different image modalities into spatial correspondence, for example, 2D images of histological cuts into morphological 3D frameworks. Results We evaluate the CBE-driven PlayStation 3 as a high performance, cost-effective computing platform by adapting a multimodal alignment procedure to several characteristic hardware properties. The optimisations are based on partitioning, vectorisation, branch reducing and loop unrolling techniques with special attention to 32-bit multiplies and limited local storage on the computing units. We show how a typical image analysis and visualisation problem, the multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets, benefits from the multi-core based implementation of the alignment algorithm. We discuss several CBE-based optimisation methods and compare our results to standard solutions. More information and the source code are available from http://cbe.ipk-gatersleben.de. Conclusions The results demonstrate that the CBE processor in a PlayStation 3 accelerates computational intensive multimodal registration, which is of great importance in biological/medical image processing. The PlayStation 3 as a low cost CBE-based platform offers an efficient option to conventional hardware to solve computational problems in image processing and bioinformatics.

  16. Diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multidetector CT for detection of in-stent restenosis in an unselected, consecutive patient population

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haraldsdottir, Sigurdis, E-mail: sigurdisha@gmail.com [Boston Medical Center, 72 East Concord Street (Evans 124), Boston, MA, 02118 (United States); Gudnason, Thorarinn, E-mail: thorgudn@landspitali.is [Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Sigurdsson, Axel F., E-mail: axelfsig@landspitali.is [Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Gudjonsdottir, Jonina, E-mail: jonina@rd.is [Rontgen Domus Medica, Egilsgata 3, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Lehman, Sam J., E-mail: slehman@partners.org [Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); Eyjolfsson, Kristjan, E-mail: kristey@landspitali.is [Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Scheving, Sigurpall S., E-mail: sigurpal@landspitali.is [Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Gibson, C. Michael, E-mail: mgibson@perfuse.org [Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Hoffmann, Udo, E-mail: uhoffmann@partners.org [Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); Jonsdottir, Birna, E-mail: birna@rd.is [Rontgen Domus Medica, Egilsgata 3, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland); Andersen, Karl, E-mail: andersen@landspitali.is [Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik (Iceland)

    2010-11-15

    Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (64-CT) for detection of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in an unselected, consecutive patient population. Background: Detection of in-stent restenosis by cardiac CT would be a major advance for the evaluation of patients suspected of having ISR. However, the diagnostic accuracy of current generation 64-CT in this context is not fully established. Methods: We conducted a prospective study on patients with stable angina or acute coronary syndrome with no prior history of coronary artery disease. Six months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement they underwent a 64-CT scan (Toshiba Multi-Slice Aquilion 64) and consequently a repeat coronary angiography for comparison. Cardiac CT data sets were analyzed for the presence of in-stent restenosis by two independent expert readers blinded to the coronary angiographic data. Results: Ninety-three patients with a total of 140 stents were evaluated. Males comprised 82% of the study group and the mean age was 63 {+-} 10 years. The mean time from PCI to the repeat coronary angiography was 208 {+-} 37 days and the mean time from 64-CT to repeat coronary angiography was 3.7 {+-} 4.9 days. The restenosis rate according to coronary angiography was 26%. Stent diameter, strut thickness, heart rate and body mass index (BMI) significantly affected image quality. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 64-CT for detection of in-stent restenosis were 27%, 95%, 67% and 78%, respectively. Conclusions: Current generation, 64-slice CT, remains limited in its ability to accurately detect in-stent restenosis.

  17. Value of preoperative enhanced multi-slice spiral CT scan for judging TNM staging of gastric cancer as well as its relationship with tumor marker and proliferation molecule expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ai-Jun Wu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To study the value of preoperative enhanced multi-slice spiral CT scan for judging TNM staging of gastric cancer as well as its relationship with tumor marker and proliferation molecule expression. Methods: A total of 135 patients with gastric cancer who received surgical resection in our hospital between May 2012 and October 2015 were selected as the research subjects, preoperative enhanced multi-slice spiral CT scan was conducted to judge TNM staging, and serum was collected to determine the content of tumor markers; tumor tissue was collected after operation to determine the content of cytokines and pro-proliferation molecules. Results: CEA, CA199, CA153, CA125 and CA724 content in serum as well as TGFβ1, TGFβ2, VEGF, FGF2, PTP1B, PIK3CD, Survivin, Ezrin and YAP content in gastric cancer tissue of patients with TNM II, III and IV stage gastric cancer were significantly higher than those of patients with TNM I stage; CEA, CA199, CA153, CA125 and CA724 content in serum as well as TGFβ1, TGFβ2, VEGF, FGF2, PTP1B, PIK3CD, Survivin, Ezrin and YAP content in gastric cancer tissue of patients with TNM III and IV stage gastric cancer were significantly higher than those of patients with TNM II stage; CEA, CA199, CA153, CA125 and CA724 content in serum as well as TGFβ1, TGFβ2, VEGF, FGF2, PTP1B, PIK3CD, Survivin, Ezrin and YAP content in gastric cancer tissue of patients with TNM IV stage gastric cancer were significantly higher than those of patients with TNM III stage. Conclusions: TNM staging of gastric cancer decided by preoperative enhanced multi-slice spiral CT scan has good consistency with the content of tumor markers in serum and proliferation molecules in tumor lesion.

  18. 2-D Low Energy Electron Beam Profile Measurement Based on Computer Tomography Algorithm with Multi-Wire Scanner

    CERN Document Server

    Yu, Nengjie; Li Qing Feng; Tang, Chuan-Xiang; Zheng, Shuxin

    2005-01-01

    A new method for low energy electron beam profile measurement is advanced, which presents a full 2-D beam profile distribution other than the traditional 2-D beam profile distribution given by 1-D vertical and horizontal beam profiles. The method is based on the CT (Computer Tomography) algorithm. Multi-sets of data about the 1-D beam profile projections are attained by rotating the multi-wire scanner. Then a 2-D beam profile is reconstructed from these projections with CT algorithm. The principle of this method is presented. The simulation and the experiment results are compared and analyzed in detail.

  19. Human cardiac telocytes: 3D imaging by FIB-SEM tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cretoiu, D; Hummel, E; Zimmermann, H; Gherghiceanu, M; Popescu, L M

    2014-11-01

    Telocyte (TC) is a newly identified type of cell in the cardiac interstitium (www.telocytes.com). TCs are described by classical transmission electron microscopy as cells with very thin and long telopodes (Tps; cellular prolongations) having podoms (dilations) and podomers (very thin segments). TCs' three-dimensional (3D) morphology is still unknown. Cardiac TCs seem to be particularly involved in long and short distance intercellular signalling and, therefore, their 3D architecture is important for understanding their spatial connections. Using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) we show, for the first time, the whole ultrastructural anatomy of cardiac TCs. 3D reconstruction of cardiac TCs by FIB-SEM tomography confirms that they have long, narrow but flattened (ribbon-like) telopodes, with humps generated by the podoms. FIB-SEM tomography also confirms the network made by TCs in the cardiac interstitium through adherens junctions. This study provides the first FIB-SEM tomography of a human cell type. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  20. Human Cardiac 31P-MR Spectroscopy at 3 Tesla Cannot Detect Failing Myocardial Energy Homeostasis during Exercise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrianus J. Bakermans

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS is a unique non-invasive imaging modality for probing in vivo high-energy phosphate metabolism in the human heart. We investigated whether current 31P-MRS methodology would allow for clinical applications to detect exercise-induced changes in (patho-physiological myocardial energy metabolism. Hereto, measurement variability and repeatability of three commonly used localized 31P-MRS methods [3D image-selected in vivo spectroscopy (ISIS and 1D ISIS with 1D chemical shift imaging (CSI oriented either perpendicular or parallel to the surface coil] to quantify the myocardial phosphocreatine (PCr to adenosine triphosphate (ATP ratio in healthy humans (n = 8 at rest were determined on a clinical 3 Tesla MR system. Numerical simulations of myocardial energy homeostasis in response to increased cardiac work rates were performed using a biophysical model of myocardial oxidative metabolism. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was modeled by either inefficient sarcomere ATP utilization or decreased mitochondrial ATP synthesis. The effect of creatine depletion on myocardial energy homeostasis was explored for both conditions. The mean in vivo myocardial PCr/ATP ratio measured with 3D ISIS was 1.57 ± 0.17 with a large repeatability coefficient of 40.4%. For 1D CSI in a 1D ISIS-selected slice perpendicular to the surface coil, the PCr/ATP ratio was 2.78 ± 0.50 (repeatability 42.5%. With 1D CSI in a 1D ISIS-selected slice parallel to the surface coil, the PCr/ATP ratio was 1.70 ± 0.56 (repeatability 43.7%. The model predicted a PCr/ATP ratio reduction of only 10% at the maximal cardiac work rate in normal myocardium. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy led to lower PCr/ATP ratios for high cardiac work rates, which was exacerbated by creatine depletion. Simulations illustrated that when conducting cardiac 31P-MRS exercise stress testing with large measurement error margins, results obtained under pathophysiologic

  1. Human Cardiac 31P-MR Spectroscopy at 3 Tesla Cannot Detect Failing Myocardial Energy Homeostasis during Exercise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakermans, Adrianus J.; Bazil, Jason N.; Nederveen, Aart J.; Strijkers, Gustav J.; Boekholdt, S. Matthijs; Beard, Daniel A.; Jeneson, Jeroen A. L.

    2017-01-01

    Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) is a unique non-invasive imaging modality for probing in vivo high-energy phosphate metabolism in the human heart. We investigated whether current 31P-MRS methodology would allow for clinical applications to detect exercise-induced changes in (patho-)physiological myocardial energy metabolism. Hereto, measurement variability and repeatability of three commonly used localized 31P-MRS methods [3D image-selected in vivo spectroscopy (ISIS) and 1D ISIS with 1D chemical shift imaging (CSI) oriented either perpendicular or parallel to the surface coil] to quantify the myocardial phosphocreatine (PCr) to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ratio in healthy humans (n = 8) at rest were determined on a clinical 3 Tesla MR system. Numerical simulations of myocardial energy homeostasis in response to increased cardiac work rates were performed using a biophysical model of myocardial oxidative metabolism. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was modeled by either inefficient sarcomere ATP utilization or decreased mitochondrial ATP synthesis. The effect of creatine depletion on myocardial energy homeostasis was explored for both conditions. The mean in vivo myocardial PCr/ATP ratio measured with 3D ISIS was 1.57 ± 0.17 with a large repeatability coefficient of 40.4%. For 1D CSI in a 1D ISIS-selected slice perpendicular to the surface coil, the PCr/ATP ratio was 2.78 ± 0.50 (repeatability 42.5%). With 1D CSI in a 1D ISIS-selected slice parallel to the surface coil, the PCr/ATP ratio was 1.70 ± 0.56 (repeatability 43.7%). The model predicted a PCr/ATP ratio reduction of only 10% at the maximal cardiac work rate in normal myocardium. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy led to lower PCr/ATP ratios for high cardiac work rates, which was exacerbated by creatine depletion. Simulations illustrated that when conducting cardiac 31P-MRS exercise stress testing with large measurement error margins, results obtained under pathophysiologic conditions may

  2. Tracking algorithms for multi-hexagonal assemblies (2D and 3D)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prabha, Hem; Marleau, Guy; Hébert, Alain

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We present the method of computations of 2D and 3D fluxes in hexagonal assemblies. • Computation of fluxes requires computation of track lengths. • Equations are developed (in 2D and 3D) and are implemented in a program HX7. • The program HX7 is implemented in the NXT module of the code DRAGON. • The tracks are plotted and fluxes are compared with the EXCELT module of DRAGON. - Abstract: Background: There has been a continuous effort to design new reactors and study these reactors under different conditions. Some of these reactors have fuel pins arranged in hexagonal pitch. To study these reactors, development of computational methods and computer codes is required. For this purpose, we have developed algorithms to track two dimensional and three dimensional cluster geometries. These algorithms have been implemented in a subprogram HX7, that is implemented in the code DRAGON (Version 3.06F) to compute neutron flux distributions in these systems. Methods: Computation of the neutron flux distribution requires solution of neutron transport equation. While solving this equation, by using Carlvik’s method of collision probabilities, computation of tracks in the hexagonal geometries is required. In this paper we present equations that we have developed for the computation of tracks in two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) multi-hexagonal assemblies (with two rotational orientations). These equations have been implemented in a subprogram HX7, to compute tracks in seven hexagonal assemblies. The subprogram HX7 has been implemented in the NXT module of the DRAGON code, where tracks in the pins are computed. Results: The results of our algorithms NXT(+HX7) have been compared with the results obtained by the EXCELT module of DRAGON (Version 3.06F). Conclusions: We find that all the fluxes in 2D and fluxes in the outer pin (3D) are converging to their 3rd decimal places, in both the modules EXCELT and NXT(+HX7). For other regions 3D fluxes

  3. Geometry Processing of Conventionally Produced Mouse Brain Slice Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Nitin; Xu, Xiangmin; Gopi, M

    2018-04-21

    Brain mapping research in most neuroanatomical laboratories relies on conventional processing techniques, which often introduce histological artifacts such as tissue tears and tissue loss. In this paper we present techniques and algorithms for automatic registration and 3D reconstruction of conventionally produced mouse brain slices in a standardized atlas space. This is achieved first by constructing a virtual 3D mouse brain model from annotated slices of Allen Reference Atlas (ARA). Virtual re-slicing of the reconstructed model generates ARA-based slice images corresponding to the microscopic images of histological brain sections. These image pairs are aligned using a geometric approach through contour images. Histological artifacts in the microscopic images are detected and removed using Constrained Delaunay Triangulation before performing global alignment. Finally, non-linear registration is performed by solving Laplace's equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Our methods provide significant improvements over previously reported registration techniques for the tested slices in 3D space, especially on slices with significant histological artifacts. Further, as one of the application we count the number of neurons in various anatomical regions using a dataset of 51 microscopic slices from a single mouse brain. To the best of our knowledge the presented work is the first that automatically registers both clean as well as highly damaged high-resolutions histological slices of mouse brain to a 3D annotated reference atlas space. This work represents a significant contribution to this subfield of neuroscience as it provides tools to neuroanatomist for analyzing and processing histological data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. PGC-1α accelerates cytosolic Ca2+ clearance without disturbing Ca2+ homeostasis in cardiac myocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Min; Wang, Yanru; Qu, Aijuan

    2010-01-01

    Energy metabolism and Ca 2+ handling serve critical roles in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) is a multi-functional coactivator that is involved in the regulation of cardiac mitochondrial functional capacity and cellular energy metabolism. However, the regulation of PGC-1α in cardiac Ca 2+ signaling has not been fully elucidated. To address this issue, we combined confocal line-scan imaging with off-line imaging processing to characterize calcium signaling in cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes expressing PGC-1α via adenoviral transduction. Our data shows that overexpressing PGC-1α improved myocyte contractility without increasing the amplitude of Ca 2+ transients, suggesting that myofilament sensitivity to Ca 2+ increased. Interestingly, the decay kinetics of global Ca 2+ transients and Ca 2+ waves accelerated in PGC-1α-expressing cells, but the decay rate of caffeine-elicited Ca 2+ transients showed no significant change. This suggests that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA2a), but not Na + /Ca 2+ exchange (NCX) contribute to PGC-1α-induced cytosolic Ca 2+ clearance. Furthermore, PGC-1α induced the expression of SERCA2a in cultured cardiac myocytes. Importantly, overexpressing PGC-1α did not disturb cardiac Ca 2+ homeostasis, because SR Ca 2+ load and the propensity for Ca 2+ waves remained unchanged. These data suggest that PGC-1α can ameliorate cardiac Ca 2+ cycling and improve cardiac work output in response to physiological stress. Unraveling the PGC-1α-calcium handing pathway sheds new light on the role of PGC-1α in the therapy of cardiac diseases.

  5. Image-based reconstruction of three-dimensional myocardial infarct geometry for patient-specific modeling of cardiac electrophysiology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ukwatta, Eranga, E-mail: eukwatt1@jhu.edu; Arevalo, Hermenegild; Pashakhanloo, Farhad; Prakosa, Adityo; Vadakkumpadan, Fijoy [Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Rajchl, Martin [Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); White, James [Stephenson Cardiovascular MR Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2T9 (Canada); Herzka, Daniel A.; McVeigh, Elliot [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Lardo, Albert C. [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Institute of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21224 (United States); Trayanova, Natalia A. [Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins Institute of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States)

    2015-08-15

    Purpose: Accurate three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of myocardial infarct geometry is crucial to patient-specific modeling of the heart aimed at providing therapeutic guidance in ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, myocardial infarct imaging is clinically performed using two-dimensional (2D) late-gadolinium enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) techniques, and a method to build accurate 3D infarct reconstructions from the 2D LGE-CMR images has been lacking. The purpose of this study was to address this need. Methods: The authors developed a novel methodology to reconstruct 3D infarct geometry from segmented low-resolution (Lo-res) clinical LGE-CMR images. Their methodology employed the so-called logarithm of odds (LogOdds) function to implicitly represent the shape of the infarct in segmented image slices as LogOdds maps. These 2D maps were then interpolated into a 3D image, and the result transformed via the inverse of LogOdds to a binary image representing the 3D infarct geometry. To assess the efficacy of this method, the authors utilized 39 high-resolution (Hi-res) LGE-CMR images, including 36 in vivo acquisitions of human subjects with prior myocardial infarction and 3 ex vivo scans of canine hearts following coronary ligation to induce infarction. The infarct was manually segmented by trained experts in each slice of the Hi-res images, and the segmented data were downsampled to typical clinical resolution. The proposed method was then used to reconstruct 3D infarct geometry from the downsampled images, and the resulting reconstructions were compared with the manually segmented data. The method was extensively evaluated using metrics based on geometry as well as results of electrophysiological simulations of cardiac sinus rhythm and ventricular tachycardia in individual hearts. Several alternative reconstruction techniques were also implemented and compared with the proposed method. Results: The accuracy of the LogOdds method in reconstructing 3D

  6. Sub-Millimeter T2 Weighted fMRI at 7 T: Comparison of 3D-GRASE and 2D SE-EPI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valentin G. Kemper

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI allows studying human brain function non-invasively up to the spatial resolution of cortical columns and layers. Most fMRI acquisitions rely on the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD contrast employing T2* weighted 2D multi-slice echo-planar imaging (EPI. At ultra-high magnetic field (i.e. 7 T and above, it has been shown experimentally and by simulation, that T2 weighted acquisitions yield a signal that is spatially more specific to the site of neuronal activity at the cost of functional sensitivity. This study compared two T2 weighted imaging sequences, inner-volume 3D Gradient-and-Spin-Echo (3D-GRASE and 2D Spin-Echo EPI (SE-EPI, with evaluation of their imaging point-spread function, functional specificity, and functional sensitivity at sub-millimeter resolution. Simulations and measurements of the imaging point-spread function revealed that the strongest anisotropic blurring in 3D-GRASE (along the second phase-encoding direction was about 60 % higher than the strongest anisotropic blurring in 2D SE-EPI (along the phase-encoding direction In a visual paradigm, the BOLD sensitivity of 3D-GRASE was found to be superior due to its higher temporal signal-to-noise ratio. High resolution cortical depth profiles suggested that the contrast mechanisms are similar between the two sequences, however, 2D SE-EPI had a higher surface bias owing to the higher T2* contribution of the longer in-plane EPI echo-train for full field of view compared to the reduced field of view of zoomed 3D-GRASE.

  7. Evaluation of cardiac function using multi-shot echo planar imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakanishi, Tadashi; Tanitame, Nobuko; Hata, Ryoichiro; Hirai, Nobuhiko; Ikeda, Midori; Ono, Chiaki; Fukuoka, Haruhito; Ito, Katsuhide [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    1998-01-01

    In this study, we performed multi-shot echo planar imaging (8 shot, TR/TE/FL=55 ms/18 ms/60 degrees) and k-space segmented fast gradient echo sequence (8 views per segment, TR/TE/FL=9.9 ms/1.8 ms/30 degrees) to assess cardiac function in healthy volunteers. Transaxial sections of the entire heart were obtained with both sequences in ECG triggered, breath hold, and with a 256 x 128 matrix. Resulting temporal resolution was 55 ms for echo planar imaging, and 71 ms for k-space segmented fast gradient echo sequence, respectively. Ventricular volume and ejection fraction of both ventricles and left ventricular mass obtained with multi-shot echo planar imaging were assessed in comparison with k-space segmented fast gradient echo sequence. Measurements of left ventricular volume, ejection fraction and mass obtained with multi-shot echo planar imaging demonstrated close correlation with those obtained with k-space segmented fast gradient echo sequence. Right ventricular volumes obtained with echo planar imaging were significantly higher than those obtained with k-space segmented fast gradient echo sequence. This tendency is considered to be due to differing contrast between right ventricular myocardium and fat tissue observed with echo planar imaging relative to that observed with fast gradient echo sequence, because fat suppression is always performed in echo planar images. Multi-shot echo planar imaging can be a reliable tool for measurement of cardiac functional parameters, although wall motion analysis of the left ventricle requires higher temporal resolution and a short axial section. (K.H.)

  8. Excitatory and inhibitory pathways modulate kainate excitotoxicity in hippocampal slice cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Casaccia-Bonnefil, P; Benedikz, Eirikur; Rai, R

    1993-01-01

    In organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, kainate (KA) specifically induces cell loss in the CA3 region while N-methyl-D-aspartate induces cell loss in the CA1 region. The sensitivity of slice cultures to KA toxicity appears only after 2 weeks in vitro which parallels the appearance of mossy...... fibers. KA toxicity is potentiated by co-application with the GABA-A antagonist, picrotoxin. These data suggest that the excitotoxicity of KA in slice cultures is modulated by both excitatory and inhibitory synapses....

  9. Study on bone mineral density and bone structure of lumbar vertebrae in osteoporotic elderly women with multi-slice CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Shengyong; Qi Ji; Wang Bin; Wen Lianqing

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the ability of volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) parameters of lumbar vertebrae in differentiating osteoporotic fractured from nonfractured elderly women with vQCT technique, and to compare the bony structural conditions of osteoporotic elderly women with healthy elderly women. Methods: Multi-slice CT spinal scans of L1 and L2 were acquired in 26 osteoporotic vertebral fractured elderly women (group one) and 30 nonfractured osteoporotic subjects (group two). All the retro-reconstructed images of L1 and L2 were sent to the workstation and processed by volume rendering (VR) technique to measure volumetric BMD (3D-INTGL, 3D-CORT, 3D-TRAB) and trabecular and integral BMD (2D-TRAB, 2D-INTGL) by conventional QCT technique. BMD indexes in DXA were AP-SPINE and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) in anteroposterior position. The seven parameters between the two group s were compared. Ten healthy elderly women were selected as normal group to reformate 3D-VR images from MSCT images to analyze the bony structure and calculate the ratio of bone volume to total volume (BV/TV) in the center of L1 vertebrae, and to compare the index between the normal group and tenpatients randomly selected from the 56 osteoporotic women. Results: DXA measurements in group one: AP-SPINE and BMAD were (0.796±0.170)g/cm 2 and (272.7±27.7) mg/cm 3 , respectively, showing no statistically significant differences comparing with (0.817±0.140) g/cm 2 and (249.5 ± 26.5) mg/cm 3 in group two. Volumetric BMD in group one included 2D-TRAB (70.4 ± 22.2) mg/cm 3 , 2D-INTGL (138.3±35.1) mg/cm 3 , 3D-INTGL (139.4±34.9 ) mg/cm 3 , 3D-CORT (133.8±26.9) mg/cm 3 , and 3D-TRAB (69.9 ±18.6) mg/cm 3 , respectively, showing statistically differences with (89.1±21.8) mg/cm 3 , (170.6±34.5) mg/cm 3 , (180.5±28.2) mg/cm 3 , (163.2±27.5) mg/cm 3 , and (83.8 ± 17.1) mg/cm 3 in group two (the decrements 18%-23%). The mean value of BV/TV of L1 vertebrae was (8.12 ± 1.96)% in

  10. Coexisting chaotic and multi-periodic dynamics in a model of cardiac alternans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skardal, Per Sebastian, E-mail: skardals@gmail.com [Departament d' Enginyeria Informàtica i Matemàtiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona (Spain); Restrepo, Juan G., E-mail: juanga@colorado.edu [Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 (United States)

    2014-12-15

    The spatiotemporal dynamics of cardiac tissue is an active area of research for biologists, physicists, and mathematicians. Of particular interest is the study of period-doubling bifurcations and chaos due to their link with cardiac arrhythmogenesis. In this paper, we study the spatiotemporal dynamics of a recently developed model for calcium-driven alternans in a one dimensional cable of tissue. In particular, we observe in the cable coexistence of regions with chaotic and multi-periodic dynamics over wide ranges of parameters. We study these dynamics using global and local Lyapunov exponents and spatial trajectory correlations. Interestingly, near nodes—or phase reversals—low-periodic dynamics prevail, while away from the nodes, the dynamics tend to be higher-periodic and eventually chaotic. Finally, we show that similar coexisting multi-periodic and chaotic dynamics can also be observed in a detailed ionic model.

  11. Type D patients report poorer health status prior to and after cardiac rehabilitation compared to non-type D patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.J. Pelle (Aline); R.A.M. Erdman (Ruud); R.T. van Domburg (Ron); M. Spiering (Marquita); M. Kazemier (Marten); S.S. Pedersen (Susanne)

    2008-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Type D personality is an emerging risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes, but little is known about the effects of CR on Type D patients. Purpose: We examined (1) variability in Type D caseness following CR, (2) Type D as a

  12. Pyrethroid insecticides evoke neurotransmitter release from rabbit striatal slices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eells, J.T.; Dubocovich, M.L.

    1988-01-01

    The effects of the synthetic pyrethroid insecticide fenvalerate ([R,S]-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl[R,S]-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-3- methylbutyrate) on neurotransmitter release in rabbit brain slices were investigated. Fenvalerate evoked a calcium-dependent release of [ 3 H]dopamine and [ 3 H]acetylcholine from rabbit striatal slices that was concentration-dependent and specific for the toxic stereoisomer of the insecticide. The release of [ 3 H]dopamine and [ 3 H]acetylcholine by fenvalerate was modulated by D2 dopamine receptor activation and antagonized completely by the sodium channel blocker, tetrodotoxin. These findings are consistent with an action of fenvalerate on the voltage-dependent sodium channels of the presynaptic membrane resulting in membrane depolarization, and the release of dopamine and acetylcholine by a calcium-dependent exocytotic process. In contrast to results obtained in striatal slices, fenvalerate did not elicit the release of [ 3 H]norepinephrine or [ 3 H]acetylcholine from rabbit hippocampal slices indicative of regional differences in sensitivity to type II pyrethroid actions

  13. Establishment of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) reference level in Johor, Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, M. K. A.; Hashim, S.; Bakar, K. A.; Muhammad, H.; Sabarudin, A.; Ang, W. C.; Bahruddin, N. A.

    2016-03-01

    Radiation doses from computed tomography (CT) are the highest and most hazardous compared to other imaging modalities. This study aimed to evaluate radiation dose in Johor, Malaysia to patients during computed tomography examinations of the brain, chest and abdomen and to establish the local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) as are present with the current, state- of-art, multi-slice CT scanners. Survey forms were sent to five centres performing CT to obtain data regarding acquisition parameters as well as the dose information from CT consoles. CT- EXPO (Version 2.3.1, Germany) was used to validate the dose information. The proposed DRLs were indicated by rounding the third quartiles of whole dose distributions where mean values of CTDIw (mGy), CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm) were comparable with other reference levels; 63, 63, and 1015 respectively for CT Brain; 15, 14, and 450 respectively for CT thorax and 16, 17, and 590 respectively for CT abdomen. The study revealed that the CT practice and dose output were revolutionised, and must keep up with the pace of introductory technology. We suggest that CTDIvol should be included in current national DRLs, as modern CTs are configured with a higher number of detectors and are independent of pitch factors.

  14. Establishment of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) reference level in Johor, Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karim, M K A; Hashim, S; Ang, W C; Bahruddin, N A; Bakar, K A; Muhammad, H; Sabarudin, A

    2016-01-01

    Radiation doses from computed tomography (CT) are the highest and most hazardous compared to other imaging modalities. This study aimed to evaluate radiation dose in Johor, Malaysia to patients during computed tomography examinations of the brain, chest and abdomen and to establish the local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) as are present with the current, state- of-art, multi-slice CT scanners. Survey forms were sent to five centres performing CT to obtain data regarding acquisition parameters as well as the dose information from CT consoles. CT- EXPO (Version 2.3.1, Germany) was used to validate the dose information. The proposed DRLs were indicated by rounding the third quartiles of whole dose distributions where mean values of CTDI w (mGy), CTDI vol (mGy) and DLP (mGy.cm) were comparable with other reference levels; 63, 63, and 1015 respectively for CT Brain; 15, 14, and 450 respectively for CT thorax and 16, 17, and 590 respectively for CT abdomen. The study revealed that the CT practice and dose output were revolutionised, and must keep up with the pace of introductory technology. We suggest that CTDI vol should be included in current national DRLs, as modern CTs are configured with a higher number of detectors and are independent of pitch factors. (paper)

  15. A comparison of multi-echo spin-echo and triple-echo steady-state T2 mapping for in vivo evaluation of articular cartilage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juras, Vladimir; Szomolanyi, Pavol; Bohndorf, Klaus; Kronnerwetter, Claudia; Hager, Benedikt; Zbyn, Stefan; Heule, Rahel; Bieri, Oliver; Trattnig, Siegfried

    2016-01-01

    To assess the clinical relevance of T 2 relaxation times, measured by 3D triple-echo steady-state (3D-TESS), in knee articular cartilage compared to conventional multi-echo spin-echo T 2 -mapping. Thirteen volunteers and ten patients with focal cartilage lesions were included in this prospective study. All subjects underwent 3-Tesla MRI consisting of a multi-echo multi-slice spin-echo sequence (CPMG) as a reference method for T 2 mapping, and 3D TESS with the same geometry settings, but variable acquisition times: standard (TESSs 4:35min) and quick (TESSq 2:05min). T 2 values were compared in six different regions in the femoral and tibial cartilage using a Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). The local ethics committee approved this study, and all participants gave written informed consent. The mean quantitative T 2 values measured by CPMG (mean: 46±9ms) in volunteers were significantly higher compared to those measured with TESS (mean: 31±5ms) in all regions. Both methods performed similarly in patients, but CPMG provided a slightly higher difference between lesions and native cartilage (CPMG: 90ms→61ms [31%],p=0.0125;TESS 32ms→24ms [24%],p=0.0839). 3D-TESS provides results similar to those of a conventional multi-echo spin-echo sequence with many benefits, such as shortening of total acquisition time and insensitivity to B 1 and B 0 changes. (orig.)

  16. Exposure (mAs) optimisation of a multi-detector CT protocol for hepatic lesion detection: are thinner slices better?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dobeli, Karen L.; Lewis, Sarah J.; Meikle, Steven R.; Brennan, Patrick C.; Thiele, David L.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to determine the exposure-optimised slice thickness for hepatic lesion detection with CT. A phantom containing spheres (diameter 9.5, 4.8 and 2.4mm) with CT density 10 HU below the background (50 HU) was scanned at 125, 100, 75 and 50 mAs. Data were reconstructed at 5-, 3- and 1-mm slice thicknesses. Noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), area under the curve (AUC) as calculated using receiver operating characteristic analysis and sensitivity representing lesion detection were calculated and compared. Compared with the 125 mAs/5mm slice thickness setting, significant reductions in AUC were found for 75 mAs (P<0.01) and 50 mAs (P<0.05) at 1- and 3-mm thicknesses, respectively; sensitivity for the 9.5-mm sphere was significantly reduced for 75 (P<0.05) and 50 mAs (P<0.01) at 1-mm thickness; sensitivity for the 4.8-mm sphere was significantly lower for 100, 75 and 50 mAs at all three slice thicknesses (P<0.05). The 2.4-mm sphere was rarely detected. At each slice thickness, noise at 100, 75 and 50 mAs exposures was approximately 10, 30 and 50% higher, respectively, than that at 125 mAs exposure. CNRs decreased in an irregular manner with reductions in exposure and slice thickness. This study demonstrated no advantage to using slices below 5mm thickness, and consequently thinner slices are not necessarily better.

  17. Evaluation of peripheral artery stent with 64-slice multi-detector row CT angiography: Prospective comparison with digital subtraction angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xiaoming; Li Yuhua; Tian Jianming; Xiao Yi; Lu Jianping; Jing Zaiping; Sheng Jing; Edwin, Angela; Wu Fanghong

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the accuracy of 64-slice multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) angiography in the evaluation of peripheral artery in-stent or peristent restenosis, with conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard. Materials and methods: Forty-one patients (30 men, 11 women; mean age, 69.8 ± 9.2 years) with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease after peripheral artery stenting (81 stented lesions) underwent both conventional DSA and 64-slice MDCT angiography. Each stent was classified as evaluable or unevaluable, and every stent was divided into three segments (proximal stent, stent body, and distal stent), resulting in 243 segments. For evaluation, stenosis was graded as follows: 1, none or slight stenosis (<25%); 2, mild stenosis (25-49%); 3, moderate stenosis (50-74%); 4, severe stenosis or total occlusion (≥75%). Two readers evaluated all CT angiograms with regard to narrowing of in-stent or peristent restenosis by consensus. Results were compared with findings of the DSA. Results: Of 81 stents, 62 (76.5%) were determined to be assessable. The metal artifact of the gold marker and motion artifact increased uninterpretability of the images of stents. Overall, 24 of 28 in-stent restenosis and 38 of 53 persistent restenosis were correctly detected by MDCT (85.7% and 71.7% sensitivity). In evaluable stents, 21 of 22 in-stent restenoses and 27 of 28 persistent restenosis were correctly detected (95.4% and 96.4% sensitivity). Additionally, as the grade of stenosis increases, the mean level of CT values in the stent lumina decreases linearly accordingly. Conclusion: 64-Slice MDCT has a high accuracy for the detection of significant in-stent or peristent restenosis of assessable stents in patients with peripheral artery stent implantation and therefore can be considered as a valuable noninvasive technique for stent surveillance.

  18. Sugar uptake and starch biosynthesis by slices of developing maize endosperm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felker, F.C.; Liu, Kangchien; Shannon, J.C.

    1990-01-01

    14 C-Sugar uptake and incorporation into starch by slices of developing maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm were examined and compared with sugar uptake by maize endosperm-derived suspension cultures. Rates of sucrose, fructose, and D- and L-glucose uptake by slices were similar, whereas uptake rates for these sugars differed greatly in suspension cultures. Concentration dependence of sucrose, fructose, and D-glucose uptake was biphasic (consisting of linear plus saturable components) with suspension cultures but linear with slices. These and other differences suggest that endosperm slices are freely permeable to sugars. After diffusion into the slices, sugars were metabolized and incorporated into starch. Starch synthesis, but not sugar accumulation, was greatly reduced by 2.5 millimolar p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid and 0.1 millimolar carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Starch synthesis was dependent on kernel age and incubation temperature, but not on external pH (5 through 8). Competing sugars generally did not affect the distribution of 14 C among the soluble sugars extracted from endosperm slices incubated in 14 C-sugars. Competing hexoses reduced the incorporation of 14 C into starch, but competing sucrose did not, suggesting that sucrose is not a necessary intermediate in starch biosynthesis. The bidirectional permeability of endosperm slices to sugars makes the characterization of sugar transport into endosperm slices impossible, however the model system is useful for experiments dealing with starch biosynthesis which occurs in the metabolically active tissue

  19. Multi-Objective Resource Allocation Scheme for D2D Multicast with QoS Guarantees in Cellular Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fangmin Li

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Device-to-device (D2D multicast communication can greatly improve the spectrum utilization in a content delivery scenario. However, the co-channel interference and power consumption brought by D2D bring new challenges. All the D2D multicast groups expect to achieve a higher system capacity with less extra energy cost. In this paper, we investigate the uplink resource allocation issue when D2D multicast groups share the resources with other cellular uses (CUs, while guaranteeing a certain level of quality of service (QoS to CUs and D2D users. Firstly we address a flexible tradeoff framework in which the system power consumption and the system capacity (i.e., the number of admitted D2D links are assigned with different weight factors so that these two objectives are jointly considered. Then we propose an efficient resource optimization scheme, which comprises sub-channel allocation and signal-to-interference- plus-noise ratio (SINR assignment. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, and demonstrate the advantages in dealing with the proposed multi-objective optimization problem.

  20. A novel lung slice system with compromised antioxidant defenses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hardwick, S.J.; Adam, A.; Cohen, G.M. (Univ. of London (England)); Smith, L.L. (Imperial Chemical Industries PLC, Cheshire (England))

    1990-04-01

    In order to facilitate the study of oxidative stress in lung tissue, rat lung slices with impaired antioxidant defenses were prepared and used. Incubation of lung slices with the antineoplastic agent 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) (100 {mu}M) in an amino acid-rich medium for 45 min produced a near-maximal (approximately 85%), irreversible inhibition of glutathione reductase, accompanied by only a modest (approximately 15%) decrease in pulmonary nonprotein sulfhydryls (NPSH) and no alteration in intracellular ATP, NADP{sup +}, and NADPH levels. The amounts of NADP(H), ATP, and NPSH were stable over a 4-hr incubation period following the removal from BCNU. The viability of the system was further evaluated by measuring the rate of evolution of {sup 14}CO{sub 2} from D-({sup 14}C(U))-glucose. The rates of evolution were almost identical in the compromised system when compared with control slices over a 4-hr time period. By using slices with compromised oxidative defenses, preliminary results have been obtained with paraquat, nitrofurantoin, and 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone.

  1. A novel lung slice system with compromised antioxidant defenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardwick, S.J.; Adam, A.; Cohen, G.M.; Smith, L.L.

    1990-01-01

    In order to facilitate the study of oxidative stress in lung tissue, rat lung slices with impaired antioxidant defenses were prepared and used. Incubation of lung slices with the antineoplastic agent 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) (100 μM) in an amino acid-rich medium for 45 min produced a near-maximal (approximately 85%), irreversible inhibition of glutathione reductase, accompanied by only a modest (approximately 15%) decrease in pulmonary nonprotein sulfhydryls (NPSH) and no alteration in intracellular ATP, NADP + , and NADPH levels. The amounts of NADP(H), ATP, and NPSH were stable over a 4-hr incubation period following the removal from BCNU. The viability of the system was further evaluated by measuring the rate of evolution of 14 CO 2 from D-[ 14 C(U)]-glucose. The rates of evolution were almost identical in the compromised system when compared with control slices over a 4-hr time period. By using slices with compromised oxidative defenses, preliminary results have been obtained with paraquat, nitrofurantoin, and 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone

  2. Development of an organ-specific insert phantom generated using a 3D printer for investigations of cardiac computed tomography protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullah, Kamarul A; McEntee, Mark F; Reed, Warren; Kench, Peter L

    2018-04-30

    An ideal organ-specific insert phantom should be able to simulate the anatomical features with appropriate appearances in the resultant computed tomography (CT) images. This study investigated a 3D printing technology to develop a novel and cost-effective cardiac insert phantom derived from volumetric CT image datasets of anthropomorphic chest phantom. Cardiac insert volumes were segmented from CT image datasets, derived from an anthropomorphic chest phantom of Lungman N-01 (Kyoto Kagaku, Japan). These segmented datasets were converted to a virtual 3D-isosurface of heart-shaped shell, while two other removable inserts were included using computer-aided design (CAD) software program. This newly designed cardiac insert phantom was later printed by using a fused deposition modelling (FDM) process via a Creatbot DM Plus 3D printer. Then, several selected filling materials, such as contrast media, oil, water and jelly, were loaded into designated spaces in the 3D-printed phantom. The 3D-printed cardiac insert phantom was positioned within the anthropomorphic chest phantom and 30 repeated CT acquisitions performed using a multi-detector scanner at 120-kVp tube potential. Attenuation (Hounsfield Unit, HU) values were measured and compared to the image datasets of real-patient and Catphan ® 500 phantom. The output of the 3D-printed cardiac insert phantom was a solid acrylic plastic material, which was strong, light in weight and cost-effective. HU values of the filling materials were comparable to the image datasets of real-patient and Catphan ® 500 phantom. A novel and cost-effective cardiac insert phantom for anthropomorphic chest phantom was developed using volumetric CT image datasets with a 3D printer. Hence, this suggested the printing methodology could be applied to generate other phantoms for CT imaging studies. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical

  3. Left atrial accessory appendages, diverticula, and left-sided septal pouch in multi-slice computed tomography. Association with atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hołda, Mateusz K; Koziej, Mateusz; Wszołek, Karolina; Pawlik, Wiesław; Krawczyk-Ożóg, Agata; Sorysz, Danuta; Łoboda, Piotr; Kuźma, Katarzyna; Kuniewicz, Marcin; Lelakowski, Jacek; Dudek, Dariusz; Klimek-Piotrowska, Wiesława

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study is to provide a morphometric description of the left-sided septal pouch (LSSP), left atrial accessory appendages, and diverticula using cardiac multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and to compare results between patient subgroups. Two hundred and ninety four patients (42.9% females) with a mean of 69.4±13.1years of age were investigated using MSCT. The presence of the LSSP, left atrial accessory appendages, and diverticula was evaluated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to check whether the presence of additional left atrial structures is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accidents. At least one additional left atrial structure was present in 51.7% of patients. A single LSSP, left atrial diverticulum, and accessory appendage were present in 35.7%, 16.0%, and 4.1% of patients, respectively. After adjusting for other risk factors via multiple logistic regression, patients with LSSP are more likely to have atrial fibrillation (OR=2.00, 95% CI=1.14-3.48, p=0.01). The presence of a LSSP was found to be associated with an increased risk of transient ischemic attack using multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment for other risk factors (OR=3.88, 95% CI=1.10-13.69, p=0.03). In conclusion LSSPs, accessory appendages, and diverticula are highly prevalent anatomic structures within the left atrium, which could be easily identified by MSCT. The presence of LSSP is associated with increased risk for atrial fibrillation and transient ischemic attack. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Experimental study of multi-slice CT for the evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Xiang; Lv Bin; Wu Wenhui; Lu Jinguo; Dai Ruping; Bai Hua; Tang Yue; Lv Fengying; Jiang Shiliang

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic values of MSCT for detecting atherosclerotic plaques on New Zealand rabbits models in comparison with pathologic results. Methods: Fifteen New Zealand rabbits were enrolled in this study, including 5 with balloon injury and high-fat diet (group A), 5 with high-fat diet only (group B) and 5 with regular feed (group C). 16th week late, contrast-enhanced MSCT scan was performed in all rabbits with 16 slice MSCT (16-MSCT) in group A and 64 slice MSCT (64-MSCT) in group B and C. The CT and pathological findings were compared in a double-blind manner. The sensitivities and specificities of 16-MSCT and 64-MSCT for detecting atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated by using Fisher test and χ 2 test. Results: Sixty and seventy-five images on 16-MSCT and 64-MSCT had corresponding pathological slices. The sensitivities for the detection of plaques on 16-MSCT and 64-MSCT were 41.5% (22/53) and 64.9% (24/37), and specificities of 85.7% (6/7) and 89.5% (34/38), respectively. Conclusions: 64-MSCT has a higher sensitivity in the detection of atherosclerotic plaques than 16-MSCT. Both scanners can be used to preclude the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. (authors)

  5. Outline and handling manual of experimental data time slice monitoring software 'SLICE'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shirai, Hiroshi; Hirayama, Toshio; Shimizu, Katsuhiro; Tani, Keiji; Azumi, Masafumi; Hirai, Ken-ichiro; Konno, Satoshi; Takase, Keizou.

    1993-02-01

    We have developed a software 'SLICE' which maps various kinds of plasma experimental data measured at the different geometrical position of JT-60U and JFT-2M onto the equilibrium magnetic configuration and treats them as a function of volume averaged minor radius ρ. Experimental data can be handled uniformly by using 'SLICE'. Plenty of commands of 'SLICE' make it easy to process the mapped data. The experimental data measured as line integrated values are also transformed by Abel inversion. The mapped data are fitted to a functional form and saved to the database 'MAPDB'. 'SLICE' can read the data from 'MAPDB' and re-display and transform them. Still more 'SLICE' creates run data of orbit following Monte-Carlo code 'OFMC' and tokamak predictive and interpretation code system 'TOPICS'. This report summarizes an outline and the usage of 'SLICE'. (author)

  6. Improved coronary in-stent visualization using a combined high-resolution kernel and a hybrid iterative reconstruction technique at 256-slice cardiac CT—Pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oda, Seitaro; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Funama, Yoshinori; Takaoka, Hiroko; Katahira, Kazuhiro; Honda, Keiichi; Noda, Katsuo; Oshima, Shuichi; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic performance of 256-slice cardiac CT for the evaluation of the in-stent lumen by using a hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) algorithm combined with a high-resolution kernel. Methods: This study included 28 patients with 28 stents who underwent cardiac CT. Three different reconstruction images were obtained with: (1) a standard filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm with a standard cardiac kernel (CB), (2) an FBP algorithm with a high-resolution cardiac kernel (CD), and (3) an HIR algorithm with the CD kernel. We measured image noise and kurtosis and used receiver operating characteristics analysis to evaluate observer performance in the detection of in-stent stenosis. Results: Image noise with FBP plus the CD kernel (80.2 ± 15.5 HU) was significantly higher than with FBP plus the CB kernel (28.8 ± 4.6 HU) and HIR plus the CD kernel (36.1 ± 6.4 HU). There was no significant difference in the image noise between FBP plus the CB kernel and HIR plus the CD kernel. Kurtosis was significantly better with the CD- than the CB kernel. The kurtosis values obtained with the CD kernel were not significantly different between the FBP- and HIR reconstruction algorithms. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves with HIR plus the CD kernel were significantly higher than with FBP plus the CB- or the CD kernel. The difference between FBP plus the CB- or the CD kernel was not significant. The average sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value for the detection of in-stent stenosis were 83.3, 50.0, 33.3, and 91.6% for FBP plus the CB kernel, 100, 29.6, 40.0, and 100% for FBP plus the CD kernel, and 100, 54.5, 40.0, and 100% for HIR plus the CD kernel. Conclusions: The HIR algorithm combined with the high-resolution kernel significantly improved diagnostic performance in the detection of in-stent stenosis

  7. Adaptive SLICE method: an enhanced method to determine nonlinear dynamic respiratory system mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Zhanqi; Möller, Knut; Guttmann, Josef

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to introduce and evaluate the adaptive SLICE method (ASM) for continuous determination of intratidal nonlinear dynamic compliance and resistance. The tidal volume is subdivided into a series of volume intervals called slices. For each slice, one compliance and one resistance are calculated by applying a least-squares-fit method. The volume window (width) covered by each slice is determined based on the confidence interval of the parameter estimation. The method was compared to the original SLICE method and evaluated using simulation and animal data. The ASM was also challenged with separate analysis of dynamic compliance during inspiration. If the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the respiratory data decreased from +∞ to 10 dB, the relative errors of compliance increased from 0.1% to 22% for the ASM and from 0.2% to 227% for the SLICE method. Fewer differences were found in resistance. When the SNR was larger than 40 dB, the ASM delivered over 40 parameter estimates (42.2 ± 1.3). When analyzing the compliance during inspiration separately, the estimates calculated with the ASM were more stable. The adaptive determination of slice bounds results in consistent and reliable parameter values. Online analysis of nonlinear respiratory mechanics will profit from such an adaptive selection of interval size. (paper)

  8. A 3D Printing Model Watermarking Algorithm Based on 3D Slicing and Feature Points

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giao N. Pham

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available With the increase of three-dimensional (3D printing applications in many areas of life, a large amount of 3D printing data is copied, shared, and used several times without any permission from the original providers. Therefore, copyright protection and ownership identification for 3D printing data in communications or commercial transactions are practical issues. This paper presents a novel watermarking algorithm for 3D printing models based on embedding watermark data into the feature points of a 3D printing model. Feature points are determined and computed by the 3D slicing process along the Z axis of a 3D printing model. The watermark data is embedded into a feature point of a 3D printing model by changing the vector length of the feature point in OXY space based on the reference length. The x and y coordinates of the feature point will be then changed according to the changed vector length that has been embedded with a watermark. Experimental results verified that the proposed algorithm is invisible and robust to geometric attacks, such as rotation, scaling, and translation. The proposed algorithm provides a better method than the conventional works, and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is much higher than previous methods.

  9. Comparing a novel automatic 3D method for LGE-CMR quantification of scar size with established methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woie, Leik; Måløy, Frode; Eftestøl, Trygve; Engan, Kjersti; Edvardsen, Thor; Kvaløy, Jan Terje; Ørn, Stein

    2014-02-01

    Current methods for the estimation of infarct size by late-enhanced cardiac magnetic imaging are based upon 2D analysis that first determines the size of the infarction in each slice, and thereafter adds the infarct sizes from each slice to generate a volume. We present a novel, automatic 3D method that estimates infarct size by a simultaneous analysis of all pixels from all slices. In a population of 54 patients with ischemic scars, the infarct size estimated by the automatic 3D method was compared with four established 2D methods. The new 3D method defined scar as the sum of all pixels with signal intensity (SI) ≥35 % of max SI from the complete myocardium, border zone: SI 35-50 % of max SI and core as SI ≥50 % of max SI. The 3D method yielded smaller infarct size (-2.8 ± 2.3 %) and core size (-3.0 ± 1.7 %) than the 2D method most similar to ours. There was no difference in the size of the border zone (0.2 ± 1.4 %). The 3D method demonstrated stronger correlations between scar size and left ventricular (LV) remodelling parameters (LV ejection fraction: r = -0.71, p 3D automatic method is without the need for manual demarcation of the scar; it is less time-consuming and has a stronger correlation with remodelling parameters compared with existing methods.

  10. Simultaneous multi-slice echo planar diffusion weighted imaging of the liver and the pancreas: Optimization of signal-to-noise ratio and acquisition time and application to intravoxel incoherent motion analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boss, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.boss@usz.ch [Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland); Barth, Borna; Filli, Lukas; Kenkel, David; Wurnig, Moritz C. [Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland); Piccirelli, Marco [Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Zurich (Switzerland); Reiner, Caecilia S. [Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland)

    2016-11-15

    Purpose: To optimize and test a diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) excitation in the liver and pancreas regarding acquisition time (TA), number of slices, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image quality (IQ), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantitation accuracy, and feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) analysis. Materials and methods: Ten healthy volunteers underwent DWI of the upper abdomen at 3T. A SMS DWI sequence with CAIPIRINHA unaliasing technique (acceleration factors 2/3, denoted AF2/3) was compared to standard DWI-EPI (AF1). Four schemes were evaluated: (i) reducing TA, (ii) keeping TA identical with increasing number of averages, (iii) increasing number of slices with identical TA (iv) increasing number of b-values for IVIM. Acquisition schemes i-iii were evaluated qualitatively (reader score) and quantitatively (ADC values, SNR). Results: In scheme (i) no differences in SNR were observed (p = 0.321 − 0.038) with reduced TA (AF2 increase in SNR/time 75.6%, AF3 increase SNR/time 102.4%). No SNR improvement was obtained in scheme (ii). Increased SNR/time could be invested in acquisition of more and thinner slices or higher number of b-values. Image quality scores were stable for AF2 but decreased for AF3. Only for AF3, liver ADC values were systematically lower. Conclusion: SMS-DWI of the liver and pancreas provides substantially higher SNR/time, which either may be used for shorter scan time, higher slice resolution or IVIM measurements.

  11. Simultaneous multi-slice echo planar diffusion weighted imaging of the liver and the pancreas: Optimization of signal-to-noise ratio and acquisition time and application to intravoxel incoherent motion analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boss, Andreas; Barth, Borna; Filli, Lukas; Kenkel, David; Wurnig, Moritz C.; Piccirelli, Marco; Reiner, Caecilia S.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To optimize and test a diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) excitation in the liver and pancreas regarding acquisition time (TA), number of slices, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image quality (IQ), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantitation accuracy, and feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) analysis. Materials and methods: Ten healthy volunteers underwent DWI of the upper abdomen at 3T. A SMS DWI sequence with CAIPIRINHA unaliasing technique (acceleration factors 2/3, denoted AF2/3) was compared to standard DWI-EPI (AF1). Four schemes were evaluated: (i) reducing TA, (ii) keeping TA identical with increasing number of averages, (iii) increasing number of slices with identical TA (iv) increasing number of b-values for IVIM. Acquisition schemes i-iii were evaluated qualitatively (reader score) and quantitatively (ADC values, SNR). Results: In scheme (i) no differences in SNR were observed (p = 0.321 − 0.038) with reduced TA (AF2 increase in SNR/time 75.6%, AF3 increase SNR/time 102.4%). No SNR improvement was obtained in scheme (ii). Increased SNR/time could be invested in acquisition of more and thinner slices or higher number of b-values. Image quality scores were stable for AF2 but decreased for AF3. Only for AF3, liver ADC values were systematically lower. Conclusion: SMS-DWI of the liver and pancreas provides substantially higher SNR/time, which either may be used for shorter scan time, higher slice resolution or IVIM measurements.

  12. The diagnostic value of multi-slice CT on the congenital malformation of coronary sinus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Wei; Ma Xiaojing; Sun Qingjun

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the application value of multi-slice spiral CT on the congenital malformation of coronary sinus. Methods: MSCT finding of 98 patients with coronary sinus malformation confirmed by surgery were retrospectively analyzed,and the cases were divided into four categories based on the Mantini theory and comparison was made between the diagnosis from ultrasound and CT. A 2 × 2 table for Chi-square test was also used for statistics analysis. Results: Among 98 patients,there were 72 patients with persistent left superior vena cava reflowed to right atria through coronary sinus, with 48 patients diagnosed by ultrasound and 72 patients by MSCT; there were 13 patients with anomalous pulmonary venous connection to coronary sinus, with 12 patients diagnosed by ultrasound and 13 patients by MSCT diagnosis; there were 10 patients with unroofed coronary sinus syndrome, with 6 patients diagnosed by ultrasound and 8 patients by MSCT, there were 2 patients with coronary sinus atresia, all diagnosed by MSCT; there were 1 patient with coronary sinus anomaly reflow to left arita. The significant difference between 2 modalities (χ 2 =22.7, P<0.01) shows that CT is superior to ultrasound. Conclusion: MSCT is much more better than ultrasound in the diagnosis of malformation of coronary sinus and it can provide reliable diagnosis prior to surgery or interventional therapy. (authors)

  13. Max dD/Dt: A Novel Parameter to Assess Fetal Cardiac Contractility and a Substitute for Max dP/Dt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujita, Yasuyuki; Kiyokoba, Ryo; Yumoto, Yasuo; Kato, Kiyoko

    2018-07-01

    Aortic pulse waveforms are composed of a forward wave from the heart and a reflection wave from the periphery. We focused on this forward wave and suggested a new parameter, the maximum slope of aortic pulse waveforms (max dD/dt), for fetal cardiac contractility. Max dD/dt was calculated from fetal aortic pulse waveforms recorded with an echo-tracking system. A normal range of max dD/dt was constructed in 105 healthy fetuses using linear regression analysis. Twenty-two fetuses with suspected fetal cardiac dysfunction were divided into normal and decreased max dD/dt groups, and their clinical parameters were compared. Max dD/dt of aortic pulse waveforms increased linearly with advancing gestational age (r = 0.93). The decreased max dD/dt was associated with abnormal cardiotocography findings and short- and long-term prognosis. In conclusion, max dD/dt calculated from the aortic pulse waveforms in fetuses can substitute for max dP/dt, an index of cardiac contractility in adults. Copyright © 2018 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Dose reduction in coronary artery imaging with 64-row multi-slice helical CT with body mass index-dependent mA selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Jianhua; Wang Guisheng; Zheng Jingchen; Li Jianying; Sun Xianchang; Gao Caihong; Dai Ruping

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the robustness of body mass index (BMI) adapted tube current selection method for obtaining consistent image quality in MSCT coronary artery imaging. Methods: Initially one hundred patients in the control group (C group) underwent cardiac scans using GE 64-row VCT with standard scan protocol (640 mA, 120 kV, 0.35 sec, body bowtie, C 2 filter). Noise measurement was obtained for each patient using the average of three consecutive slices in the ascending aorta with ROI of 10 mm x 10 mm to establish the relationship between BMI, desired image noise (IN) and required mA. An excel table was established to predict the required mA to achieve a desired IN for each patient with different BMI. A second group of one hundred cardiac patients (L group) was scanned with BMI-adapted mA from the table to evaluate the practicability of this method. BMI, IN, CT dose index (CTDI), effective dose (ED) were all recorded. Results: For the control group of 100 patients, the mean values and standard deviations of image quality score (IQS), BMI, IN and ED were 3.71±0.54, 25.08±2.63, 24.56±5.03 and (17.63±1.68) mSv (with range of 15-22 mSv). Regression analysis indicated linear relationship between BMI and image noise with fixed mA. Using the relationship between tube current and image noise and noise ratio between large bowtie and cardiac bowtie, the following equation for the required tube current Xma to achieve present image noise of INa for patient with certain BMI value when using cardiac bowtie could be then obtained: Xma=Fma x [(k 1 x BMI + c 1 )/Ina] 2 , where Fma=640 mA, k 1 =1.033, c 1 = -3.2, INa=27 in the study. (2) For the patients in L group, the mean values and standard deviations of IQS, BMI, and IN were 3.69±0.53, 25.07±2.91, and 26.61±3.44, respectively. The average tube current used was (469.95±113.45) mA, depending on patient's BMI values. The average effectively dose was (9.08±2.25) mSv. There was no statistically difference between the

  15. 3D printed cardiac phantom for procedural planning of a transcatheter native mitral valve replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izzo, Richard L.; O'Hara, Ryan P.; Iyer, Vijay; Hansen, Rose; Meess, Karen M.; Nagesh, S. V. Setlur; Rudin, Stephen; Siddiqui, Adnan H.; Springer, Michael; Ionita, Ciprian N.

    2016-03-01

    3D printing an anatomically accurate, functional flow loop phantom of a patient's cardiac vasculature was used to assist in the surgical planning of one of the first native transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedures. CTA scans were acquired from a patient about to undergo the first minimally-invasive native TMVR procedure at the Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, NY. A python scripting library, the Vascular Modeling Toolkit (VMTK), was used to segment the 3D geometry of the patient's cardiac chambers and mitral valve with severe stenosis, calcific in nature. A stereolithographic (STL) mesh was generated and AutoDesk Meshmixer was used to transform the vascular surface into a functioning closed flow loop. A Stratasys Objet 500 Connex3 multi-material printer was used to fabricate the phantom with distinguishable material features of the vasculature and calcified valve. The interventional team performed a mock procedure on the phantom, embedding valve cages in the model and imaging the phantom with a Toshiba Infinix INFX-8000V 5-axis Carm bi-Plane angiography system. Results: After performing the mock-procedure on the cardiac phantom, the cardiologists optimized their transapical surgical approach. The mitral valve stenosis and calcification were clearly visible. The phantom was used to inform the sizing of the valve to be implanted. Conclusion: With advances in image processing and 3D printing technology, it is possible to create realistic patientspecific phantoms which can act as a guide for the interventional team. Using 3D printed phantoms as a valve sizing method shows potential as a more informative technique than typical CTA reconstruction alone.

  16. Monoplane 3D-2D registration of cerebral angiograms based on multi-objective stratified optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aksoy, T.; Špiclin, Ž.; Pernuš, F.; Unal, G.

    2017-12-01

    Registration of 3D pre-interventional to 2D intra-interventional medical images has an increasingly important role in surgical planning, navigation and treatment, because it enables the physician to co-locate depth information given by pre-interventional 3D images with the live information in intra-interventional 2D images such as x-ray. Most tasks during image-guided interventions are carried out under a monoplane x-ray, which is a highly ill-posed problem for state-of-the-art 3D to 2D registration methods. To address the problem of rigid 3D-2D monoplane registration we propose a novel multi-objective stratified parameter optimization, wherein a small set of high-magnitude intensity gradients are matched between the 3D and 2D images. The stratified parameter optimization matches rotation templates to depth templates, first sampled from projected 3D gradients and second from the 2D image gradients, so as to recover 3D rigid-body rotations and out-of-plane translation. The objective for matching was the gradient magnitude correlation coefficient, which is invariant to in-plane translation. The in-plane translations are then found by locating the maximum of the gradient phase correlation between the best matching pair of rotation and depth templates. On twenty pairs of 3D and 2D images of ten patients undergoing cerebral endovascular image-guided intervention the 3D to monoplane 2D registration experiments were setup with a rather high range of initial mean target registration error from 0 to 100 mm. The proposed method effectively reduced the registration error to below 2 mm, which was further refined by a fast iterative method and resulted in a high final registration accuracy (0.40 mm) and high success rate (> 96%). Taking into account a fast execution time below 10 s, the observed performance of the proposed method shows a high potential for application into clinical image-guidance systems.

  17. Estimating Cardiac Exposure From Breast Cancer Radiotherapy in Clinical Practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, C.W.; McGale, P.; Povall, J.M.; Thomas, E.; Kumar, S.; Dodwell, D.; Darby, S.C.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the value of maximum heart distance (MHD) in predicting the dose and biologically effective dose (BED) to the heart and the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery for left-tangential breast or chest wall irradiation. Methods and Materials: A total of 50 consecutive breast cancer patients given adjuvant left-tangential irradiation at a large U.K. radiotherapy center during 2006 were selected. For each patient, the following were derived using three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) planning: (1) mean dose and BED to the heart, (2) mean dose and BED to the LAD coronary artery, (3) MHD, (4) position of the CT slice showing the maximum area of the irradiated heart relative to the mid-plane slice, and (5) sternal and contralateral breast thickness (measures of body fat). Results: A strong linear correlation was found between the MHD and the mean heart dose. For every 1-cm increase in MHD, the mean heart dose increased by 2.9% on average (95% confidence interval 2.5-3.3). A strong linear-quadratic relationship was seen between the MHD and the mean heart BED. The mean LAD coronary artery dose and BED were also correlated with the MHD but the associations were weaker. These relationships were not affected by body fat. The mid-plane CT slice did not give a reliable assessment of cardiac irradiation. Conclusion: The MHD is a reliable predictor of the mean heart dose and BED and gives an approximate estimate of the mean LAD coronary artery dose and BED. Doses predicted by the MHD could help assess the risk of radiation-induced cardiac toxicity where individual CT-based cardiac dosimetry is not possible

  18. A simultaneous multi-slice selective J-resolved experiment for fully resolved scalar coupling information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Qing; Lin, Liangjie; Chen, Jinyong; Lin, Yanqin; Barker, Peter B.; Chen, Zhong

    2017-09-01

    Proton-proton scalar coupling plays an important role in molecular structure elucidation. Many methods have been proposed for revealing scalar coupling networks involving chosen protons. However, determining all JHH values within a fully coupled network remains as a tedious process. Here, we propose a method termed as simultaneous multi-slice selective J-resolved spectroscopy (SMS-SEJRES) for simultaneously measuring JHH values out of all coupling networks in a sample within one experiment. In this work, gradient-encoded selective refocusing, PSYCHE decoupling and echo planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) detection module are adopted, resulting in different selective J-edited spectra extracted from different spatial positions. The proposed pulse sequence can facilitate the analysis of molecular structures. Therefore, it will interest scientists who would like to efficiently address the structural analysis of molecules.

  19. A comparison of multi-echo spin-echo and triple-echo steady-state T2 mapping for in vivo evaluation of articular cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juras, Vladimir; Bohndorf, Klaus; Heule, Rahel; Kronnerwetter, Claudia; Szomolanyi, Pavol; Hager, Benedikt; Bieri, Oliver; Zbyn, Stefan; Trattnig, Siegfried

    2016-06-01

    To assess the clinical relevance of T2 relaxation times, measured by 3D triple-echo steady-state (3D-TESS), in knee articular cartilage compared to conventional multi-echo spin-echo T2-mapping. Thirteen volunteers and ten patients with focal cartilage lesions were included in this prospective study. All subjects underwent 3-Tesla MRI consisting of a multi-echo multi-slice spin-echo sequence (CPMG) as a reference method for T2 mapping, and 3D TESS with the same geometry settings, but variable acquisition times: standard (TESSs 4:35min) and quick (TESSq 2:05min). T2 values were compared in six different regions in the femoral and tibial cartilage using a Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). The local ethics committee approved this study, and all participants gave written informed consent. The mean quantitative T2 values measured by CPMG (mean: 46±9ms) in volunteers were significantly higher compared to those measured with TESS (mean: 31±5ms) in all regions. Both methods performed similarly in patients, but CPMG provided a slightly higher difference between lesions and native cartilage (CPMG: 90ms→61ms [31%],p=0.0125;TESS 32ms→24ms [24%],p=0.0839). 3D-TESS provides results similar to those of a conventional multi-echo spin-echo sequence with many benefits, such as shortening of total acquisition time and insensitivity to B1 and B0 changes. • 3D-TESS T 2 mapping provides clinically comparable results to CPMG in shorter scan-time. • Clinical and investigational studies may benefit from high temporal resolution of 3D-TESS. • 3D-TESS T 2 values are able to differentiate between healthy and damaged cartilage.

  20. Usefulness of simulation with multi-slice CT for laparoscopic nephrectomy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akiyama, Yuji; Ishifuro, Minoru; Ookubo, Masaomi [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Hospital] (and others)

    2002-12-01

    In recent years, laparoscopic surgery has attracted attention as a minimally invasive type of surgery because of the small surgical wounds and early recovery it provides. We carry out this technique on the basis of volume data that we make use of in multi-slice CT imaging technology in laparoscopic nephrectomy by the retroperitoneal approach, and we have created CT virtual laparoscopy by virtual endoscopic display as an intra-operative navigator with an image analysis system. We provide information on detailed vascular anatomy to form intra-operative images that act as similar support images. With the provision of this volume data, we consider virtual endoscopic display the most suitable method for surgery. When we perform virtual laparoscopy, we simulate the insertion point and angle, the order of vascular structures and their locations, the number of arteries and veins, and their bifurcation points and ligation points in conjunction with the surgeon prior to operation. As the branch patterns of the renal artery are varied, perioperative confusion and surgical mishaps can be avoided through the information that is provided beforehand. Thus surgery is more accurate and proceeds more smoothly, because the surgeon has accurate anatomical information. In addition, the time required for surgery is decreased, reducing risk and the possibility of complications. (author)

  1. Usefulness of simulation with multi-slice CT for laparoscopic nephrectomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Yuji; Ishifuro, Minoru; Ookubo, Masaomi

    2002-01-01

    In recent years, laparoscopic surgery has attracted attention as a minimally invasive type of surgery because of the small surgical wounds and early recovery it provides. We carry out this technique on the basis of volume data that we make use of in multi-slice CT imaging technology in laparoscopic nephrectomy by the retroperitoneal approach, and we have created CT virtual laparoscopy by virtual endoscopic display as an intra-operative navigator with an image analysis system. We provide information on detailed vascular anatomy to form intra-operative images that act as similar support images. With the provision of this volume data, we consider virtual endoscopic display the most suitable method for surgery. When we perform virtual laparoscopy, we simulate the insertion point and angle, the order of vascular structures and their locations, the number of arteries and veins, and their bifurcation points and ligation points in conjunction with the surgeon prior to operation. As the branch patterns of the renal artery are varied, perioperative confusion and surgical mishaps can be avoided through the information that is provided beforehand. Thus surgery is more accurate and proceeds more smoothly, because the surgeon has accurate anatomical information. In addition, the time required for surgery is decreased, reducing risk and the possibility of complications. (author)

  2. Clinical evaluation of 2D versus 3D whole-body PET image quality using a dedicated BGO PET scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Visvikis, D.; Griffiths, D.; Costa, D.C.; Bomanji, J.; Ell, P.J.

    2005-01-01

    Three-dimensional positron emission tomography (3D PET) results in higher system sensitivity, with an associated increase in the detection of scatter and random coincidences. The objective of this work was to compare, from a clinical perspective, 3D and two-dimensional (2D) acquisitions in terms of whole-body (WB) PET image quality with a dedicated BGO PET system. 2D and 3D WB emission acquisitions were carried out in 70 patients. Variable acquisition parameters in terms of time of emission acquisition per axial field of view (aFOV) and slice overlap between sequential aFOVs were used during the 3D acquisitions. 3D and 2D images were reconstructed using FORE+WLS and OSEM respectively. Scatter correction was performed by convolution subtraction and a model-based scatter correction in 2D and 3D respectively. All WB images were attenuation corrected using segmented transmission scans. Images were blindly assessed by three observers for the presence of artefacts, confidence in lesion detection and overall image quality using a scoring system. Statistically significant differences between 2D and 3D image quality were only obtained for 3D emission acquisitions of 3 min. No statistically significant differences were observed for image artefacts or lesion detectability scores. Image quality correlated significantly with patient weight for both modes of operation. Finally, no differences were seen in image artefact scores for the different axial slice overlaps considered, suggesting the use of five slice overlaps in 3D WB acquisitions. 3D WB imaging using a dedicated BGO-based PET scanner offers similar image quality to that obtained in 2D considering similar overall times of acquisitions. (orig.)

  3. Vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with cardiac iron and function in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia at Chiang Mai University Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dejkhamron, Prapai; Wejaphikul, Karn; Mahatumarat, Tuanjit; Silvilairat, Suchaya; Charoenkwan, Pimlak; Saekho, Suwit; Unachak, Kevalee

    2018-02-01

    Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with thalassemia. Vitamin D deficiency could be related to cardiac dysfunction. Increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) is also known to be associated with heart failure. To determine the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and to explore the impact of Vitamin D deficiency on cardiac iron and function in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia. A cross-sectional study in patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia was conducted. Patients with liver disease, renal disease, type 1 diabetes, malabsorption, hypercortisolism, malignancy, and contraindication for MRI were excluded. Calcium, phosphate, PTH, vitamin D-25OH were measured. CardiacT2 * and liver iron concentration (LIC) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were determined. Results Sixty-one (33M/28F) patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia were enrolled. The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency was 50.8%. Patients with cardiac siderosis had tendency for lower D-25OH than those without siderosis (15.9 (11.7-20.0) vs. 20.2 (15.85-22.3) ng/mL); p = 0.06). Serum calcium, phosphate, PTH, LIC, cardiac T2 * , and LVEF were not different between the groups with or without Vitamin D deficiency. Patients with Vitamin D deficiency had significantly lower hemoglobin levels compared to those without Vitamin D deficiency (7.5 (6.93-8.33) vs. 8.1 (7.30-8.50) g/dL; p = 0.04). The median hemoglobin in the last 12 months was significantly correlated with D-25OH. Cardiac T2 * had significant correlation with PTH. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Vitamin D level is correlated with hemoglobin level. Vitamin D status should be routinely assessed in these patients. Low PTH is correlated with increased cardiac iron. This study did not demonstrate an association between Vitamin D deficiency and cardiac iron or function in patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

  4. Noncontrast cardiac computed tomography image-based vertebral bone mineral density: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dong; Mao, Song Shou; Khazai, Bahram; Hyder, Joseph A; Allison, Matthew; McClelland, Robyn; de Boer, Ian; Carr, J Jeffrey; Criqui, Michael H; Gao, Yanlin; Budoff, Matthew J

    2013-05-01

    Cardiac computer tomography (CT) image-based vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) assessment and the influence of cardiovascular disease risk factors on BMD have not been systematically evaluated, especially in a community-based, multiethnic population. A cross-sectional study design is used to determine if cardiac CT image is a reliable source to assess vertebral BMD, and a total of 2028 CT images were obtained from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a large, diverse US cohort of adults 45 to 84 years of age. Cardiac CT image allows the rapid assessment of vertebral BMD and related fractures. The mean BMD was significantly higher in men compared with women for thoracic vertebrae (143.2 ± 41.2 vs 138.7 ± 42.7 mg/cm³, respectively, P = .014), as well as for lumbar vertebrae (125.0 ± 37.9 vs 117.2 ± 39.4 mg/cm³, respectively, P images to garner and assess vertebral BMD is a feasible and reliable method. Cardiac CT has the additional advantages of evaluate vertebral bone health while assessing cardiovascular disease risk with no extra cost or radiation exposure. Copyright © 2013 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Clonidine, an alpha2-receptor agonist, diminishes GABAergic neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons in the nucleus ambiguus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philbin, Kerry E; Bateman, Ryan J; Mendelowitz, David

    2010-08-06

    In hypertension, there is an autonomic imbalance in which sympathetic activity dominates over parasympathetic control. Parasympathetic activity to the heart originates from cardiac vagal neurons located in the nucleus ambiguus. Presympathetic neurons that project to sympathetic neurons in the spinal cord are located in the ventral brainstem in close proximity to cardiac vagal neurons, and many of these presympathetic neurons are catecholaminergic. In addition to their projection to the spinal cord, many of these presympathetic neurons have axon collaterals that arborize into neighboring cardiorespiratory locations and likely release norepinephrine onto nearby neurons. Activation of alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors in the central nervous system evokes a diverse range of physiological effects, including reducing blood pressure. This study tests whether clonidine, an alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist, alters excitatory glutamatergic, and/or inhibitory GABAergic or glycinergic synaptic neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons in the nucleus ambiguus. Cardiac vagal neurons were identified in an in vitro brainstem slice preparation, and synaptic events were recording using whole cell voltage clamp methodologies. Clonidine significantly inhibited GABAergic neurotransmission but had no effect on glycinergic or glutamatergic pathways to cardiac vagal neurons. This diminished inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons would increase parasympathetic activity to the heart, decreasing heart rate and blood pressure. The results presented here provide a cellular substrate for the clinical use of clonidine as a treatment for hypertension as well as a role in alleviating posttraumatic stress disorder by evoking an increase in parasympathetic cardiac vagal activity, and a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Slices

    KAUST Repository

    McCrae, James

    2011-01-01

    Minimalist object representations or shape-proxies that spark and inspire human perception of shape remain an incompletely understood, yet powerful aspect of visual communication. We explore the use of planar sections, i.e., the contours of intersection of planes with a 3D object, for creating shape abstractions, motivated by their popularity in art and engineering. We first perform a user study to show that humans do define consistent and similar planar section proxies for common objects. Interestingly, we observe a strong correlation between user-defined planes and geometric features of objects. Further we show that the problem of finding the minimum set of planes that capture a set of 3D geometric shape features is both NP-hard and not always the proxy a user would pick. Guided by the principles inferred from our user study, we present an algorithm that progressively selects planes to maximize feature coverage, which in turn influence the selection of subsequent planes. The algorithmic framework easily incorporates various shape features, while their relative importance values are computed and validated from the user study data. We use our algorithm to compute planar slices for various objects, validate their utility towards object abstraction using a second user study, and conclude showing the potential applications of the extracted planar slice shape proxies. © 2011 ACM.

  7. 3D deblending of simultaneous source data based on 3D multi-scale shaping operator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zu, Shaohuan; Zhou, Hui; Mao, Weijian; Gong, Fei; Huang, Weilin

    2018-04-01

    We propose an iterative three-dimensional (3D) deblending scheme using 3D multi-scale shaping operator to separate 3D simultaneous source data. The proposed scheme is based on the property that signal is coherent, whereas interference is incoherent in some domains, e.g., common receiver domain and common midpoint domain. In two-dimensional (2D) blended record, the coherency difference of signal and interference is in only one spatial direction. Compared with 2D deblending, the 3D deblending can take more sparse constraints into consideration to obtain better performance, e.g., in 3D common receiver gather, the coherency difference is in two spatial directions. Furthermore, with different levels of coherency, signal and interference distribute in different scale curvelet domains. In both 2D and 3D blended records, most coherent signal locates in coarse scale curvelet domain, while most incoherent interference distributes in fine scale curvelet domain. The scale difference is larger in 3D deblending, thus, we apply the multi-scale shaping scheme to further improve the 3D deblending performance. We evaluate the performance of 3D and 2D deblending with the multi-scale and global shaping operators, respectively. One synthetic and one field data examples demonstrate the advantage of the 3D deblending with 3D multi-scale shaping operator.

  8. A comparison of multi-echo spin-echo and triple-echo steady-state T2 mapping for in vivo evaluation of articular cartilage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Juras, Vladimir; Szomolanyi, Pavol [Medical University of Vienna, High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Vienna (Austria); Institute of Measurement Science, Department of Imaging Methods, Bratislava (Slovakia); Bohndorf, Klaus; Kronnerwetter, Claudia; Hager, Benedikt; Zbyn, Stefan [Medical University of Vienna, High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Vienna (Austria); Heule, Rahel; Bieri, Oliver [University of Basel Hospital, Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, Basel (Switzerland); Trattnig, Siegfried [Medical University of Vienna, High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Vienna (Austria); Christian Doppler Laboratory for Clinical Molecular MR Imaging, Vienna (Austria); Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna (Austria)

    2016-06-15

    To assess the clinical relevance of T{sub 2} relaxation times, measured by 3D triple-echo steady-state (3D-TESS), in knee articular cartilage compared to conventional multi-echo spin-echo T{sub 2}-mapping. Thirteen volunteers and ten patients with focal cartilage lesions were included in this prospective study. All subjects underwent 3-Tesla MRI consisting of a multi-echo multi-slice spin-echo sequence (CPMG) as a reference method for T{sub 2} mapping, and 3D TESS with the same geometry settings, but variable acquisition times: standard (TESSs 4:35min) and quick (TESSq 2:05min). T{sub 2} values were compared in six different regions in the femoral and tibial cartilage using a Wilcoxon signed ranks test and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). The local ethics committee approved this study, and all participants gave written informed consent. The mean quantitative T{sub 2} values measured by CPMG (mean: 46±9ms) in volunteers were significantly higher compared to those measured with TESS (mean: 31±5ms) in all regions. Both methods performed similarly in patients, but CPMG provided a slightly higher difference between lesions and native cartilage (CPMG: 90ms→61ms [31%],p=0.0125;TESS 32ms→24ms [24%],p=0.0839). 3D-TESS provides results similar to those of a conventional multi-echo spin-echo sequence with many benefits, such as shortening of total acquisition time and insensitivity to B{sub 1} and B{sub 0} changes. (orig.)

  9. Dihydrotestosterone induces pro-angiogenic factors and assists homing of MSC into the cardiac tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popa, Mirel-Adrian; Mihai, Maria-Cristina; Constantin, Alina; Şuică, Viorel; Ţucureanu, Cătălin; Costache, Raluca; Antohe, Felicia; Dubey, Raghvendra K; Simionescu, Maya

    2018-01-01

    The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as a therapeutic tool in cardiovascular diseases is promising. Since androgens exert some beneficial actions on the cardiovascular system, we tested our hypothesis that this hormone could promote MSC-mediated repair processes, also. Cultured MSCs isolated from Wharton's jelly were exposed to 30 nM dihydrotestosterone (DHT) for 1 or 4 days and the effects of the hormone on their growth/migration/adhesion and the underlying mechanisms were assessed. Results were obtained by real-time cell impedance measurements, and DNA quantification showed that DHT increased MSC proliferation by ~30%. As determined by xCELLigence system, DHT augmented (~2 folds) the migration of MSC toward cardiac tissue slices (at 12 h), and this effect was blocked by flutamide, an androgen receptor (AR) antagonist. Exposure of cells to DHT, upregulated the gene and protein expression of AR , EMMPRIN and MMP-9 and downregulated the expression of MMP-2 DHT significantly induced the release of nitric oxide by MSC (≥2-fold) and flutamide blocked this effect. When MSCs were co-cultured with cardiac slices, immunohistochemical analysis and qRT-PCR showed that the integration of DHT-stimulated MSC was significantly higher than that of in controls. In conclusion, our findings provide the first evidence that DHT promotes MSC growth, migration and integration into the cardiac slices. The modulating effects of DHT were associated with upregulation of ARs and of key molecules known to promote tissue remodeling and angiogenesis. Our findings suggest that priming of MSC with DHT may potentially increase their capability to regenerate cardiac tissue; in vivo studies are needed to confirm our in vitro findings. © 2018 Society for Endocrinology.

  10. Accuracy of 16-slice multi-detector CT to quantify the degree of coronary artery stenosis: Assessment of cross-sectional and longitudinal vessel reconstructions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cury, Ricardo C. [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States)]. E-mail: rcury@partners.org; Ferencik, Maros [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Achenbach, Stephan [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Erlangen (Germany); Pomerantsev, Eugene [Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Nieman, Koen [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Moselewski, Fabian [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Abbara, Suhny [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Jang, Ik-Kyung [Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Brady, Thomas J. [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Hoffmann, Udo [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States)

    2006-03-15

    Background: Sixteen-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) permits reliable noninvasive detection of significant coronary stenosis based on qualitative visual assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of MDCT to quantify the degree of coronary stenosis as compared to quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) using two different reconstruction methods. Methods: We studied 69 coronary artery lesions from 38 consecutive patients that underwent 16-slice MDCT as a part of research study, which enrolled consecutive subjects scheduled for clinically indicated invasive coronary angiography. Nine coronary artery lesions with motion artifacts, heavily calcified plaques or stents were excluded from the analysis. The degree of stenosis was calculated by two independent readers non-blinded to the location of the stenosis, but blinded to the results of the QCA. MDCT luminal diameters were measured in cross-sectional multi-planar reformatted (CS-MPR) images created perpendicular to the centerline of the vessel and in 5 mm thin-slab maximum intensity projections (MIP) parallel to the long axis of the vessel. Both MDCT methods were compared against QCA. Results: The mean degree of stenosis as measured by MDCT was closely correlated to QCA for both methods (CS-MPR versus QCA: 61 {+-} 23% versus 64 {+-} 29%; r {sup 2} = 0.83, p < 0.001 and MIP versus QCA: 64 {+-} 22% versus 64 {+-} 29%; r {sup 2} = 0.84, p < 0.001 for MIP. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated a negative bias of the degree of stenosis of -2.8 {+-} 12% using CS-MPR and a minimally positive bias of 0.6 {+-} 12% for MIP. In stratified analysis for lesion severity (mild, 0-40%; moderate, 41-70% or severe, >70%) the agreement between both CS-MPR and MIP was high when compared to QCA ({kappa} = 0.74 and 0.71, respectively). Conclusion: Multi-detector spiral CT permits accurate quantitative assessment of the degree of coronary stenosis in selected data sets of sufficient quality using both

  11. Leading CFT constraints on multi-critical models in d>2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Codello, Alessandro [CP-Origins, University of Southern Denmark,Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M (Denmark); INFN - Sezione di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); Safari, Mahmoud [INFN - Sezione di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); Vacca, Gian Paolo [INFN - Sezione di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); Zanusso, Omar [Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena,Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena (Germany); INFN - Sezione di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy)

    2017-04-21

    We consider the family of renormalizable scalar QFTs with self-interacting potentials of highest monomial ϕ{sup m} below their upper critical dimensions d{sub c}=((2m)/(m−2)), and study them using a combination of CFT constraints, Schwinger-Dyson equation and the free theory behavior at the upper critical dimension. For even integers m≥4 these theories coincide with the Landau-Ginzburg description of multi-critical phenomena and interpolate with the unitary minimal models in d=2, while for odd m the theories are non-unitary and start at m=3 with the Lee-Yang universality class. For all the even potentials and for the Lee-Yang universality class, we show how the assumption of conformal invariance is enough to compute the scaling dimensions of the local operators ϕ{sup k} and of some families of structure constants in either the coupling’s or the ϵ-expansion. For all other odd potentials we express some scaling dimensions and structure constants in the coupling’s expansion.

  12. Accelerated magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the median nerve using simultaneous multi-slice echo planar imaging with blipped CAIPIRINHA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Filli, Lukas; Kenkel, David; Boss, Andreas; Manoliu, Andrei; Andreisek, Gustav; Runge, Val M.; Guggenberger, Roman [University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Piccirelli, Marco [University Hospital of Zurich, Department of Neuroradiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Bhat, Himanshu [Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc, Charlestown, MA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    To investigate the feasibility of MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the median nerve using simultaneous multi-slice echo planar imaging (EPI) with blipped CAIPIRINHA. After federal ethics board approval, MR imaging of the median nerves of eight healthy volunteers (mean age, 29.4 years; range, 25-32) was performed at 3 T using a 16-channel hand/wrist coil. An EPI sequence (b-value, 1,000 s/mm{sup 2}; 20 gradient directions) was acquired without acceleration as well as with twofold and threefold slice acceleration. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and quality of nerve tractography (number of tracks, average track length, track homogeneity, anatomical accuracy) were compared between the acquisitions using multivariate ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Acquisition time was 6:08 min for standard DTI, 3:38 min for twofold and 2:31 min for threefold acceleration. No differences were found regarding FA (standard DTI: 0.620 ± 0.058; twofold acceleration: 0.642 ± 0.058; threefold acceleration: 0.644 ± 0.061; p ≥ 0.217) and MD (standard DTI: 1.076 ± 0.080 mm{sup 2}/s; twofold acceleration: 1.016 ± 0.123 mm{sup 2}/s; threefold acceleration: 0.979 ± 0.153 mm{sup 2}/s; p ≥ 0.074). Twofold acceleration yielded similar tractography quality compared to standard DTI (p > 0.05). With threefold acceleration, however, average track length and track homogeneity decreased (p = 0.004-0.021). Accelerated DTI of the median nerve is feasible. Twofold acceleration yields similar results to standard DTI. (orig.)

  13. A nodal collocation approximation for the multi-dimensional PL equations - 2D applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capilla, M.; Talavera, C.F.; Ginestar, D.; Verdu, G.

    2008-01-01

    A classical approach to solve the neutron transport equation is to apply the spherical harmonics method obtaining a finite approximation known as the P L equations. In this work, the derivation of the P L equations for multi-dimensional geometries is reviewed and a nodal collocation method is developed to discretize these equations on a rectangular mesh based on the expansion of the neutronic fluxes in terms of orthogonal Legendre polynomials. The performance of the method and the dominant transport Lambda Modes are obtained for a homogeneous 2D problem, a heterogeneous 2D anisotropic scattering problem, a heterogeneous 2D problem and a benchmark problem corresponding to a MOX fuel reactor core

  14. Optimization of multi-slice helical respiration-correlated CT: the effects of table speed and rotation time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wink, Nicole M; McNitt-Gray, Michael F; Solberg, Timothy D

    2005-01-01

    While respiration-correlated CT is gaining acceptance in clinical radiotherapy, the effect of scanning parameters on the image quality has yet to be addressed. The intent of this study was to characterize the effects of gantry rotation and table speed on various image quality characteristics in multi-slice, helical, retrospectively-gated CT images. Images of stationary and moving phantoms were obtained in helical mode on a 20-slice CT scanner. Motion was generated by a computer-controlled platform capable of moving simultaneously in two dimensions. Motion was monitored using a pressure gauge inserted inside an adjustable belt. Selected scans were retrospectively gated into ten phases based on the monitored motion. Gantry rotation speeds of 0.5 s and 1.0 s were evaluated with pitches ranging from 0.1 to 0.45. Several parameters, including calculated object volumes, trajectory (movement from peak to trough), deformation (actual volume divided by volume created with the maximum diameter of contoured object) and z-axis resolution, were used to characterize image quality. These studies indicate that for objects in the peak phase of a movement pattern that simulates breathing, retrospectively gated scans using fast gantry rotation speeds produce volume, trajectory, deformation and z-axis resolution results comparable with those of a stationary object

  15. Cardiac CT angiography after coronary artery surgery in children using 64-slice CT scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marini, Davide; Agnoletti, Gabriella; Brunelle, Francis; Sidi, Daniel; Bonnet, Damien; Ou, Phalla

    2009-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice CT with that of invasive angiography in the detection of graft and/or coronary angioplasty stenosis in children who had undergone coronary artery surgery. Population and methods: Fifteen consecutive children (8 male and 7 female; age 9.2 ± 6.1 years) underwent 64-slice CT because of chest pain or ECG changes mean 4.8 ± 3.7 years after surgical coronary artery surgery; 10 patients had coronary angioplasty using a patch from the saphenous vein, four had mammary artery bypass, and one had saphenous vein bypass. Six main segments of the coronary arteries and all the bypass graft considered as a single segment were analyzed and compared with invasive angiography used as the reference standard. Results: CT correctly identified the four children with coronary angioplasty and mammary graft lesions that were confirmed by conventional angiography: one patient had a significant stenosis (>50% stenosis) at the mammary bypass graft anastomosis site; three other had non-significant stenosis (<50% stenosis) including a mild lesion of the saphenous vein patch in two patients and a mild lesion at the anastomosis site of the mammary bypass in one. All segments identified as normal by CT in the other 11 children were also found to be normal by conventional angiography. Conclusion: In centers expert in this technique, 64-slice CT scanning is a promising, rapid, and useful diagnostic technique for evaluating both coronary angioplasty and bypass graft lesions in children who had undergone coronary artery surgery.

  16. PGC-1{alpha} accelerates cytosolic Ca{sup 2+} clearance without disturbing Ca{sup 2+} homeostasis in cardiac myocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Min, E-mail: chenminyx@gmail.com [Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Yunnan Centers for Diseases Prevention and Control, Kunming 650022 (China); Wang, Yanru [Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Qu, Aijuan [Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)

    2010-06-11

    Energy metabolism and Ca{sup 2+} handling serve critical roles in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1{alpha}) is a multi-functional coactivator that is involved in the regulation of cardiac mitochondrial functional capacity and cellular energy metabolism. However, the regulation of PGC-1{alpha} in cardiac Ca{sup 2+} signaling has not been fully elucidated. To address this issue, we combined confocal line-scan imaging with off-line imaging processing to characterize calcium signaling in cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes expressing PGC-1{alpha} via adenoviral transduction. Our data shows that overexpressing PGC-1{alpha} improved myocyte contractility without increasing the amplitude of Ca{sup 2+} transients, suggesting that myofilament sensitivity to Ca{sup 2+} increased. Interestingly, the decay kinetics of global Ca{sup 2+} transients and Ca{sup 2+} waves accelerated in PGC-1{alpha}-expressing cells, but the decay rate of caffeine-elicited Ca{sup 2+} transients showed no significant change. This suggests that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca{sup 2+}-ATPase (SERCA2a), but not Na{sup +}/Ca{sup 2+} exchange (NCX) contribute to PGC-1{alpha}-induced cytosolic Ca{sup 2+} clearance. Furthermore, PGC-1{alpha} induced the expression of SERCA2a in cultured cardiac myocytes. Importantly, overexpressing PGC-1{alpha} did not disturb cardiac Ca{sup 2+} homeostasis, because SR Ca{sup 2+} load and the propensity for Ca{sup 2+} waves remained unchanged. These data suggest that PGC-1{alpha} can ameliorate cardiac Ca{sup 2+} cycling and improve cardiac work output in response to physiological stress. Unraveling the PGC-1{alpha}-calcium handing pathway sheds new light on the role of PGC-1{alpha} in the therapy of cardiac diseases.

  17. Clinical feasibility of simultaneous multi-slice imaging with blipped-CAIPI for diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion-tensor imaging of the brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokota, Hajime; Sakai, Koji; Tazoe, Jun; Goto, Mariko; Imai, Hiroshi; Teramukai, Satoshi; Yamada, Kei

    2017-12-01

    Background Simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging is starting to be used in clinical situation, although evidence of clinical feasibility is scanty. Purpose To prospectively assess the clinical feasibility of SMS diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) with blipped-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging for brain lesions. Material and Methods The institutional review board approved this study. This study included 156 hyperintense lesions on DWI from 32 patients. A slice acceleration factor of 2 was applied for SMS scans, which allowed shortening of the scan time by 41.3%. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated for brain tissue of a selected slice. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated in 36 hyperintense lesions with a diameter of three pixels or more. Visual assessment was performed for all 156 lesions. Tractography of the corticospinal tract of 29 patients was evaluated. The number of tracts and averaged tract length were used for quantitative analysis, and visual assessment was evaluated by grading. Results The SMS scan showed no bias and acceptable 95% limits of agreement compared to conventional scans in SNR, CNR, and ADC on Bland-Altman analyses. Only FA of the lesions was higher in the SMS scan by 9% ( P = 0.016), whereas FA of the surrounding tissues was similar. Quantitative analysis of tractography showed similar values. Visual assessment of DWI hyperintense lesions and tractography also resulted in comparable evaluation. Conclusion SMS imaging was clinically feasible for imaging quality and quantitative values compared with conventional DWI and DTI.

  18. Radiation dosimetry and its influencing factors for the multi-detector/slice spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai Mei; Zheng Junzheng

    2008-01-01

    The Multi-Detector/Slice Spiral Computed Tomography (MDCT/MSCT)reflects the new progress in equipment and technology for radiology. Its popularized application demonstrates its advantages for clinical diagnosis. With the continuous development and growing uses of the MDCT/MSCT, the medical exposure of the patients and public has also been increasing. Therefore, assessment of the radiation dose and radiation risk from X-CT has become an increasingly important concern that should be addressed. Thus, this paper summarizes the main characteristics of the MDCT/MSCT emphasizing particularly on the radiation dosimetry, and reviews the expressions and measures of radiation dose in the MDCT/MSCT. In addition, main factors that influence radiation dose from the MDCT/MSCT are also discussed. A proper grasp of its radiation dosimetry and assessment method can significantly help radiologists, health physicists, medical physicists, X-CT engineers and manufacturers improve the management of radiation dose while optimizing the image quality in the MDCT/MSCT. (authors)

  19. Type D patients report poorer health status prior to and after cardiac rehabilitation compared to non-type D patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pelle, Aline J; Erdman, Ruud A M; van Domburg, Ron T

    2008-01-01

    Type D personality is an emerging risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes, but little is known about the effects of CR on Type D patients.......Type D personality is an emerging risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes, but little is known about the effects of CR on Type D patients....

  20. Value of multi-slice CT in the classification diagnosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qian Yi; Zeng Mengsu; Ling Zhiqing; Rao Shengxiang; Liu Yalan

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the value of multi-slice CT (MSCT) classification in the assessment of the hilar cholangiocarcinoma resectability. Methods: Thirty patients with surgically and histopathologically proved hilar cholangiocarcinomas who underwent preoperative MSCT and were diagnosed correctly were included in present study. Transverse images and reconstructed MPR images were reviewed for Bismuth-Corlette classification and morphological classification of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Then MSCT classification was compared with findings of surgery and histopathology. Curative resectabilty of different types according to Bismuth-Corlette classification and morphological classification were analyzed with chi-square test. Results: In 30 cases, the numbers of Type I, II, IIIa, IIIb and IV according to Bismuth-Corlette classification were 1, 3, 4, 5 and 17. Seventeen patients underwent curative resections, among which 1, 2, 1, 4 and 9 belonged to Type I, II, IIIa, IIIb and IV respectively. However, there was no significant difference in curative resectability among different types of Bismuth-Corlette classification (χ 2 = 0.9875, P>0.05). In present study, the accuracy of MSCT in Bismuth-Corlette classification reached 86.7% (26/30). The numbers of periductal infiltrating, mass forming and intraductal growing type were 13, 13 and 4, while 6, 8 and 3 cases of each type underwent curative resections. There was no significant difference in curative resectability among different types of morphological classification (χ 2 =1.2583, P>0.05). The accuracy of MSCT in morphological classification was 100% (30/30) in this study group. Conclusion: MSCT can make accurate diagnosis of Bismuth-Corlette classification and morphological classification, which is helpful in preoperative respectability assessment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. (authors)

  1. Multi-stage 3D-2D registration for correction of anatomical deformation in image-guided spine surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ketcha, M. D.; De Silva, T.; Uneri, A.; Jacobson, M. W.; Goerres, J.; Kleinszig, G.; Vogt, S.; Wolinsky, J.-P.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

    2017-06-01

    A multi-stage image-based 3D-2D registration method is presented that maps annotations in a 3D image (e.g. point labels annotating individual vertebrae in preoperative CT) to an intraoperative radiograph in which the patient has undergone non-rigid anatomical deformation due to changes in patient positioning or due to the intervention itself. The proposed method (termed msLevelCheck) extends a previous rigid registration solution (LevelCheck) to provide an accurate mapping of vertebral labels in the presence of spinal deformation. The method employs a multi-stage series of rigid 3D-2D registrations performed on sets of automatically determined and increasingly localized sub-images, with the final stage achieving a rigid mapping for each label to yield a locally rigid yet globally deformable solution. The method was evaluated first in a phantom study in which a CT image of the spine was acquired followed by a series of 7 mobile radiographs with increasing degree of deformation applied. Second, the method was validated using a clinical data set of patients exhibiting strong spinal deformation during thoracolumbar spine surgery. Registration accuracy was assessed using projection distance error (PDE) and failure rate (PDE  >  20 mm—i.e. label registered outside vertebra). The msLevelCheck method was able to register all vertebrae accurately for all cases of deformation in the phantom study, improving the maximum PDE of the rigid method from 22.4 mm to 3.9 mm. The clinical study demonstrated the feasibility of the approach in real patient data by accurately registering all vertebral labels in each case, eliminating all instances of failure encountered in the conventional rigid method. The multi-stage approach demonstrated accurate mapping of vertebral labels in the presence of strong spinal deformation. The msLevelCheck method maintains other advantageous aspects of the original LevelCheck method (e.g. compatibility with standard clinical workflow, large

  2. Multi-slice CT angiography in evaluation of extracranial-intracranial bypass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teksam, Mehmet E-mail: mehmetteksam@yahoo.com; McKinney, Alexander; Truwit, Charles L

    2004-12-01

    Multi-slice CT (MSCT) scanners provided significant improvement in vascular applications. In this study, our purpose was to determine the clinical utility of MSCTA in evaluation of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass patency. Eleven (4 men and 7 women; mean age, 46 years; age range, 19-68 years) consecutive patients who underwent MSCTA and DSA after EC-IC bypass surgery were evaluated retrospectively. All patients underwent DSA within 3 weeks of MSCTA. The indications for EC-IC bypass were severe stenosis or occlusion of intracranial arteries in seven patients and therapeutic occlusion of intracranial artery for unclippable giant aneurysm in four patients. Ten patients underwent superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass and one patient underwent occipital artery-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) bypass. Eight STA-MCA bypasses in six patients were patent on MSCTA which were confirmed on DSA. Two MSCTA bypasses and one occipital artery-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) bypass were occluded in three patients on MSCTA and DSA. In one patient, minimal stenosis of the STA-MCA bypass was identified on MSCTA and DSA. In 1 patient, STA-MCA bypass was not well seen on MSCTA and suspected for occlusion. DSA identified the occlusion of bypass on this patient. MSCTA seems to be a very promising noninvasive technique in evaluation of EC-IC bypass.

  3. Multi-slice CT angiography in evaluation of extracranial-intracranial bypass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teksam, Mehmet; McKinney, Alexander; Truwit, Charles L.

    2004-01-01

    Multi-slice CT (MSCT) scanners provided significant improvement in vascular applications. In this study, our purpose was to determine the clinical utility of MSCTA in evaluation of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass patency. Eleven (4 men and 7 women; mean age, 46 years; age range, 19-68 years) consecutive patients who underwent MSCTA and DSA after EC-IC bypass surgery were evaluated retrospectively. All patients underwent DSA within 3 weeks of MSCTA. The indications for EC-IC bypass were severe stenosis or occlusion of intracranial arteries in seven patients and therapeutic occlusion of intracranial artery for unclippable giant aneurysm in four patients. Ten patients underwent superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass and one patient underwent occipital artery-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) bypass. Eight STA-MCA bypasses in six patients were patent on MSCTA which were confirmed on DSA. Two MSCTA bypasses and one occipital artery-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) bypass were occluded in three patients on MSCTA and DSA. In one patient, minimal stenosis of the STA-MCA bypass was identified on MSCTA and DSA. In 1 patient, STA-MCA bypass was not well seen on MSCTA and suspected for occlusion. DSA identified the occlusion of bypass on this patient. MSCTA seems to be a very promising noninvasive technique in evaluation of EC-IC bypass

  4. Computerized detection of breast lesions in multi-centre and multi-instrument DCE-MR data using 3D principal component maps and template matching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ertas, Gokhan; Doran, Simon; Leach, Martin O.

    2011-12-01

    In this study, we introduce a novel, robust and accurate computerized algorithm based on volumetric principal component maps and template matching that facilitates lesion detection on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR. The study dataset comprises 24 204 contrast-enhanced breast MR images corresponding to 4034 axial slices from 47 women in the UK multi-centre study of MRI screening for breast cancer and categorized as high risk. The scans analysed here were performed on six different models of scanner from three commercial vendors, sited in 13 clinics around the UK. 1952 slices from this dataset, containing 15 benign and 13 malignant lesions, were used for training. The remaining 2082 slices, with 14 benign and 12 malignant lesions, were used for test purposes. To prevent false positives being detected from other tissues and regions of the body, breast volumes are segmented from pre-contrast images using a fast semi-automated algorithm. Principal component analysis is applied to the centred intensity vectors formed from the dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images of the segmented breasts, followed by automatic thresholding to eliminate fatty tissues and slowly enhancing normal parenchyma and a convolution and filtering process to minimize artefacts from moderately enhanced normal parenchyma and blood vessels. Finally, suspicious lesions are identified through a volumetric sixfold neighbourhood connectivity search and calculation of two morphological features: volume and volumetric eccentricity, to exclude highly enhanced blood vessels, nipples and normal parenchyma and to localize lesions. This provides satisfactory lesion localization. For a detection sensitivity of 100%, the overall false-positive detection rate of the system is 1.02/lesion, 1.17/case and 0.08/slice, comparing favourably with previous studies. This approach may facilitate detection of lesions in multi-centre and multi-instrument dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MR data.

  5. Vitamin D attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liang; Yan, Xiao; Zhang, Yun-Long; Bai, Jie; Hidru, Tesfaldet Habtemariam; Wang, Qing-Shan; Li, Hui-Hua

    2018-04-01

    Vitamin D (VD) and its analogues play critical roles in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that VD exerts a protective role in cardiovascular diseases. However, the beneficial effect of VD on pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction and its underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophic remodeling in mice were induced by pressure overload. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography, and myocardial histology was detected by H&E and Masson's trichrome staining. Cardiomyocyte size was detected by wheat germ agglutinin staining. The protein levels of signaling mediators were examined by western blotting while mRNA expression of hypertrophic and fibrotic markers was examined by qPCR analysis. Oxidative stress was detected by dihydroethidine staining. Our results showed that administration of VD3 significantly ameliorates pressure overload-induced contractile dysfunction, cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and inflammation in mice. In addition, VD3 treatment also markedly inhibited cardiac oxidative stress and apoptosis. Moreover, protein levels of calcineurin A, ERK1/2, AKT, TGF-β, GRP78, cATF6, and CHOP were significantly reduced whereas SERCA2 level was upregulated in the VD3-treated hearts compared with control. These results suggest that VD3 attenuates cardiac remodeling and dysfunction induced by pressure overload, and this protective effect is associated with inhibition of multiple signaling pathways. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Ethanol induces MAP2 changes in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Noraberg, J; Zimmer, J

    1998-01-01

    loss of CA3 pyramidal cells and moderate loss of dentate granule cells, as seen in vivo. The results indicate that brain slice cultures combined with immunostaining for cytoskeleton and neuronal markers can be used for studies of ethanol and organic solvent neurotoxicity.......Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neuron-specific protein (NeuN) immunostains were used to demonstrate neurotoxic effects in mature hippocampal slice cultures exposed to ethanol (50, 100, 200 mM) for 4 weeks. At the low dose the density of MAP2 immunostaining in the dentate molecular...... layer was 118% of the control cultures, with no detectable changes in CA1 and CA3. At 100 mM no changes were detected, while 200 mM ethanol significantly reduced the MAP2 density in both dentate (19%) and hippocampal dendritic fields (CA3, 52%; CA1, 55%). At this dose NeuN staining showed considerable...

  7. The development of remote teaching laboratory access software for multi-slice computed optical tomography for use in undergraduate nuclear education

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, T.J.; Nichita, E.

    2013-01-01

    Internet-based laboratory exercises were developed for a course on biomedical imaging at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. These exercises used a multi-slice computed optical tomography machine named DeskCAT to instruct students on the principals of computed tomography. User management software was developed which enabled course instructors to quickly set up a computer to accept a series of scheduled remote user connections for a classroom. Laboratory exercises using the DeskCAT machine were developed to be conducted remotely. (author)

  8. The development of remote teaching laboratory access software for multi-slice computed optical tomography for use in undergraduate nuclear education

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price, T.J.; Nichita, E., E-mail: Terry.Price@gmail.com [Univ. of Ontario Inst. of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario (Canada)

    2013-07-01

    Internet-based laboratory exercises were developed for a course on biomedical imaging at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. These exercises used a multi-slice computed optical tomography machine named DeskCAT to instruct students on the principals of computed tomography. User management software was developed which enabled course instructors to quickly set up a computer to accept a series of scheduled remote user connections for a classroom. Laboratory exercises using the DeskCAT machine were developed to be conducted remotely. (author)

  9. Effects of Temperature and Slice Thickness on Drying Kinetics of Pumpkin Slices

    OpenAIRE

    Kongdej LIMPAIBOON

    2011-01-01

    Dried pumpkin slice is an alternative crisp food product. In this study, the effects of temperature and slice thickness on the drying characteristics of pumpkin were studied in a lab-scale tray dryer, using hot air temperatures of 55, 60 and 65 °C and 2, 3 and 4 mm slice thickness at a constant air velocity of 1.5 m/s. The initial moisture content of the pumpkin samples was 900.5 % (wb). The drying process was carried out until the final moisture content of product was 100.5 % (wb). The resul...

  10. SU-E-J-13: Six Degree of Freedom Image Fusion Accuracy for Cranial Target Localization On the Varian Edge Stereotactic Radiosurgery System: Comparison Between 2D/3D and KV CBCT Image Registration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, H [Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (United States); Song, K; Chetty, I; Kim, J [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States); Wen, N [Henry Ford Health System, West Bloomfield, MI (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To determine the 6 degree of freedom systematic deviations between 2D/3D and CBCT image registration with various imaging setups and fusion algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom with radio opaque targets embedded was scanned with CT slice thicknesses of 0.8, 1, 2, and 3mm. The 6 DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing 2D/3D (kV/MV with CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT with CT) image registrations with different offset positions, similarity measures, image filters, and CBCT slice thicknesses (1 and 2 mm). The 2D/3D registration accuracy of 51 fractions for 26 cranial SRS patients was also evaluated by analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification taken after 3D/3D image registrations. Results: The systematic deviations of 2D/3D image registration using kV- kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs were within ±0.3mm and ±0.3° for translations and rotations with 95% confidence interval (CI) for a reference CT with 0.8 mm slice thickness. No significant difference (P>0.05) on target localization was observed between 0.8mm, 1mm, and 2mm CT slice thicknesses with CBCT slice thicknesses of 1mm and 2mm. With 3mm CT slice thickness, both 2D/3D and 3D/3D registrations performed less accurately in longitudinal direction than thinner CT slice thickness (0.60±0.12mm and 0.63±0.07mm off, respectively). Using content filter and using similarity measure of pattern intensity instead of mutual information, improved the 2D/3D registration accuracy significantly (P=0.02 and P=0.01, respectively). For the patient study, means and standard deviations of residual errors were 0.09±0.32mm, −0.22±0.51mm and −0.07±0.32mm in VRT, LNG and LAT directions, respectively, and 0.12°±0.46°, −0.12°±0.39° and 0.06°±0.28° in RTN, PITCH, and ROLL directions, respectively. 95% CI of translational and rotational deviations were comparable to those in phantom study. Conclusion: 2D/3D image registration provided on the Varian Edge radiosurgery, 6 DOF

  11. SU-E-J-13: Six Degree of Freedom Image Fusion Accuracy for Cranial Target Localization On the Varian Edge Stereotactic Radiosurgery System: Comparison Between 2D/3D and KV CBCT Image Registration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, H; Song, K; Chetty, I; Kim, J; Wen, N

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the 6 degree of freedom systematic deviations between 2D/3D and CBCT image registration with various imaging setups and fusion algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom with radio opaque targets embedded was scanned with CT slice thicknesses of 0.8, 1, 2, and 3mm. The 6 DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing 2D/3D (kV/MV with CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT with CT) image registrations with different offset positions, similarity measures, image filters, and CBCT slice thicknesses (1 and 2 mm). The 2D/3D registration accuracy of 51 fractions for 26 cranial SRS patients was also evaluated by analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification taken after 3D/3D image registrations. Results: The systematic deviations of 2D/3D image registration using kV- kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs were within ±0.3mm and ±0.3° for translations and rotations with 95% confidence interval (CI) for a reference CT with 0.8 mm slice thickness. No significant difference (P>0.05) on target localization was observed between 0.8mm, 1mm, and 2mm CT slice thicknesses with CBCT slice thicknesses of 1mm and 2mm. With 3mm CT slice thickness, both 2D/3D and 3D/3D registrations performed less accurately in longitudinal direction than thinner CT slice thickness (0.60±0.12mm and 0.63±0.07mm off, respectively). Using content filter and using similarity measure of pattern intensity instead of mutual information, improved the 2D/3D registration accuracy significantly (P=0.02 and P=0.01, respectively). For the patient study, means and standard deviations of residual errors were 0.09±0.32mm, −0.22±0.51mm and −0.07±0.32mm in VRT, LNG and LAT directions, respectively, and 0.12°±0.46°, −0.12°±0.39° and 0.06°±0.28° in RTN, PITCH, and ROLL directions, respectively. 95% CI of translational and rotational deviations were comparable to those in phantom study. Conclusion: 2D/3D image registration provided on the Varian Edge radiosurgery, 6 DOF

  12. Fresh Slice Self-Seeding and Fresh Slice Harmonic Lasing at LCLS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amann, J.W. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

    2018-04-01

    We present results from the successful demonstration of fresh slice self-seeding at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).* The performance is compared with SASE and regular self-seeding at photon energy of 5.5 keV, resulting in a relative average brightness increase of a factor of 12 and a factor of 2 respectively. Following this proof-of-principle we discuss the forthcoming plans to use the same technique** for fresh slice harmonic lasing in an upcoming experiment. The demonstration of fresh slice harmonic lasing provides an attractive solution for future XFELs aiming to achieve high efficiency, high brightness X-ray pulses at high photon energies (>12 keV).***

  13. Clinical application of Half Fourier Acquisition Single Shot Turbo Spin Echo (HASTE) imaging accelerated by simultaneous multi-slice acquisition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Jenni; P Marques, José; Ter Telgte, Annemieke; van Dorst, Anouk; de Leeuw, Frank-Erik; Meijer, Frederick J A; Norris, David G

    2018-01-01

    As a single-shot sequence with a long train of refocusing pulses, Half-Fourier Acquisition Single-Shot Turbo-Spin-Echo (HASTE) suffers from high power deposition limiting use at high resolutions and high field strengths, particularly if combined with acceleration techniques such as simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging. Using a combination of multiband (MB)-excitation and PINS-refocusing pulses will effectively accelerate the acquisition time while staying within the SAR limitations. In particular, uncooperative and young patients will profit from the speed of the MB-PINS HASTE sequence, as clinical diagnosis can be possible without sedation. Materials and MethodsMB-excitation and PINS-refocusing pulses were incorporated into a HASTE-sequence with blipped CAIPIRINHA and TRAPS including an internal FLASH reference scan for online reconstruction. Whole brain MB-PINS HASTE data were acquired on a Siemens 3T-Prisma system from 10 individuals and compared to a clinical HASTE protocol. ResultsThe proposed MB-PINS HASTE protocol accelerates the acquisition by about a factor 2 compared to the clinical HASTE. The diagnostic image quality proved to be comparable for both sequences for the evaluation of the overall aspect of the brain, the detection of white matter changes and areas of tissue loss, and for the evaluation of the CSF spaces although artifacts were more frequently encountered with MB-PINS HASTE. ConclusionsMB-PINS HASTE enables acquisition of slice accelerated highly T2-weighted images and provides good diagnostic image quality while reducing acquisition time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Dynamic 2D-barcodes for multi-device Web session migration including mobile phones

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alapetite, Alexandre

    2010-01-01

    This article introduces a novel Web architecture that supports session migration in multi-device Web applications, particularly the case when a user starts a Web session on a computer and wishes to continue on a mobile phone. The proposed solution for transferring the needed session identifiers...... across devices is to dynamically generate pictures of 2D-barcodes containing a Web address and a session ID in an encoded form. 2D-barcodes are a cheap, fast and robust approach to the problem. They are widely known and used in Japan, and are spreading in other countries. Variations on the topic...

  15. Electrospun conductive nanofibrous scaffolds for engineering cardiac tissue and 3D bioactuators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ling; Wu, Yaobin; Hu, Tianli; Guo, Baolin; Ma, Peter X

    2017-09-01

    Mimicking the nanofibrous structure similar to extracellular matrix and conductivity for electrical propagation of native myocardium would be highly beneficial for cardiac tissue engineering and cardiomyocytes-based bioactuators. Herein, we developed conductive nanofibrous sheets with electrical conductivity and nanofibrous structure composed of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) blending with polyaniline (PANI) for cardiac tissue engineering and cardiomyocytes-based 3D bioactuators. Incorporating of varying contents of PANI from 0wt% to 3wt% into the PLA polymer, the electrospun nanofibrous sheets showed enhanced conductivity while maintaining the same fiber diameter. These PLA/PANI conductive nanofibrous sheets exhibited good cell viability and promoting effect on differentiation of H9c2 cardiomyoblasts in terms of maturation index and fusion index. Moreover, PLA/PANI nanofibrous sheets enhanced the cell-cell interaction, maturation and spontaneous beating of primary cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the cardiomyocytes-laden PLA/PANI conductive nanofibrous sheets can form 3D bioactuators with tubular and folding shapes, and spontaneously beat with much higher frequency and displacement than that on cardiomyocytes-laden PLA nanofibrous sheets. Therefore, these PLA/PANI conductive nanofibrous sheets with conductivity and extracellular matrix like nanostructure demonstrated promising potential in cardiac tissue engineering and cardiomyocytes-based 3D bioactuators. Cardiomyocytes-based bioactuators have been paid more attention due to their spontaneous motion by integrating cardiomyocytes into polymer structures, but developing suitable scaffolds for bioactuators remains challenging. Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds have been widely used in cardiac tissue engineering because they can mimic the extracellular matrix of myocardium. Developing conductive nanofibrous scaffolds by electrospinning would be beneficial for cardiomyocytes-based bioactuators, but such scaffolds have been

  16. Hybrid 3D printing: a game-changer in personalized cardiac medicine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurup, Harikrishnan K N; Samuel, Bennett P; Vettukattil, Joseph J

    2015-12-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing in congenital heart disease has the potential to increase procedural efficiency and patient safety by improving interventional and surgical planning and reducing radiation exposure. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are usually the source datasets to derive 3D printing. More recently, 3D echocardiography has been demonstrated to derive 3D-printed models. The integration of multiple imaging modalities for hybrid 3D printing has also been shown to create accurate printed heart models, which may prove to be beneficial for interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and as an educational tool. Further advancements in the integration of different imaging modalities into a single platform for hybrid 3D printing and virtual 3D models will drive the future of personalized cardiac medicine.

  17. Low dose coronary CT angiography with 256-slice helical CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiaodong; Tang Binghang; Li Fangyun

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To compare the image quality and patient radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) received by prospectively-gated step-and-shoot (SAS) technique with those obtained by retrospectively-gated spiral ( RGS) technique on a 256-slice CT scanner. Methods: A total of 200 patients were enrolled in this study. One hundred patients underwent CCTA with SAS mode were subdivided into two groups: (1) 50 patients with an average heart rate (HR) ≤ 70 bpm were scanned with a data acquisition time window centered at the 75% of the R-R cycle (group A) and (2) 50 patients with HR > 70 bpm were scanned with the data acquisition time window centered at the 45% of the R-R cycle, including a phase tolerance of ± 5% (group B). Other 100 patients underwent CCTA with RGS mode and ECG-based tube current modulation were also subdivided into two groups: (3) 50 patients with HR ≤ 70 bpm were scanned with cardiac dose right set to phase of 75% ( group C) and (4) 50 patients with HR > 70 bpm were scanned with cardiac ose Rdight set to phases of 45% and 75% (group D). All patients were grouped in randomized order. The image quality of CCTA were evaluated using a rank scale from 1 to 4 (1: excellent; 4: non-assessable). Radiation dose of the four groups received was also estimated. The image quality between groups was compared by Mann-Whitney U test. The radiation dose between groups was compared by t test. For the 100 patients received by prospective ECG-gated CCTA, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the CCTA image quality and average heart rate to determine the uppercutoff of HR for obtaining diagnostic coronary images with SAS mode. A Spearman correlation analysis was also performed to analyze the correlation of HR and image quality in patients underwent CCTA with SAS mode. Results: Of 2338 coronary artery segments, excellent or good image quality (score of 1 or 2) was achieved in 96.5% (585 of 606) in group A, 77.7% (445

  18. Multi-hole seismic modeling in 3-D space and cross-hole seismic tomography analysis for boulder detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Fei; Liu, Jiangping; Wang, Jing; Zong, Yuquan; Yu, Mingyu

    2016-11-01

    A boulder stone, a common geological feature in south China, is referred to the remnant of a granite body which has been unevenly weathered. Undetected boulders could adversely impact the schedule and safety of subway construction when using tunnel boring machine (TBM) method. Therefore, boulder detection has always been a key issue demanded to be solved before the construction. Nowadays, cross-hole seismic tomography is a high resolution technique capable of boulder detection, however, the method can only solve for velocity in a 2-D slice between two wells, and the size and central position of the boulder are generally difficult to be accurately obtained. In this paper, the authors conduct a multi-hole wave field simulation and characteristic analysis of a boulder model based on the 3-D elastic wave staggered-grid finite difference theory, and also a 2-D imaging analysis based on first arrival travel time. The results indicate that (1) full wave field records could be obtained from multi-hole seismic wave simulations. Simulation results describe that the seismic wave propagation pattern in cross-hole high-velocity spherical geological bodies is more detailed and can serve as a basis for the wave field analysis. (2) When a cross-hole seismic section cuts through the boulder, the proposed method provides satisfactory cross-hole tomography results; however, when the section is closely positioned to the boulder, such high-velocity object in the 3-D space would impact on the surrounding wave field. The received diffracted wave interferes with the primary wave and in consequence the picked first arrival travel time is not derived from the profile, which results in a false appearance of high-velocity geology features. Finally, the results of 2-D analysis in 3-D modeling space are comparatively analyzed with the physical model test vis-a-vis the effect of high velocity body on the seismic tomographic measurements.

  19. Creation of Cardiac Tissue Exhibiting Mechanical Integration of Spheroids Using 3D Bioprinting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Chin Siang; Fukunishi, Takuma; Nashed, Andrew; Blazeski, Adriana; Zhang, Huaitao; Hardy, Samantha; DiSilvestre, Deborah; Vricella, Luca; Conte, John; Tung, Leslie; Tomaselli, Gordon; Hibino, Narutoshi

    2017-07-02

    This protocol describes 3D bioprinting of cardiac tissue without the use of biomaterials, using only cells. Cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and fibroblasts are first isolated, counted and mixed at desired cell ratios. They are co-cultured in individual wells in ultra-low attachment 96-well plates. Within 3 days, beating spheroids form. These spheroids are then picked up by a nozzle using vacuum suction and assembled on a needle array using a 3D bioprinter. The spheroids are then allowed to fuse on the needle array. Three days after 3D bioprinting, the spheroids are removed as an intact patch, which is already spontaneously beating. 3D bioprinted cardiac patches exhibit mechanical integration of component spheroids and are highly promising in cardiac tissue regeneration and as 3D models of heart disease.

  20. Reverse Redistribution in Myocardial Perfusion Imaging: Revisited with 64-slice MDCT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Min Kyung; Kim, Jeong Ho; Hwang, Kyung Hoon; Choi, In Suck; Choi, Soo Jin; Choe, Won Sick [Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Min Ki [Good Samaritan Hospital, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-06-15

    The authors report myocardial perfusion imaging of a patient showing reverse redistribution (RR) and a 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) with corresponding findings. The patient had subendocardial myocardial infarction (MI) with positive electrocardiogram (EMG) findings and elevated levels of cardiac isoenzymes. Experiencing this case emphasizes the importance of complementary correlation of a new diagnostic modality that helps us to understand the nature of RR.

  1. Effect of acute and repeated restraint stress on glucose oxidation to CO2 in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Torres I.L.S.

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available It has been suggested that glucocorticoids released during stress might impair neuronal function by decreasing glucose uptake by hippocampal neurons. Previous work has demonstrated that glucose uptake is reduced in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices 24 h after exposure to acute stress, while no effect was observed after repeated stress. Here, we report the effect of acute and repeated restraint stress on glucose oxidation to CO2 in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices and on plasma glucose and corticosterone levels. Male adult Wistar rats were exposed to restraint 1 h/day for 50 days in the chronic model. In the acute model there was a single exposure. Immediately or 24 h after stress, the animals were sacrificed and the hippocampus and cerebral cortex were dissected, sliced, and incubated with Krebs buffer, pH 7.4, containing 5 mM glucose and 0.2 µCi D-[U-14C] glucose. CO2 production from glucose was estimated. Trunk blood was also collected, and both corticosterone and glucose were measured. The results showed that corticosterone levels after exposure to acute restraint were increased, but the increase was smaller when the animals were submitted to repeated stress. Blood glucose levels increased after both acute and repeated stress. However, glucose utilization, measured as CO2 production in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices, was the same in stressed and control groups under conditions of both acute and chronic stress. We conclude that, although stress may induce a decrease in glucose uptake, this effect is not sufficient to affect the energy metabolism of these cells.

  2. Dual activities of the anti-cancer drug candidate PBI-05204 provide neuroprotection in brain slice models for neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Kanegan, Michael J; Dunn, Denise E; Kaltenbach, Linda S; Shah, Bijal; He, Dong Ning; McCoy, Daniel D; Yang, Peiying; Peng, Jiangnan; Shen, Li; Du, Lin; Cichewicz, Robert H; Newman, Robert A; Lo, Donald C

    2016-05-12

    We previously reported neuroprotective activity of the botanical anti-cancer drug candidate PBI-05204, a supercritical CO2 extract of Nerium oleander, in brain slice and in vivo models of ischemic stroke. We showed that one component of this neuroprotective activity is mediated through its principal cardiac glycoside constituent, oleandrin, via induction of the potent neurotrophic factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, we also noted that the concentration-relation for PBI-05204 in the brain slice oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model is considerably broader than that for oleandrin as a single agent. We thus surmised that PBI-05204 contains an additional neuroprotective component(s), distinct from oleandrin. We report here that neuroprotective activity is also provided by the triterpenoid constituents of PBI-05204, notably oleanolic acid. We demonstrate that a sub-fraction of PBI-05204 (Fraction 0-4) containing oleanolic and other triterpenoids, but without cardiac glycosides, induces the expression of cellular antioxidant gene transcription programs regulated through antioxidant transcriptional response elements (AREs). Finally, we show that Fraction 0-4 provides broad neuroprotection in organotypic brain slice models for neurodegeneration driven by amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau implicated in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementias, respectively, in addition to ischemic injury modeled by OGD.

  3. The seismic analyzer: interpreting and illustrating 2D seismic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Daniel; Giertsen, Christopher; Thurmond, John; Gjelberg, John; Gröller, M Eduard

    2008-01-01

    We present a toolbox for quickly interpreting and illustrating 2D slices of seismic volumetric reflection data. Searching for oil and gas involves creating a structural overview of seismic reflection data to identify hydrocarbon reservoirs. We improve the search of seismic structures by precalculating the horizon structures of the seismic data prior to interpretation. We improve the annotation of seismic structures by applying novel illustrative rendering algorithms tailored to seismic data, such as deformed texturing and line and texture transfer functions. The illustrative rendering results in multi-attribute and scale invariant visualizations where features are represented clearly in both highly zoomed in and zoomed out views. Thumbnail views in combination with interactive appearance control allows for a quick overview of the data before detailed interpretation takes place. These techniques help reduce the work of seismic illustrators and interpreters.

  4. Multi-slice computed tomography urography after diuretic injection in children with urinary tract dilatation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kosucu, P.; Ahmetoglu, A.; Imamoglu, M.; Cay, A.; Ozdemir, O.; Dinc, H.; Kosucu, M.; Sari, A.; Saruhan, H.; Gumele, H.R. [Farabi Hospital, Trabzon (Turkey). Dept. of Radiology

    2004-02-01

    To evaluate the potential use of multi-slice computed tomography urography (MSCTU) after diuretic injection in children with urinary tract dilatation. MSCTU was performed in 19 patients (11 boys, 8 girls, mean age 5.4 years) with suspicion of urinary tract obstruction and dilatation. Furosemide, 1 mg/kg, was injected 3 min before contrast material administration and followed by a bolus of 30 ml of physiologic saline solution immediately after application of contrast material. Excretory-phase images were obtained through the abdomen and pelvis beginning 10 min after initiation of the injection of contrast material. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) and volume rendering (VR) images were post-processed to obtain urographic views. MSCTU revealed pathology in 16 of 19 patients, while 3 patients had normal findings. Ureteropelvic obstruction was found in 4 patients, obstructive megaureter in 8. Both ureteropelvic obstruction and obstructive megaureter were disclosed in 1 patient, partial ureteral duplication in 1 patient, and both complete ureteral duplication and ureterocele in 2 patients. In all patients, MIP and VR images could satisfactorily show the pathologies of the urinary tract. The estimated effective average doses of MSCTU were higher than IVU. Preliminary results of furosemide-enhanced MSCTU demonstrated consistently dilated urinary tracts, obstruction levels, and underlying pathologies better than US and IVU.

  5. Coronary artery stent imaging with 128-slice dual-source CT using high-pitch spiral acquisition in a cardiac phantom: comparison with the sequential and low-pitch spiral mode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolf, Florian; Loewe, Christian; Plank, Christina; Schernthaner, Ruediger; Bercaczy, Dominik; Lammer, Johannes; Leschka, Sebastian; Goetti, Robert; Marincek, Borut; Alkadhi, Hatem; Homolka, Peter; Friedrich, Guy; Feuchtner, Gudrun

    2010-01-01

    To evaluate coronary stents in vitro using 128-slice-dual-source computed tomography (CT). Twelve different coronary stents placed in a non-moving cardiac/chest phantom were examined by 128-slice dual-source CT using three CT protocols [high-pitch spiral (HPS), sequential (SEQ) and conventional spiral (SPIR)]. Artificial in-stent lumen narrowing (ALN), visible inner stent area (VIA), artificial in-stent lumen attenuation (ALA) in percent, image noise inside/outside the stent and CTDIvol were measured. Mean ALN was 46% for HPS, 44% for SEQ and 47% for SPIR without significant difference. Mean VIA was similar with 31% for HPS, 30% for SEQ and 33% for SPIR. Mean ALA was, at 5% for HPS, significantly lower compared with -11% for SPIR (p = 0.024), but not different from SEQ with -1%. Mean image noise was significantly higher for HPS compared with SEQ and SPIR inside and outside the stent (p < 0.001). CTDIvol was lower for HPS (5.17 mGy), compared with SEQ (9.02 mGy) and SPIR (55.97 mGy), respectively. The HPS mode of 128-slice dual-source CT yields fewer artefacts inside the stent lumen compared with SPIR and SEQ, but image noise is higher. ALN is still too high for routine stent evaluation in clinical practice. Radiation dose of the HPS mode is markedly (less than about tenfold) reduced. (orig.)

  6. Fourier analysis of heart SPECT slices: from remodelation to function?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zigman, M.; Prpic, H.; Lokner, V.

    1994-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine character of the spatial distribution of marked erythrocytes in heart chambers, lungs and great blood vessels in relation to function of the left and right heart. Investigation included total of 142 subjects, 28 of which were without subjective and clinical signs of heart disease as well as 56 after myocardial infarction (30 of anterior localization, 26 of inferior infarction), 35 with predominant left heart disease (aortic valve disease, dilatative myocardiopathy, etc.) and 23 with predominant right heart disease (atrial septal defect, mitral valve disease). Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) at rest, and thorax SPECT were performed in all subjects with 740 MBq Tc-99m after in vivo erythrocyte labelling with pyrophosphate. Ultrasound investigation was performed on all the subjects with heart disease and 87 of them underwent invasive cardiac investigation. RNV analysis revealed scintigraphic data on left and right ventricle: global ejection fraction (GEF), end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV), fast tilling rate (FFR), fast emptying rate (FER) as well as regional wall motion shortening. Reconstruction of 64x64x8 SPECT images resulted in 3x64 slices (transversal, coronal and sagittal slices). Fourier analysis of 20-32 reconstructed slices in all three dimensions gave amplitude image of the intensity distribution of marked erythrocytes in heart chambers lungs and great blood vessels as well as phase display of spatial localization of regional amplitude values. Results of joint ROC curves constructed for detection, localization and character of heart disease in all subjects revealed significant clinical information content of SPECT data. Evaluation of RI retention using amplitude images in 3D provides insight in regional changes of volume, particular for atrial and lung involvement. (author)

  7. Influence of image slice thickness on rectal dose–response relationships following radiotherapy of prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsson, C; Thor, M; Apte, A; Deasy, J O; Liu, M; Moissenko, V; Petersen, S E; Høyer, M

    2014-01-01

    When pooling retrospective data from different cohorts, slice thicknesses of acquired computed tomography (CT) images used for treatment planning may vary between cohorts. It is, however, not known if varying slice thickness influences derived dose–response relationships. We investigated this for rectal bleeding using dose–volume histograms (DVHs) of the rectum and rectal wall for dose distributions superimposed on images with varying CT slice thicknesses. We used dose and endpoint data from two prostate cancer cohorts treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to either 74 Gy (N = 159) or 78 Gy (N = 159) at 2 Gy per fraction. The rectum was defined as the whole organ with content, and the morbidity cut-off was Grade ≥2 late rectal bleeding. Rectal walls were defined as 3 mm inner margins added to the rectum. DVHs for simulated slice thicknesses from 3 to 13 mm were compared to DVHs for the originally acquired slice thicknesses at 3 and 5 mm. Volumes, mean, and maximum doses were assessed from the DVHs, and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) values were calculated. For each organ and each of the simulated slice thicknesses, we performed predictive modeling of late rectal bleeding using the Lyman–Kutcher–Burman (LKB) model. For the most coarse slice thickness, rectal volumes increased (≤18%), whereas maximum and mean doses decreased (≤0.8 and ≤4.2 Gy, respectively). For all a values, the gEUD for the simulated DVHs were ≤1.9 Gy different than the gEUD for the original DVHs. The best-fitting LKB model parameter values with 95% CIs were consistent between all DVHs. In conclusion, we found that the investigated slice thickness variations had minimal impact on rectal dose–response estimations. From the perspective of predictive modeling, our results suggest that variations within 10 mm in slice thickness between cohorts are unlikely to be a limiting factor when pooling multi-institutional rectal dose data that include slice

  8. Global left ventricular function in cardiac CT. Evaluation of an automated 3D region-growing segmentation algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muehlenbruch, Georg; Das, Marco; Hohl, Christian; Wildberger, Joachim E.; Guenther, Rolf W.; Mahnken, Andreas H.; Rinck, Daniel; Flohr, Thomas G.; Koos, Ralf; Knackstedt, Christian

    2006-01-01

    The purpose was to evaluate a new semi-automated 3D region-growing segmentation algorithm for functional analysis of the left ventricle in multislice CT (MSCT) of the heart. Twenty patients underwent contrast-enhanced MSCT of the heart (collimation 16 x 0.75 mm; 120 kV; 550 mAseff). Multiphase image reconstructions with 1-mm axial slices and 8-mm short-axis slices were performed. Left ventricular volume measurements (end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, ejection fraction and stroke volume) from manually drawn endocardial contours in the short axis slices were compared to semi-automated region-growing segmentation of the left ventricle from the 1-mm axial slices. The post-processing-time for both methods was recorded. Applying the new region-growing algorithm in 13/20 patients (65%), proper segmentation of the left ventricle was feasible. In these patients, the signal-to-noise ratio was higher than in the remaining patients (3.2±1.0 vs. 2.6±0.6). Volume measurements of both segmentation algorithms showed an excellent correlation (all P≤0.0001); the limits of agreement for the ejection fraction were 2.3±8.3 ml. In the patients with proper segmentation the mean post-processing time using the region-growing algorithm was diminished by 44.2%. On the basis of a good contrast-enhanced data set, a left ventricular volume analysis using the new semi-automated region-growing segmentation algorithm is technically feasible, accurate and more time-effective. (orig.)

  9. Alkaloid fraction of Uncaria rhynchophylla protects against N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced apoptosis in rat hippocampal slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jongseok; Son, Dongwook; Lee, Pyeongjae; Kim, Sun-Yeou; Kim, Hocheol; Kim, Chang-Ju; Lim, Eunhee

    2003-09-04

    Uncaria rhynchophylla is a medicinal herb which has sedative and anticonvulsive effects and has been applied in the treatment of epilepsy in Oriental medicine. In this study, the effect of alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neuronal cell death was investigated. Pretreatment with an alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla for 1 h decreased the degree of neuronal damage induced by NMDA exposure in cultured hippocampal slices and also inhibited NMDA-induced enhanced expressions of apoptosis-related genes such as c-jun, p53, and bax. In the present study, the alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla was shown to have a protective property against NMDA-induced cytotoxicity by suppressing the NMDA-induced apoptosis in rat hippocampal slices.

  10. The evaluation of anti-angiogenic treatment effects for implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumors using functional multi-slice spiral computed tomography (f-MSCT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lei Zhen; Ma Heji; Xu Na; Xi Huanjiu

    2011-01-01

    Objective: Investigate the benefit of functional multi-slice spiral computed tomography (f-MSCT) perfusion imaging in the non-invasive assessment of targeted anti-angiogenesis therapy on an implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumor model. Method: 69 female pure New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to one of the 4 groups and received treatment accordingly: control (saline), Endostar, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Cyclophosphamide, Epirubicin and 5-Fluorouracil, CEF), combination therapy (Endostar and CEF). After 2 weeks of treatment, f-MSCT perfusion scannings were performed for all rabbits and information about blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT) and surface permeability (SP) was collected. After perfusion imaging, tumor tissues were sampled for immunohistochemistry and the Western blot test of VEGF protein expression. Results: (1) The VEGF expression level, measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, decreased by treatment group (control > Endostar > CEF > combination therapy). The same was true for the mean BF, BV, MTT and PS, which decreased from the control group to the combination therapy group gradually. The mean MTT level increased in reverse order from the control to the combination therapy group. The difference between any 2 groups on these measures was statistically significant (P < 0.05). (2) There was moderate positive correlation between VEGF expression and BE, BV, or PS level (P < 0.05) and a negative correlation between VEGF expression and MTT level for all 4 groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, f-MSCT can be used as a non-invasive approach to evaluate the effect of anti-angiogenic therapy for implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumors.

  11. The evaluation of anti-angiogenic treatment effects for implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumors using functional multi-slice spiral computed tomography (f-MSCT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lei Zhen, E-mail: leizhen2004@163.com [Department of Anatomy, Chinese Medical University, No. 92, Beiermalu Road, Heping District, Shenyang, 110001 (China) and Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Liaoning Medical College, No. 2, Wuduan, Renmin Street, Jinzhou, 121001 (China); Ma Heji, E-mail: maheji9831@sina.com [Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Liaoning Medical College, No. 2, Wuduan, Renmin Street, Jinzhou, 121001 (China); Xu Na, E-mail: xuna821230@sohu.com [Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Liaoning Medical College, No. 2, Wuduan, Renmin Street, Jinzhou, 121001 (China); Xi Huanjiu, E-mail: xihuanjiu2004@yahoo.cn [Anthropology Institute, Liaoning Medical College, No. 40, Sanduan, Songpo Rd, Jinzhou, 121001 (China)

    2011-05-15

    Objective: Investigate the benefit of functional multi-slice spiral computed tomography (f-MSCT) perfusion imaging in the non-invasive assessment of targeted anti-angiogenesis therapy on an implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumor model. Method: 69 female pure New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to one of the 4 groups and received treatment accordingly: control (saline), Endostar, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Cyclophosphamide, Epirubicin and 5-Fluorouracil, CEF), combination therapy (Endostar and CEF). After 2 weeks of treatment, f-MSCT perfusion scannings were performed for all rabbits and information about blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), mean transit time (MTT) and surface permeability (SP) was collected. After perfusion imaging, tumor tissues were sampled for immunohistochemistry and the Western blot test of VEGF protein expression. Results: (1) The VEGF expression level, measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, decreased by treatment group (control > Endostar > CEF > combination therapy). The same was true for the mean BF, BV, MTT and PS, which decreased from the control group to the combination therapy group gradually. The mean MTT level increased in reverse order from the control to the combination therapy group. The difference between any 2 groups on these measures was statistically significant (P < 0.05). (2) There was moderate positive correlation between VEGF expression and BE, BV, or PS level (P < 0.05) and a negative correlation between VEGF expression and MTT level for all 4 groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, f-MSCT can be used as a non-invasive approach to evaluate the effect of anti-angiogenic therapy for implanted rabbit VX2 breast tumors.

  12. - LAA Occluder View for post-implantation Evaluation (LOVE) - standardized imaging proposal evaluating implanted left atrial appendage occlusion devices by cardiac computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behnes, Michael; Akin, Ibrahim; Sartorius, Benjamin; Fastner, Christian; El-Battrawy, Ibrahim; Borggrefe, Martin; Haubenreisser, Holger; Meyer, Mathias; Schoenberg, Stefan O.; Henzler, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    A standardized imaging proposal evaluating implanted left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion devices by cardiac computed tomography angiography (cCTA) has never been investigated. cCTA datasets were acquired on a 3 rd generation dual-source CT system and reconstructed with a slice thickness of 0.5 mm. An interdisciplinary evaluation was performed by two interventional cardiologists and one radiologist on a 3D multi-planar workstation. A standardized multi-planar reconstruction algorithm was developed in order to assess relevant clinical aspects of implanted LAA occlusion devices being outlined within a pictorial essay. The following clinical aspects of implanted LAA occlusion devices were evaluated within the most appropriate cCTA multi-planar reconstruction: (1) topography to neighboring structures, (2) peri-device leaks, (3) coverage of LAA lobes, (4) indirect signs of neo-endothelialization. These are illustrated within concise CT imaging examples emphasizing the potential value of the proposed cCTA imaging algorithm: Starting from anatomical cCTA planes and stepwise angulation planes perpendicular to the base of the LAA devices generates an optimal LAA Occluder View for post-implantation Evaluation (LOVE). Aligned true axial, sagittal and coronal LOVE planes offer a standardized and detailed evaluation of LAA occlusion devices after percutaneous implantation. This pictorial essay presents a standardized imaging proposal by cCTA using multi-planar reconstructions that enables systematical follow-up and comparison of patients after LAA occlusion device implantation. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12880-016-0127-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  13. Fast 2D Fluid-Analytical Simulation of IEDs and Plasma Uniformity in Multi-frequency CCPs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawamura, E.; Lieberman, M. A.; Graves, D. B.

    2014-10-01

    A fast 2D axisymmetric fluid-analytical model using the finite elements tool COMSOL is interfaced with a 1D particle-in-cell (PIC) code to study ion energy distributions (IEDs) in multi-frequency argon capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs). A bulk fluid plasma model which solves the time-dependent plasma fluid equations is coupled with an analytical sheath model which solves for the sheath parameters. The fluid-analytical results are used as input to a PIC simulation of the sheath region of the discharge to obtain the IEDs at the wafer electrode. Each fluid-analytical-PIC simulation on a moderate 2.2 GHz CPU workstation with 8 GB of memory took about 15-20 minutes. The 2D multi-frequency fluid-analytical model was compared to 1D PIC simulations of a symmetric parallel plate discharge, showing good agreement. Fluid-analytical simulations of a 2/60/162 MHz argon CCP with a typical asymmetric reactor geometry were also conducted. The low 2 MHz frequency controlled the sheath width and voltage while the higher frequencies controlled the plasma production. A standing wave was observable at the highest frequency of 162 MHz. Adding 2 MHz power to a 60 MHz discharge or 162 MHz to a dual frequency 2 MHz/60 MHz discharge enhanced the plasma uniformity. This work was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Science Contract DE-SC000193, and in part by gifts from Lam Research Corporation and Micron Corporation.

  14. Principal component analysis-based imaging angle determination for 3D motion monitoring using single-slice on-board imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ting; Zhang, Miao; Jabbour, Salma; Wang, Hesheng; Barbee, David; Das, Indra J; Yue, Ning

    2018-04-10

    Through-plane motion introduces uncertainty in three-dimensional (3D) motion monitoring when using single-slice on-board imaging (OBI) modalities such as cine MRI. We propose a principal component analysis (PCA)-based framework to determine the optimal imaging plane to minimize the through-plane motion for single-slice imaging-based motion monitoring. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) images of eight thoracic cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. The target volumes were manually delineated at different respiratory phases of 4DCT. We performed automated image registration to establish the 4D respiratory target motion trajectories for all patients. PCA was conducted using the motion information to define the three principal components of the respiratory motion trajectories. Two imaging planes were determined perpendicular to the second and third principal component, respectively, to avoid imaging with the primary principal component of the through-plane motion. Single-slice images were reconstructed from 4DCT in the PCA-derived orthogonal imaging planes and were compared against the traditional AP/Lateral image pairs on through-plane motion, residual error in motion monitoring, absolute motion amplitude error and the similarity between target segmentations at different phases. We evaluated the significance of the proposed motion monitoring improvement using paired t test analysis. The PCA-determined imaging planes had overall less through-plane motion compared against the AP/Lateral image pairs. For all patients, the average through-plane motion was 3.6 mm (range: 1.6-5.6 mm) for the AP view and 1.7 mm (range: 0.6-2.7 mm) for the Lateral view. With PCA optimization, the average through-plane motion was 2.5 mm (range: 1.3-3.9 mm) and 0.6 mm (range: 0.2-1.5 mm) for the two imaging planes, respectively. The absolute residual error of the reconstructed max-exhale-to-inhale motion averaged 0.7 mm (range: 0.4-1.3 mm, 95% CI: 0.4-1.1 mm) using

  15. 3D-CT angiography with ultrafast CT in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuribayashi, Sachio; Hamada, Seiki; Takamiya, Makoto; Imakita, Satoshi; Yamada, Naoaki; Takase, Kei; Iino, Misako; Nakanishi, Norifumi

    1995-01-01

    The usefulness of 3D-CT angiography (3D-CTA) with ultrafast CT (UFCT) in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) was evaluated. UFCT was carried out in 10 patients with PTE (acute: 5 cases, chronic: 5 cases) and one case with pulmonary artery thrombosis secondary to pulmonary hypertension with atrial septal defect. CT scanning was performed with Imatron C-100XL and C-150L. For the imaging, single-slice step volume scan mode was used with scan time of 100 msec and slice thickness of 6 mm. Contiguous axial images were obtained after contrast enhancement with slice interval of 6 mm. 3D-CTA was reconstructed from 2D-CT images with workstation, and was compared with pulmonary angiograms (PAG) or operative findings. The images of 3D-CTA had good quality and they were more useful than 2D-CT images in better understanding of the configuration and the extent of the thrombi. In comparison with PAG, 3D-CTA gave equivalent information in terms of central pulmonary emboli. Moreover, 3D-CTA had advantages over PAG in demonstrating both the blood lumen and the thrombus on the same image with capability of multi-directional displays. 3D-CTA with UFCT is the useful non-invasive imaging modality in the diagnosis of PTE. (author)

  16. Performance evaluation of a 64-slice CT system with z-flying focal spot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flohr, T; Stierstorfer, K; Raupach, R; Ulzheimer, S; Bruder, H

    2004-12-01

    The meanwhile established generation of 16-slice CT systems enables routine sub-millimeter imaging at short breath-hold times. Clinical progress in the development of multidetector row CT (MDCT) technology beyond 16 slices can more likely be expected from further improvement in spatial and temporal resolution rather than from a mere increase in the speed of volume coverage. We present an evaluation of a recently introduced 64-slice CT system (SOMATOM Sensation 64, Siemens AG, Forchheim, Germany), which uses a periodic motion of the focal spot in longitudinal direction (z-flying focal spot) to double the number of simultaneously acquired slices. This technique acquires 64 overlapping 0.6 mm slices per rotation. The sampling scheme corresponds to that of a 64 x 0.3 mm detector, with the goal of improved longitudinal resolution and reduced spiral artifacts. After an introduction to the detector design, we discuss the basics of z-flying focal spot technology (z-Sharp). We present phantom and specimen scans for performance evaluation. The measured full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the thinnest spiral slice is 0.65 mm. All spiral slice widths are almost independent of the pitch, with deviations of less than 0.1 mm from the nominal value. Using a high-resolution bar pattern phantom (CATPHAN, Phantom Laboratories, Salem, NY), the longitudinal resolution can be demonstrated to be up to 15 lp/cm at the isocenter independent of the pitch, corresponding to a bar diameter of 0.33 mm. Longitudinal resolution is only slightly degraded for off-center locations. At a distance of 100 mm from the isocenter, 14 lp/cm can be resolved in the z-direction, corresponding to a bar diameter of 0.36 mm. Spiral "windmill" artifacts presenting as hyper- and hypodense structures around osseous edges are effectively reduced by the z-flying focal spot technique. Cardiac scanning benefits from the short gantry rotation time of 0.33 s, providing up to 83 ms temporal resolution with 2-segment ECG

  17. Multi-view and 3D deformable part models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pepik, Bojan; Stark, Michael; Gehler, Peter; Schiele, Bernt

    2015-11-01

    As objects are inherently 3D, they have been modeled in 3D in the early days of computer vision. Due to the ambiguities arising from mapping 2D features to 3D models, 3D object representations have been neglected and 2D feature-based models are the predominant paradigm in object detection nowadays. While such models have achieved outstanding bounding box detection performance, they come with limited expressiveness, as they are clearly limited in their capability of reasoning about 3D shape or viewpoints. In this work, we bring the worlds of 3D and 2D object representations closer, by building an object detector which leverages the expressive power of 3D object representations while at the same time can be robustly matched to image evidence. To that end, we gradually extend the successful deformable part model [1] to include viewpoint information and part-level 3D geometry information, resulting in several different models with different level of expressiveness. We end up with a 3D object model, consisting of multiple object parts represented in 3D and a continuous appearance model. We experimentally verify that our models, while providing richer object hypotheses than the 2D object models, provide consistently better joint object localization and viewpoint estimation than the state-of-the-art multi-view and 3D object detectors on various benchmarks (KITTI [2] , 3D object classes [3] , Pascal3D+ [4] , Pascal VOC 2007 [5] , EPFL multi-view cars[6] ).

  18. SU-D-BRA-03: Analysis of Systematic Errors with 2D/3D Image Registration for Target Localization and Treatment Delivery in Stereotactic Radiosurgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, H; Chetty, I; Wen, N

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Determine systematic deviations between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) for various imaging modalities and registration algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: The 6DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing automated 2D/3D (kV/MV vs. CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT vs. CT) image registrations from different imaging pairs, CT slice thicknesses, couch angles, similarity measures, etc., using a Rando head and a pelvic phantom. The 2D/3D image registration accuracy was evaluated at different treatment sites (intra-cranial and extra-cranial) by statistically analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification against 3D/3D localization of 192 Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy treatment fractions for 88 patients. Results: The systematic errors of 2D/3D image registration using kV-kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs using 0.8 mm slice thickness CT images were within 0.3 mm and 0.3° for translations and rotations with a 95% confidence interval (CI). No significant difference between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations (P>0.05) was observed for target localization at various CT slice thicknesses ranging from 0.8 to 3 mm. Couch angles (30, 45, 60 degree) did not impact the accuracy of 2D/3D image registration. Using pattern intensity with content image filtering was recommended for 2D/3D image registration to achieve the best accuracy. For the patient study, translational error was within 2 mm and rotational error was within 0.6 degrees in terms of 95% CI for 2D/3D image registration. For intra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were −0.2±0.7, 0.04±0.5, 0.1±0.4 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. For extra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were - 0.04±1, 0.2±1, 0.1±1 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. 2D/3D image registration uncertainties for intra-cranial and extra-cranial sites were comparable. Conclusion: The Varian

  19. SU-D-BRA-03: Analysis of Systematic Errors with 2D/3D Image Registration for Target Localization and Treatment Delivery in Stereotactic Radiosurgery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, H [Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (United States); Chetty, I; Wen, N [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Determine systematic deviations between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) for various imaging modalities and registration algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: The 6DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing automated 2D/3D (kV/MV vs. CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT vs. CT) image registrations from different imaging pairs, CT slice thicknesses, couch angles, similarity measures, etc., using a Rando head and a pelvic phantom. The 2D/3D image registration accuracy was evaluated at different treatment sites (intra-cranial and extra-cranial) by statistically analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification against 3D/3D localization of 192 Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy treatment fractions for 88 patients. Results: The systematic errors of 2D/3D image registration using kV-kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs using 0.8 mm slice thickness CT images were within 0.3 mm and 0.3° for translations and rotations with a 95% confidence interval (CI). No significant difference between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations (P>0.05) was observed for target localization at various CT slice thicknesses ranging from 0.8 to 3 mm. Couch angles (30, 45, 60 degree) did not impact the accuracy of 2D/3D image registration. Using pattern intensity with content image filtering was recommended for 2D/3D image registration to achieve the best accuracy. For the patient study, translational error was within 2 mm and rotational error was within 0.6 degrees in terms of 95% CI for 2D/3D image registration. For intra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were −0.2±0.7, 0.04±0.5, 0.1±0.4 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. For extra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were - 0.04±1, 0.2±1, 0.1±1 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. 2D/3D image registration uncertainties for intra-cranial and extra-cranial sites were comparable. Conclusion: The Varian

  20. Type D personality is associated with impaired psychological status and unhealthy lifestyle in Icelandic cardiac patients: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svansdottir, Erla; van den Broek, Krista C; Karlsson, Hrobjartur D; Gudnason, Thorarinn; Denollet, Johan

    2012-01-18

    Type D (distressed) personality has been associated with adverse cardiac prognosis and poor emotional well-being in cardiac patients, but it is still unclear what mechanisms link Type D personality with poor clinical outcomes in cardiac patients. In the present cohort of Icelandic cardiac patients, we examined potential pathways that may explain this relationship. The objectives were to examine 1) the association between Type D personality and impaired psychological status, and to explore whether this association is independent of disease severity; and 2) the association between Type D personality and an unhealthy lifestyle. A sample of 268 Icelandic coronary angiography patients (74% males (N = 199); mean age 62.9 years (SD 10.5), range 28-85 years) completed the Type D Scale (DS14), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at hospitalization. Health-related behaviors were assessed 4 months following angiography. Clinical data were collected from medical files. Type D personality was associated with an increased risk of anxiety (OR 2.97, 95% CI:1.55-5.69), depression (OR 4.01, 95% CI:1.42-11.29), and stress (OR 5.99, 95% CI:3.08-11.63), independent of demographic variables and disease severity. Furthermore, fish consumption was lower among Type Ds, as 21% of Type Ds versus 5% of non-Type Ds consumed fish unhealthy lifestyle in Icelandic cardiac patients. Future studies should further investigate the association between Type D personality and health-related behaviors.

  1. Measurement of slice sensitivity profile for a 64-slice spiral CT system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Chuanya; Qin Weichang; Wang Wei; Lu Chuanyou

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To measure and evaluate slice sensitivity profile (SSP) and the full width at half-maximum(FWHM) for a 64-slice spiral CT system. Methods: Using the same CT technique and body mode as those used for clinical CT, delta phantom was scanned with Somatom Sensation 64-slice spiral CT. SSPs and FWHM were measured both with reconstruction slice width of 0.6 mm at pitch=0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50 and with reconstruction slice width of 0.6, 1.0, 1.5 mm at pitch=1 respectively. Results: For normal slice width of 0. 6 mm, the measured FWHM, i.e. effective slice width, is 0.67, 0.67, 0.66, 0.69, 0.69 mm at different pitch. All the measured FWHM deviate less than 0.1 mm from the nominal slice width. The measured SSPs are symmetrical, bell-shaped curves without far-reaching tails, and show only slight variations as a function of the spiral pitch. When reconstruction slice width increase, relative SSP become wider. Conclusions: The variation of pitch hardly has effect all on SSP, effective slice width, and z-direction spatial resolution for Sensation 64-slice spiral CT system, which is helpful to optimize CT scanning protocol. (authors)

  2. Application of 2 mm thin-slice scanning with bone algorithm on conventional CT in diagnosis of the pulmonary diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xianheng; Li Xiuhua; Wang Fenghua

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the value of 2 mm thin-slice conventional CT scan with bone algorithm in diagnosis and differential diagnosis in the pulmonary diseases. Methods: In total 135 cases of the pulmonary diseases were routinely scanned by conventional scan, 10 mm per slice, with standard algorithm, then the 2 mm thin-slice scan with bone algorithm was performed at the interested region of the lungs. Result: According to the comparative study of the CT signs between 10 mm slice scan with standard algorithm and 2 mm thin-slice scan with bone algorithm, the latter was better on displaying the pulmonary axial interstium, intralobular septum, subpleura lines, honeycombing, 2-5 mm nodulars and anomalies of bronchial wall. Conclusion: According to the study of 135 cases, 2 mm thin-slice scan with bone algorithm is superior to 10 mm slice scan with standard algorithm in demonstrating the pulmonary lesions. It has a similar value with high-resolution spiral CT in the diagnosis of the pulmonary solitary or diffuse nodules, pulmonary diffuse interstitial lesions and the lesions of the airway. It is practical and advisable in the community hospital

  3. Coronary 64-slice CT angiography predicts outcome in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaemperli, Oliver; Valenta, Ines; Schepis, Tiziano [University Hospital Zurich NUK C 32, Cardiovascular Center, Zurich (Switzerland); Husmann, Lars; Scheffel, Hans; Desbiolles, Lotus; Leschka, Sebastian; Alkadhi, Hatem [University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Kaufmann, Philipp A. [University Hospital Zurich NUK C 32, Cardiovascular Center, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), Zurich (Switzerland)

    2008-06-15

    The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of 64-slice CT angiography (CTA) in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Sixty-four-slice coronary CTA was performed in 220 patients [mean age 63 {+-} 11 years, 77 (35%) female] with known or suspected CAD. CTA images were analyzed with regard to the presence and number of coronary lesions. Patients were followed-up for the occurrence of the following clinical endpoints: death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and coronary revascularization. During a mean follow-up of 14 {+-} 4 months, 59 patients (27%) reached at least one of the predefined clinical endpoints. Patients with abnormal coronary arteries on CTA (i.e., presence of coronary plaques) had a 1st-year event rate of 34%, whereas in patients with normal coronary arteries no events occurred (event rate, 0%, p < 0.001). Similarly, obstructive lesions ({>=}50% luminal narrowing) on CTA were associated with a high first-year event rate (59%) compared to patients without stenoses (3%, p < 0.001). The presence of obstructive lesions was a significant independent predictor of an adverse cardiac outcome. Sixty-four-slice CTA predicts cardiac events in patients with known or suspected CAD. Conversely, patients with normal coronary arteries on CTA have an excellent mid-term prognosis. (orig.)

  4. Recent technologic advances in multi-detector row cardiac CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halliburton, Sandra Simon

    2009-11-01

    Recent technical advances in multi-detector row CT have resulted in lower radiation dose, improved temporal and spatial resolution, decreased scan time, and improved tissue differentiation. Lower radiation doses have resulted from the use of pre-patient z collimators, the availability of thin-slice axial data acquisition, the increased efficiency of ECG-based tube current modulation, and the implementation of iterative reconstruction algorithms. Faster gantry rotation and the simultaneous use of two x-ray sources have led to improvements in temporal resolution, and gains in spatial resolution have been achieved through application of the flying x-ray focal-spot technique in the z-direction. Shorter scan times have resulted from the design of detector arrays with increasing numbers of detector rows and through the simultaneous use of two x-ray sources to allow higher helical pitch. Some improvement in tissue differentiation has been achieved with dual energy CT. This article discusses these recent technical advances in detail.

  5. The bit slice micro-processor 'GESPRO' as a project in the UA2 experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Becam, C; Delanghe, J; Fest, H M; Lecoq, J; Martin, H; Mencik, M; MerkeI, B; Meyer, J M; Perrin, M; Plothow, H; Rampazzo, J P; Schittly, A

    1981-01-01

    The bit slice micro-processor GESPRO is a CAMAC module plugged into a standard Elliot system crate via which it communicates as a slave with its host computer. It has full control of CAMAC as a master unit. GESPRO is a 24 bit machine with multi-mode memory addressing capacity of 64K words. The micro-processor structure uses 5 buses including pipe-line registers to mask access time and 16 interrupt levels. The micro-program memory capacity is 2K (RAM) words of 48 bits each. A special hardwired module allows floating point, as well as integer, multiplication of 24*24 bits, result in 48 bits, in about 200 ns. This micro-processor could be used in the UA2 data acquisition chain and trigger system for the following tasks: (a) online data reduction, i.e. to read DURANDAL, process the information resulting in accepting or rejecting the event; (b) readout and analysis of the accepted data; (c) preprocess the data. The UA2 version of GESPRO is under construction, programs and micro-programs are under development. Hard...

  6. The value of multi-slice spiral CT in the preoperative assessment of living renal donor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Qinghai; Yan Fuhua; Xu Pengju; Zhou Meiling; Zhu Tongyu; Xu Ming; Wang Guomin

    2008-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) in the preoperative evaluation of living renal donor as a all in one modality. Methods: Thirty-six potential living renal donors underwent the examination using a GE light VCT scanner. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The plain scan, early arterial phase, late arterial phase and excretory phase scans are performed in the former 25 donors (injection rate 5 rolls, total volume 100 mi, tube tension 120 kV). While in the later 11 donors (2 ml/s 40 ml +4 ml/s 60 ml), the scanning protocol included the plain scan ( 100 kV), vascular phase and excretory phase scans (100 kV). The excretory phase data were used in the reconstruction of CT urography in both groups. All images were reviewed by one radiologist and one urologist, and the findings of MSCT were compared with intraoperative findings for 33 donors, to investigate the utilities of MSCT in assessing renal vascularity, urinary tract and lesions of renal parenchyma. When discrepancies are found between the two reviewers, consensus was obtained via discussion. Au data was statiscally processed with SPSS for Windows. Results: MSCT angiography is in accordance with intraoperative findings in demonstrating the anatomy of renal arteries and renal vein trunk, accesary arteries, early branching of renal artery. The findings from CTA are highly in accordance with the intraoperative findings, which facilitate intraoperative ligation and reduce relevant complications. CTU demonstrates the anatomy of urinary, tract in good agreement with the intraoperative findings. The image quality of 3D vascularity and CTU between the two groups, scored 4.4 ± 1.2 vs 4.2 ± 1.3 and 4.6 ± 0.8 vs 4.4 ± 0.9 respectively, no statistical between-groups difference was found (Z=-0.89, -0.47, P>0.05). Conclusion: MSCT multiphase scanning combined with CTA and CTU play a important role in the evaluation of living renal donor, which

  7. 3D segmentation of kidney tumors from freehand 2D ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Anis; Cool, Derek; Chew, Ben H.; Pautler, Stephen E.; Peters, Terry M.

    2006-03-01

    To completely remove a tumor from a diseased kidney, while minimizing the resection of healthy tissue, the surgeon must be able to accurately determine its location, size and shape. Currently, the surgeon mentally estimates these parameters by examining pre-operative Computed Tomography (CT) images of the patient's anatomy. However, these images do not reflect the state of the abdomen or organ during surgery. Furthermore, these images can be difficult to place in proper clinical context. We propose using Ultrasound (US) to acquire images of the tumor and the surrounding tissues in real-time, then segmenting these US images to present the tumor as a three dimensional (3D) surface. Given the common use of laparoscopic procedures that inhibit the range of motion of the operator, we propose segmenting arbitrarily placed and oriented US slices individually using a tracked US probe. Given the known location and orientation of the US probe, we can assign 3D coordinates to the segmented slices and use them as input to a 3D surface reconstruction algorithm. We have implemented two approaches for 3D segmentation from freehand 2D ultrasound. Each approach was evaluated on a tissue-mimicking phantom of a kidney tumor. The performance of our approach was determined by measuring RMS surface error between the segmentation and the known gold standard and was found to be below 0.8 mm.

  8. 16 multi-slice CT three-dimensional and multiplanar reconstruction for evaluation of pediatric congenital scoliosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng Yun; Zhang Ningning; Zhang Xuejun; Sun Guoqiang; Zeng Jinjin

    2006-01-01

    Objective: Our study is to use of 16 MSCT three-dimensional images and multiplanar reconstruction images in the preoperative investigation of patients with congenital scoliosis, to study its technical advantage and work out surgical plan. Methods: Twenty-seven pediatric patients with congenital scoliosis processing between April to October 2004 were reviewed, including 13 boys and 14 girls. X-ray plain film and sixteen multi-slice CT examination on curved/standard multiplanar reconstruction and three- dimensional computed tomographic imaging may offer, many potential advantages for defining congenital spine anomalies liable to cause progression of scoliosis, including visualization of the deformity in any plane, from any angle, with the overlying structures subtracted. Results: Ten patients had segmentation defects, 6 patients underwent formation defects, 11 patients had complex, unclassifiable anomalies. The patients of rib deformity were found in 15 patients, the most prominent part of the rib cage deformity was at the same level as the most rotated vertebra in 7 patients; 8 patients had vertebral anomalies accompanied with diastematomyelie, including 6 patients with uncompleted or completed bony spur. In 19 of 27 cases, the muhiplanar reconstruction and three-dimensional images allowed identification of unrecognized malformations and completely evaluated the degree of scoliosis, during conventional X-ray images and axial CT images, including volume 3D imaging evaluated approximately classification and modality of complex anomalies in 11 cases, which were unclassifiable malformation in 7 cases and unsegmented bar with contralateral hemivertebrae; 4 children had segmentation defects revealed unilateral unsegmented bar (3 cases) and bilateral block vertebra (1 case) in volume 3D reconstruction images; 2 children were found occultation hemivertebrae which were not been discovered during conventional X-ray images and axial CT images; and 2 children were revaluated

  9. sigma receptor ligands attenuate N-methyl-D-aspartate cytotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons of mesencephalic slice cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimazu, S; Katsuki, H; Takenaka, C; Tomita, M; Kume, T; Kaneko, S; Akaike, A

    2000-01-28

    We investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of several sigma receptor ligands in organotypic midbrain slice cultures as an excitotoxicity model system. When challenged with 100-microM N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) for 24 h, dopaminergic neurons in midbrain slice cultures degenerated, and this was prevented by (5R, 10S)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,b]-cyclohepten-5, 10-imine (MK-801; 1-10 microM). Concomitant application of ifenprodil (1-10 microM) or haloperidol (1-10 microM), both of which are high-affinity sigma receptor ligands, significantly attenuated the neurotoxicity of 100 microM NMDA. The sigma(1) receptor-selective ligand (+)-N-allylnormetazocine ((+)-SKF 10047; 1-10 microM) was also effective in attenuating the toxicity of NMDA. The effect of R(-)-N-(3-phenyl-1-propyl)-1-phenyl-2-aminopropane hydrochloride ((-)-PPAP), a sigma receptor ligand with negligible affinity for the phencyclidine site of NMDA receptors, was also examined. (-)-PPAP (3-100 microM) caused a concentration-dependent reduction of NMDA cytotoxicity, with significant protection at concentrations of 30 and 100 microM. In contrast, (+)-SKF 10047 (10 microM) and (-)-PPAP (100 microM) showed no protective effects against cell death induced by the Ca(2+) ionophore ionomycin (1-3 microM). These results indicate that sigma receptor ligands attenuate the cytotoxic effects of NMDA on midbrain dopaminergic neurons, possibly via inhibition of NMDA receptor functions.

  10. The Role of Multi-slice Spiral CT Angiography in Patient Management After Endovascular Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peloschek, P.; Sailer, J.; Loewe, C.; Schillinger, M.; Lammer, J.

    2006-01-01

    Objectives. To bring out the role of multi-slice spiral CT angiography (MS-CTA) in patient management after endovascular therapy of subclavian artery stenosis. Methods. Twenty-one consecutive patients with clinically suspected restenosis after endovascular treatment of subclavian artery stenosis or occlusion were included in the study. Eleven patients had been treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) alone and 10 with PTA and stenting. The mean follow-up period after PTA or stenting was 57 (±27 SD) months. CTA was performed using a bolus-triggered high-resolution protocol with biphasic intravenous contrast medium injection. Axial images and curved planar reformations (CPRs) were rated by three readers with regard to patency of supra-aortic vessels. Imaging findings were correlated with a standardized clinical assessment. Results. All examinations were of diagnostic quality. Of 21 referred patients, 7 had significant reobstruction of the treated subclavian artery. Six of the 7 patients with significant restenosis on CTA were treated conservatively (antiplatelet agents), despite 2 of them being symptomatic on the standardized clinical assessment, which showed a sensitivity and specificity of 86% in predicting stenosis. One patient was treated with PTA and stent deployment because of strong subjective suffering. Conclusion. MS-CTA is useful for exclusion or quantification of clinically suspected restenosis in carefully selected patients after endovascular therapy where ultrasound is inconclusive and/or contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography is contraindicated

  11. Evaluation of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis with multi-slices spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Wenya; Lou Jianru; Xing Yan; Wang Jing; Wang Haitao

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To analyze the multi-slices spiral CT (MSCT) findings of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE), and to evaluate the value of MSCT for diagnosis of HAE. Methods: Twenty-six cases with HAE were scanning by MSCT. The raw data were transmitted to advanced workstation for reconstruction imaging. Correlated studies were made between the CT features and pathology or other imaging results. Results: Altogether 28 lesions were detected. They all revealed as heterogeneous hypodense mass with ill-defined boundary in plain CT but were easily being distinguished from surrounding parenchyma after contrast medium injection. Characteristics of the lesions include different amount of calcification (26/26), liquefied necrosis in center area (20/26), peripheral lacunae or alveolar signs (15/26 ), compensatory hypertrophy of healthy hepatic part (18/26) and the retraction in the involved hepatic lobe or segment (12/26). The lesions that located at or extended to hepatic hilum caused dilatation of intra-hepatic biliary ducts (9/26), splenomegaly (12/26 ), and ascites (1/26). MSCT angiography (CTA) depicted signs of abnormalities of hepatic vessels such as compression, displacement, encasement and occlusion. Compared with findings of operation, the sensitivity, specificity and positive prediction value of CTA for evaluating the hepatic artery system disorders were 88%, 96% and 93%, respectively; and for portal venous system were 95%, 100% and 95%, respectively; while for hepatic venous system were 96%, 86% and 96%, respectively. Conclusion: MSCT is able to comprehensive display the CT features and vessels complication of HAE. It provides reliable imaging for both accuracy diagnosis and proper treatment of the disease. (authors)

  12. Estimation of 3-D conduction velocity vector fields from cardiac mapping data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnette, A R; Bayly, P V; Zhang, S; Walcott, G P; Ideker, R E; Smith, W M

    2000-08-01

    A method to estimate three-dimensional (3-D) conduction velocity vector fields in cardiac tissue is presented. The speed and direction of propagation are found from polynomial "surfaces" fitted to space-time (x, y, z, t) coordinates of cardiac activity. The technique is applied to sinus rhythm and paced rhythm mapped with plunge needles at 396-466 sites in the canine myocardium. The method was validated on simulated 3-D plane and spherical waves. For simulated data, conduction velocities were estimated with an accuracy of 1%-2%. In experimental data, estimates of conduction speeds during paced rhythm were slower than those found during normal sinus rhythm. Vector directions were also found to differ between different types of beats. The technique was able to distinguish between premature ventricular contractions and sinus beats and between sinus and paced beats. The proposed approach to computing velocity vector fields provides an automated, physiological, and quantitative description of local electrical activity in 3-D tissue. This method may provide insight into abnormal conduction associated with fatal ventricular arrhythmias.

  13. Thick Slice and Thin Slice Teaching Evaluations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tom, Gail; Tong, Stephanie Tom; Hesse, Charles

    2010-01-01

    Student-based teaching evaluations are an integral component to institutions of higher education. Previous work on student-based teaching evaluations suggest that evaluations of instructors based upon "thin slice" 30-s video clips of them in the classroom correlate strongly with their end of the term "thick slice" student evaluations. This study's…

  14. Automatic intensity-based 3D-to-2D registration of CT volume and dual-energy digital radiography for the detection of cardiac calcification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiang; Gilkeson, Robert; Fei, Baowei

    2007-03-01

    We are investigating three-dimensional (3D) to two-dimensional (2D) registration methods for computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy digital radiography (DR) for the detection of coronary artery calcification. CT is an established tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery diseases (CADs). Dual-energy digital radiography could be a cost-effective alternative for screening coronary artery calcification. In order to utilize CT as the "gold standard" to evaluate the ability of DR images for the detection and localization of calcium, we developed an automatic intensity-based 3D-to-2D registration method for 3D CT volumes and 2D DR images. To generate digital rendering radiographs (DRR) from the CT volumes, we developed three projection methods, i.e. Gaussian-weighted projection, threshold-based projection, and average-based projection. We tested normalized cross correlation (NCC) and normalized mutual information (NMI) as similarity measurement. We used the Downhill Simplex method as the search strategy. Simulated projection images from CT were fused with the corresponding DR images to evaluate the localization of cardiac calcification. The registration method was evaluated by digital phantoms, physical phantoms, and clinical data sets. The results from the digital phantoms show that the success rate is 100% with mean errors of less 0.8 mm and 0.2 degree for both NCC and NMI. The registration accuracy of the physical phantoms is 0.34 +/- 0.27 mm. Color overlay and 3D visualization of the clinical data show that the two images are registered well. This is consistent with the improvement of the NMI values from 0.20 +/- 0.03 to 0.25 +/- 0.03 after registration. The automatic 3D-to-2D registration method is accurate and robust and may provide a useful tool to evaluate the dual-energy DR images for the detection of coronary artery calcification.

  15. Improving parallel imaging by jointly reconstructing multi-contrast data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgic, Berkin; Kim, Tae Hyung; Liao, Congyu; Manhard, Mary Kate; Wald, Lawrence L; Haldar, Justin P; Setsompop, Kawin

    2018-08-01

    To develop parallel imaging techniques that simultaneously exploit coil sensitivity encoding, image phase prior information, similarities across multiple images, and complementary k-space sampling for highly accelerated data acquisition. We introduce joint virtual coil (JVC)-generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions (GRAPPA) to jointly reconstruct data acquired with different contrast preparations, and show its application in 2D, 3D, and simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) acquisitions. We extend the joint parallel imaging concept to exploit limited support and smooth phase constraints through Joint (J-) LORAKS formulation. J-LORAKS allows joint parallel imaging from limited autocalibration signal region, as well as permitting partial Fourier sampling and calibrationless reconstruction. We demonstrate highly accelerated 2D balanced steady-state free precession with phase cycling, SMS multi-echo spin echo, 3D multi-echo magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo, and multi-echo gradient recalled echo acquisitions in vivo. Compared to conventional GRAPPA, proposed joint acquisition/reconstruction techniques provide more than 2-fold reduction in reconstruction error. JVC-GRAPPA takes advantage of additional spatial encoding from phase information and image similarity, and employs different sampling patterns across acquisitions. J-LORAKS achieves a more parsimonious low-rank representation of local k-space by considering multiple images as additional coils. Both approaches provide dramatic improvement in artifact and noise mitigation over conventional single-contrast parallel imaging reconstruction. Magn Reson Med 80:619-632, 2018. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  16. Influence of image slice thickness on rectal dose-response relationships following radiotherapy of prostate cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, C.; Thor, M.; Liu, M.; Moissenko, V.; Petersen, S. E.; Høyer, M.; Apte, A.; Deasy, J. O.

    2014-07-01

    When pooling retrospective data from different cohorts, slice thicknesses of acquired computed tomography (CT) images used for treatment planning may vary between cohorts. It is, however, not known if varying slice thickness influences derived dose-response relationships. We investigated this for rectal bleeding using dose-volume histograms (DVHs) of the rectum and rectal wall for dose distributions superimposed on images with varying CT slice thicknesses. We used dose and endpoint data from two prostate cancer cohorts treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy to either 74 Gy (N = 159) or 78 Gy (N = 159) at 2 Gy per fraction. The rectum was defined as the whole organ with content, and the morbidity cut-off was Grade ≥2 late rectal bleeding. Rectal walls were defined as 3 mm inner margins added to the rectum. DVHs for simulated slice thicknesses from 3 to 13 mm were compared to DVHs for the originally acquired slice thicknesses at 3 and 5 mm. Volumes, mean, and maximum doses were assessed from the DVHs, and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) values were calculated. For each organ and each of the simulated slice thicknesses, we performed predictive modeling of late rectal bleeding using the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) model. For the most coarse slice thickness, rectal volumes increased (≤18%), whereas maximum and mean doses decreased (≤0.8 and ≤4.2 Gy, respectively). For all a values, the gEUD for the simulated DVHs were ≤1.9 Gy different than the gEUD for the original DVHs. The best-fitting LKB model parameter values with 95% CIs were consistent between all DVHs. In conclusion, we found that the investigated slice thickness variations had minimal impact on rectal dose-response estimations. From the perspective of predictive modeling, our results suggest that variations within 10 mm in slice thickness between cohorts are unlikely to be a limiting factor when pooling multi-institutional rectal dose data that include slice thickness

  17. 3D slicing of radiogenic heat production in Bahariya Formation, Tut oil field, North-Western Desert, Egypt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Alfy, I M; Nabih, M A

    2013-03-01

    A 3D block of radiogenic heat production was constructed from the subsurface total gamma ray logs of Bahariya Formation, Western Desert, Egypt. The studied rocks possess a range of radiogenic heat production varying from 0.21 μWm(-3) to 2.2 μWm(-3). Sandstone rocks of Bahariya Formation have higher radiogenic heat production than the average for crustal sedimentary rocks. The high values of density log of Bahariya Formation indicate the presence of iron oxides which contribute the uranium radioactive ores that increase the radiogenic heat production of these rocks. The average radiogenic heat production produced from the study area is calculated as 6.3 kW. The histogram and cumulative frequency analyses illustrate that the range from 0.8 to 1.2 μWm(-3) is about 45.3% of radiogenic heat production values. The 3D slicing of the reservoir shows that the southeastern and northeastern parts of the study area have higher radiogenic heat production than other parts. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Assessment of Myocardial Bridge and Mural Coronary Artery Using ECG-Gated 256-Slice CT Angiography: A Retrospective Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    En-sen Ma

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent clinical reports have indicated that myocardial bridge and mural coronary artery complex (MB-MCA might cause major adverse cardiac events. 256-slice CT angiography (256-slice CTA is a newly developed CT system with faster scanning and lower radiation dose compared with other CT systems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the morphological features of MB-MCA and determine its changes from diastole to systole phase using 256-slice CTA. The imaging data of 2462 patients were collected retrospectively. Two independent radiologists reviewed the collected images and the diagnosis of MB-MCA was confirmed when consistency was obtained. The length, diameter, and thickness of MB-MCA in diastole and systole phases were recorded, and changes of MB-MCA were calculated. Our results showed that among the 2462 patients examined, 336 have one or multiple MB-MCA (13.6%. Out of 389 MB-MCA segments, 235 sites were located in LAD2 (60.41%. The average diameter change of MCA in LAD2 from systole phase to diastole phase was  mm, and 34.9% of MCA have more than 50% diameter stenosis in systole phase. This study suggested that 256-slice CTA multiple-phase reconstruction technique is a reliable method to determine the changes of MB-MCA from diastole to systole phase.

  19. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TYMPANOPLASTY USING SLICED CARTILAGE GRAFT VS. TEMPORALIS FASCIA GRAFT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahul Ashok Telang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The objective of the study was to compare the hearing improvement after using sliced cartilage graft with that of temporalis fascia and to compare the graft take-up between the two graft materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective clinical study including 60 patients with chronic mucosal otitis media, who were selected randomly from the outpatient department, after obtaining their consent were divided into 2 groups of 30 each, and evaluated according the study protocol. Their pre-operative audiometry was recorded and both groups of patients underwent surgery with one of the graft materials- temporalis fascia or sliced tragal cartilage with a thickness of 0.5 mm. All patients were regularly followed up and post-operative audiometry was done at 3 months. The hearing improvement in the form of closure of air-bone-gap and graft take-up was analysed statistically. RESULTS The temporalis fascia graft group had a pre-operative ABG of 22.33 ± 6.24 dB and post-operative ABG of 12.33 ± 4.72 dB with hearing improvement of 10.00 dB. The sliced cartilage graft group had a pre-operative ABG of 20.77 ± 5.75 dB and postoperative ABG of 10.50 ± 4.46 dB with hearing improvement of 10.27 dB. In the temporalis fascia group, 28 (93.3% patients had good graft take-up and in the sliced cartilage group 29 (96.7% had good graft take-up. There was statistically significant hearing improvement in both of our study groups but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in graft take-up also. CONCLUSION Sliced cartilage graft is a good auto-graft material in tympanoplasty, which can give good hearing improvement and has good graft take-up, which is comparable with that of temporalis fascia.

  20. Architectural slicing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Henrik Bærbak; Hansen, Klaus Marius

    2013-01-01

    Architectural prototyping is a widely used practice, con- cerned with taking architectural decisions through experiments with light- weight implementations. However, many architectural decisions are only taken when systems are already (partially) implemented. This is prob- lematic in the context...... of architectural prototyping since experiments with full systems are complex and expensive and thus architectural learn- ing is hindered. In this paper, we propose a novel technique for harvest- ing architectural prototypes from existing systems, \\architectural slic- ing", based on dynamic program slicing. Given...... a system and a slicing criterion, architectural slicing produces an architectural prototype that contain the elements in the architecture that are dependent on the ele- ments in the slicing criterion. Furthermore, we present an initial design and implementation of an architectural slicer for Java....

  1. Quasi-3D Modelling of Two-Phase Slug Flow in Pipes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mo

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present progress obtained by the Quasi 3-Dimensional (Q3D model for pipe flows. This model is based on a multi-fluid multi-field formulation with construction and tracking of the large-scale interfaces (LSIs. The computational time is significantly reduced compared to full 3D by using a specially adopted slice-averaging technique. However, the slice-averaging generates new terms in the model equations. These terms are related to important mechanisms such as wall shear stress and turbulence production at side walls. We present some basic performance tests of the Q3D model, including single phase wall friction and the velocities of single Taylor bubbles at inclinations ranging from horizontal to vertical. Finally we report the performance of the model for slug flow in horizontal and 10° inclined pipes. The model reproduces the experimental data satisfactorily for both cases in a very short simulation time compared to full 3D.

  2. Software framework developed for the slice test of the ATLAS endcap muon trigger system

    CERN Document Server

    Komatsu, S; Ishida, Y; Tanaka, K; Hasuko, K; Kano, H; Matsumoto, Y; Yakamura, Y; Sakamoto, H; Ikeno, M; Nakayoshi, K; Sasaki, O; Yasu, Y; Hasegawa, Y; Totsuka, M; Tsuji, S; Maeno, T; Ichimiya, R; Kurashige, H

    2002-01-01

    A sliced system test of the ATLAS end cap muon level 1 trigger system has been done in 2001 and 2002 separately. We have developed an own software framework for property and run controls for the slice test in 2001. The system is described in C++ throughout. The multi-PC control system is accomplished using the CORBA system. We have then restructured the software system on top of the ATLAS online software framework, and used this one for the slice test in 2002. In this report we discuss two systems in detail with emphasizing the module property configuration and run control. (8 refs).

  3. Antibrowning and antimicrobial properties of sodium acid sulfate in apple slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Xuetong; Sokorai, Kimberly J B; Liao, Ching-Hsing; Cooke, Peter; Zhang, Howard Q

    2009-01-01

    There are few available compounds that can both control browning and enhance microbial safety of fresh-cut fruits. In the present study, the antibrowning ability of sodium acid sulfate (SAS) on "Granny Smith" apple slices was first investigated in terms of optimum concentration and treatment time. In a separate experiment, the apple slices were treated with water or 3% of SAS, calcium ascorbate, citric acid, or acidified calcium sulfate for 5 min. Total plate count, color, firmness, and tissue damage were assessed during a 21-d storage at 4 degrees C. Results showed that the efficacy of SAS in inhibiting browning of apple slices increased with increasing concentration. A minimum 3% of SAS was needed to achieve 14 d of shelf life. Firmness was not significantly affected by SAS at 3% or lower concentrations. Antibrowning potential of SAS was similar for all treatment times ranging from 2 to 10 min. However, SAS caused some skin discoloration of apple slices. When cut surface of apple slices were stained with a fluorescein diacetate solution, tissue damage could be observed under a microscope even though visual damage was not evident. Among the antibrowning agents tested, SAS was the most effective in inhibiting browning and microbial growth for the first 14 d. Total plate count of samples treated with 3% SAS was significantly lower than those treated with calcium ascorbate, a commonly used antibrowning agent. Our results suggested that it is possible to use SAS to control browning while inhibiting the growth of microorganisms on the apple slices if the skin damage can be minimized. Practical Application: Fresh-cut apples have emerged as one of the popular products in restaurants, schools, and food service establishments as more consumers demand fresh, convenient, and nutritious foods. Processing of fresh-cut apples induces mechanical damage to the fruit and exposes apple tissue to air, resulting in the development of undesirable tissue browning. The fresh

  4. Clinical application of ECG-gated 256-slice CT angiography for diagnosis of congenital heart disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Xinhua; Liu Jianhua; Gong Tingting; Geng Lili; Sun Yong

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical application of ECG-gated 256-slice CT angiography for diagnosis of congenital heart disease, and to evaluate the relationship of the image quality and radiation dose between prospective ECG-gated and retrospective ECG-gated cardiac CT angiography (CTA). Methods: Sixty patients who doubt congenital heart disease underwent cardiac CTA, and they were randomly divided into two groups. Thirty patients in group A underwent prospective ECG-gated cardiac CTA, and thirty patients in group B underwent retrospective ECG-gated cardiac CTA. Then the homogeneous enhancement of vascular structures, stair-step artifact, overall image quality and radiation dose were evaluated. Results: The homogeneous enhancement of vascular structures were 2.8±0.3 and 2.7±0.6, respectively, in two groups; and there was no statistical significance (P>0.05). The stair-step artifact were 3.0±0.9 and 3.1±0.9, respectively, in two groups; and there was also no statistical significance (P>0.05). The overall image quality were 3.0±0.8 and 3.1±0.9, respectively, in two group; and there was statistical significance (P>0.05). However, the effective dose were (5.24±0.52) mSv and (16.68±1.49) mSv, respectively, in two groups; and there was statistical significance (P<0.001). Conclusion: Compared with retrospective ECG-gated cardiac CTA, prospective ECG-gated cardiac CTA can reduce radiation dose about 68.6% , while maintaining the image quality which could be made diagnosis. (authors)

  5. Repeated cocaine administration results in supersensitivity of striatal D-2 dopamine autoreceptors to pergolide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dwoskin, L.P.; Peris, J.; Yasuda, R.P.; Philpott, K.; Zahniser, N.R.

    1988-01-01

    Groups of rats administered cocaine-HCl (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline either acutely or once daily for 8 or 14 days were killed 24 hrs after the last dose. In striatal slices prelabelled with [ 3 H]DA, modulation of [ 3 H]-overflow by pergolide was used to measure D-2 autoreceptor activity. Compared to the contemporaneous control group pergolide produced a greater inhibition only in striatal slices from rats treated repeatedly with cocaine. In radioligand binding studies using striatal membranes from control rats, pergolide had a 500-fold greater affinity for the D-2, as opposed to the D-1, dopamine (DA) receptor subtype. These results indicate that repeated treatment with cocaine produces supersensitive striatal D-2 release-modulating autoreceptors consistent with a compensatory change to diminish the effect of elevated synaptic concentrations of DA produced by cocaine. In contrast, supersensitivity of D-2 receptors was not detected in [ 3 H]spiperone binding assays. 31 references, 2 figures, 1 table

  6. Exploring intra- and inter-reader variability in uni-dimensional, bi-dimensional, and volumetric measurements of solid tumors on CT scans reconstructed at different slice intervals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Binsheng; Tan, Yongqiang; Bell, Daniel J.; Marley, Sarah E.; Guo, Pingzhen; Mann, Helen; Scott, Marietta L.J.; Schwartz, Lawrence H.; Ghiorghiu, Dana C.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: Understanding magnitudes of variability when measuring tumor size may be valuable in improving detection of tumor change and thus evaluating tumor response to therapy in clinical trials and care. Our study explored intra- and inter-reader variability of tumor uni-dimensional (1D), bi-dimensional (2D), and volumetric (VOL) measurements using manual and computer-aided methods (CAM) on CT scans reconstructed at different slice intervals. Materials and methods: Raw CT data from 30 patients enrolled in oncology clinical trials was reconstructed at 5, 2.5, and 1.25 mm slice intervals. 118 lesions in the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes were analyzed. For each lesion, two independent radiologists manually and, separately, using computer software, measured the maximum diameter (1D), maximum perpendicular diameter, and volume (CAM only). One of them blindly repeated the measurements. Intra- and inter-reader variability for the manual method and CAM were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models and Bland–Altman method. Results: For the three slice intervals, the maximum coefficients of variation for manual intra-/inter-reader variability were 6.9%/9.0% (1D) and 12.3%/18.0% (2D), and for CAM were 5.4%/9.3% (1D), 11.3%/18.8% (2D) and 9.3%/18.0% (VOL). Maximal 95% reference ranges for the percentage difference in intra-reader measurements for manual 1D and 2D, and CAM VOL were (−15.5%, 25.8%), (−27.1%, 51.6%), and (−22.3%, 33.6%), respectively. Conclusions: Variability in measuring the diameter and volume of solid tumors, manually and by CAM, is affected by CT slice interval. The 2.5 mm slice interval provides the least measurement variability. Among the three techniques, 2D has the greatest measurement variability compared to 1D and 3D

  7. Four-dimensional measurement of intrafractional respiratory motion of pancreatic tumors using a 256 multi-slice CT scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, Shinichiro; Hara, Ryusuke; Yanagi, Takeshi; Sharp, Gregory C.; Kumagai, Motoki; Asakura, Hiroshi; Kishimoto, Riwa; Yamada, Shigeru; Kandatsu, Susumu; Kamada, Tadashi

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify pancreas and pancreatic tumor movement due to respiratory motion using volumetric cine CT images. Materials and methods: Six patients with pancreatic tumors were scanned in cine mode with a 256 multi-slice CT scanner under free breathing conditions. Gross tumor volume (GTV) and pancreas were manually contoured on the CT data set by a radiation oncologist. Intrafractional respiratory movement of the GTV and pancreas was calculated, and the results were compared between the respiratory ungated and gated phases, which is a 30% duty cycle around exhalation. Results: Respiratory-induced organ motion was observed mainly in the anterior abdominal side than the posterior side. Average GTV displacement (ungated/gated phases) was 0.7 mm/0.2 mm in both the left and right directions, and 2.5 mm/0.9 mm in the anterior, 0.1 mm/0 mm in the posterior, and 8.9 mm/2.6 mm in the inferior directions. Average pancreas center of mass displacement relative to that at peak exhalation was mainly in the inferior direction, at 9.6 mm in the ungated phase and 2.3 mm in the gated phase. Conclusions: By allowing accurate determination of the margin, quantitative analysis of tumor and pancreas displacement provides useful information in treatment planning in all radiation approaches for pancreatic tumors.

  8. Molecular dynamics simulation based on the multi-component molecular orbital method: Application to H5O2+,D5O2+,andT5O2+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishimoto, Takayoshi; Koyama, Michihisa

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Molecular dynamics method based on multi-component molecular orbital method was applied to basic hydrogen bonding systems, H 5 O 2 + , and its isotopomers (D 5 O 2 + andT 5 O 2 + ). Highlights: ► Molecular dynamics method with nuclear quantum effect was developed. ► Multi-component molecular orbital method was used as ab initio MO calculation. ► Developed method applied to basic hydrogen bonding system, H 5 O 2 + , and isotopomers. ► O ⋯ O vibrational stretching reflected to the distribution of protonic wavefunctions. ► H/D/T isotope effect was also analyzed. - Abstract: We propose a molecular dynamics (MD) method based on the multi-component molecular orbital (MC M O) method, which takes into account the quantum effect of proton directly, for the detailed analyses of proton transfer in hydrogen bonding system. The MC M O based MD (MC M O-MD) method is applied to the basic structures, H 5 O 2 + (called “Zundel ion”), and its isotopomers (D 5 O 2 + andT 5 O 2 + ). We clearly demonstrate the geometrical difference of hydrogen bonded O ⋯ O distance induced by H/D/T isotope effect because the O ⋯ O in H-compound was longer than that in D- or T-compound. We also find the strong relation between stretching vibration of O ⋯ O and the distribution of hydrogen bonded protonic wavefunction because the protonic wavefunction tends to delocalize when the O ⋯ O distance becomes short during the dynamics. Our proposed MC M O-MD simulation is expected as a powerful tool to analyze the proton dynamics in hydrogen bonding systems.

  9. Direct comparison of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking and 2D/3D echocardiography speckle tracking for evaluation of global left ventricular strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obokata, Masaru; Nagata, Yasufumi; Wu, Victor Chien-Chia; Kado, Yuichiro; Kurabayashi, Masahiko; Otsuji, Yutaka; Takeuchi, Masaaki

    2016-05-01

    Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT) with steady-state free precession (SSFP) has advantages over traditional myocardial tagging to analyse left ventricular (LV) strain. However, direct comparisons of CMRFT and 2D/3D echocardiography speckle tracking (2/3DEST) for measurement of LV strain are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and reliability of CMRFT and 2D/3DEST for measurement of global LV strain. We enrolled 106 patients who agreed to undergo both CMR and 2D/3DE on the same day. SSFP images at multiple short-axis and three apical views were acquired. 2DE images from three levels of short-axis, three apical views, and 3D full-volume datasets were also acquired. Strain data were expressed as absolute values. Feasibility was highest in CMRFT, followed by 2DEST and 3DEST. Analysis time was shortest in 3DEST, followed by CMRFT and 2DEST. There was good global longitudinal strain (GLS) correlation between CMRFT and 2D/3DEST (r = 0.83 and 0.87, respectively) with the limit of agreement (LOA) ranged from ±3.6 to ±4.9%. Excellent global circumferential strain (GCS) correlation between CMRFT and 2D/3DEST was observed (r = 0.90 and 0.88) with LOA of ±6.8-8.5%. Global radial strain showed fair correlations (r = 0.69 and 0.82, respectively) with LOA ranged from ±12.4 to ±16.3%. CMRFT GCS showed least observer variability with highest intra-class correlation. Although not interchangeable, the high GLS and GCS correlation between CMRFT and 2D/3DEST makes CMRFT a useful modality for quantification of global LV strain in patients, especially those with suboptimal echo image quality. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Fast 2D fluid-analytical simulation of ion energy distributions and electromagnetic effects in multi-frequency capacitive discharges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawamura, E.; Lieberman, M. A.; Graves, D. B.

    2014-12-01

    A fast 2D axisymmetric fluid-analytical plasma reactor model using the finite elements simulation tool COMSOL is interfaced with a 1D particle-in-cell (PIC) code to study ion energy distributions (IEDs) in multi-frequency capacitive argon discharges. A bulk fluid plasma model, which solves the time-dependent plasma fluid equations for the ion continuity and electron energy balance, is coupled with an analytical sheath model, which solves for the sheath parameters. The time-independent Helmholtz equation is used to solve for the fields and a gas flow model solves for the steady-state pressure, temperature and velocity of the neutrals. The results of the fluid-analytical model are used as inputs to a PIC simulation of the sheath region of the discharge to obtain the IEDs at the target electrode. Each 2D fluid-analytical-PIC simulation on a moderate 2.2 GHz CPU workstation with 8 GB of memory took about 15-20 min. The multi-frequency 2D fluid-analytical model was compared to 1D PIC simulations of a symmetric parallel-plate discharge, showing good agreement. We also conducted fluid-analytical simulations of a multi-frequency argon capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) with a typical asymmetric reactor geometry at 2/60/162 MHz. The low frequency 2 MHz power controlled the sheath width and sheath voltage while the high frequencies controlled the plasma production. A standing wave was observable at the highest frequency of 162 MHz. We noticed that adding 2 MHz power to a 60 MHz discharge or 162 MHz to a dual frequency 2 MHz/60 MHz discharge can enhance the plasma uniformity. We found that multiple frequencies were not only useful for controlling IEDs but also plasma uniformity in CCP reactors.

  11. 3D multi-view convolutional neural networks for lung nodule classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Guixia; Hou, Beibei; Zhang, Ningbo

    2017-01-01

    The 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) is able to make full use of the spatial 3D context information of lung nodules, and the multi-view strategy has been shown to be useful for improving the performance of 2D CNN in classifying lung nodules. In this paper, we explore the classification of lung nodules using the 3D multi-view convolutional neural networks (MV-CNN) with both chain architecture and directed acyclic graph architecture, including 3D Inception and 3D Inception-ResNet. All networks employ the multi-view-one-network strategy. We conduct a binary classification (benign and malignant) and a ternary classification (benign, primary malignant and metastatic malignant) on Computed Tomography (CT) images from Lung Image Database Consortium and Image Database Resource Initiative database (LIDC-IDRI). All results are obtained via 10-fold cross validation. As regards the MV-CNN with chain architecture, results show that the performance of 3D MV-CNN surpasses that of 2D MV-CNN by a significant margin. Finally, a 3D Inception network achieved an error rate of 4.59% for the binary classification and 7.70% for the ternary classification, both of which represent superior results for the corresponding task. We compare the multi-view-one-network strategy with the one-view-one-network strategy. The results reveal that the multi-view-one-network strategy can achieve a lower error rate than the one-view-one-network strategy. PMID:29145492

  12. The virtual slice setup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lytton, William W; Neymotin, Samuel A; Hines, Michael L

    2008-06-30

    In an effort to design a simulation environment that is more similar to that of neurophysiology, we introduce a virtual slice setup in the NEURON simulator. The virtual slice setup runs continuously and permits parameter changes, including changes to synaptic weights and time course and to intrinsic cell properties. The virtual slice setup permits shocks to be applied at chosen locations and activity to be sampled intra- or extracellularly from chosen locations. By default, a summed population display is shown during a run to indicate the level of activity and no states are saved. Simulations can run for hours of model time, therefore it is not practical to save all of the state variables. These, in any case, are primarily of interest at discrete times when experiments are being run: the simulation can be stopped momentarily at such times to save activity patterns. The virtual slice setup maintains an automated notebook showing shocks and parameter changes as well as user comments. We demonstrate how interaction with a continuously running simulation encourages experimental prototyping and can suggest additional dynamical features such as ligand wash-in and wash-out-alternatives to typical instantaneous parameter change. The virtual slice setup currently uses event-driven cells and runs at approximately 2 min/h on a laptop.

  13. The impact of computed tomography slice thickness on the assessment of stereotactic, 3D conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy of brain tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caivano, R; Fiorentino, A; Pedicini, P; Califano, G; Fusco, V

    2014-05-01

    To evaluate radiotherapy treatment planning accuracy by varying computed tomography (CT) slice thickness and tumor size. CT datasets from patients with primary brain disease and metastatic brain disease were selected. Tumor volumes ranging from about 2.5 to 100 cc and CT scan at different slice thicknesses (1, 2, 4, 6 and 10 mm) were used to perform treatment planning (1-, 2-, 4-, 6- and 10-CT, respectively). For any slice thickness, a conformity index (CI) referring to 100, 98, 95 and 90 % isodoses and tumor size was computed. All the CI and volumes obtained were compared to evaluate the impact of CT slice thickness on treatment plans. The smallest volumes reduce significantly if defined on 1-CT with respect to 4- and 6-CT, while the CT slice thickness does not affect target definition for the largest volumes. The mean CI for all the considered isodoses and CT slice thickness shows no statistical differences when 1-CT is compared to 2-CT. Comparing the mean CI of 1- with 4-CT and 1- with 6-CT, statistical differences appear only for the smallest volumes with respect to 100, 98 and 95 % isodoses-the CI for 90 % isodose being not statistically significant for all the considered PTVs. The accuracy of radiotherapy tumor volume definition depends on CT slice thickness. To achieve a better tumor definition and dose coverage, 1- and 2-CT would be suitable for small targets, while 4- and 6-CT are suitable for the other volumes.

  14. Leading CFT constraints on multi-critical models in d > 2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Codello, Alessandro; Safari, Mahmoud; Vacca, Gian Paolo

    2017-01-01

    We consider the family of renormalizable scalar QFTs with self-interacting potentials of highest monomial ϕm below their upper critical dimensions dc=2mm−2, and study them using a combination of CFT constraints, Schwinger-Dyson equation and the free theory behavior at the upper critical dimension....... For even integers m ≥ 4 these theories coincide with the Landau-Ginzburg description of multi-critical phenomena and interpolate with the unitary minimal models in d = 2, while for odd m the theories are non-unitary and start at m = 3 with the Lee-Yang universality class. For all the even potentials...... and for the Lee-Yang universality class, we show how the assumption of conformal invariance is enough to compute the scaling dimensions of the local operators ϕk and of some families of structure constants in either the coupling’s or the ϵ-expansion. For all other odd potentials we express some scaling dimensions...

  15. Critical Heat Flux Experiments on the Reactor Vessel Wall Using 2-D Slice Test Section

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Yong Hoon; Chang, Soon Heung; Baek, Won-Pil

    2005-01-01

    The critical heat flux (CHF) on the reactor vessel outer wall was measured using the two-dimensional slice test section. The radius and the channel area of the test section were 2.5 m and 10 cm x 15 cm, respectively. The flow channel area and the heater width were smaller than those of the ULPU experiments, but the radius was greater than that of the ULPU. The CHF data under the inlet subcooling of 2 to 25 deg. C and the mass flux 0 to 300 kg/m 2 .s had been acquired. The measured CHF value was generally slightly lower than that of the ULPU. The difference possibly comes from the difference of the test section material and the thickness. However, the general trend of CHF according to the mass flux was similar with that of the ULPU. The experimental CHF data were compared with the predicted values by SULTAN correlation. The SULTAN correlation predicted well this study's data only for the mass flux higher than 200 kg/m 2 .s, and for the exit quality lower than 0.05. The local condition-based correlation was developed, and it showed good prediction capability for broad quality (-0.01 to 0.5) and mass flux ( 2 .s) conditions with a root-mean-square error of 2.4%. There were increases in the CHF with trisodium phosphate-added water

  16. Detection of intracranial aneurysms using multi-detector row CT 3D-angiography: comparison with operative findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, You Mie; Lim, Soo Mee; Seo, Eui Kyo; Kim, Yoo Kyung [Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-04-15

    To assess the efficacy of three-dimensional CT angiography (3D-CTA) using multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms in patients with non-traumatic acute subarachnoid hemorrhage and to describe those aneurysms which were not found 3D-CTA. 3D-CTA was done in 40 patients with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage by using a 16-slice MDCT; conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was done in 36 of those patients within 12 hours. The CT and DSA images were reviewed by two radiologists and the site, size and neck of the aneurysms were evaluated. The results from these two modalities were then compared with the operative findings. We calculated the detection rates by 3D-CTA and DSA and evaluated the size differences of aneurysms diagnosed with 3D-DTA and those found at surgery. We also analyzed the locations and sizes of aneurysms missed by 3D-CTA and attempted to explain these false negatives. A total of 55 aneurysms were surgically confirmed in 40 patients. 48 of these were detected pre-operatively by 3D-CTA. Thus, the detection rate by 3D-CTA was 87%. The size difference of aneurysms as calculated by 3-D CTA and found operatively was as follows: less than 1 mm in 17 cases, within 1-2 mm in 15 cases, and more than 2 mm in 16 cases. Seven aneurysms were not detected by 3D-CTA. The major cause of these missed aneurysms was their small size. The undetected aneurysms were less than 2 mm in size, except for 2 instances of PCoA aneurysms. One case was not detected due to difficult image evaluation. A possible explanation of the one remaining missed aneurysms was the filling of the aneurismal sac by thrombosis. Though there were some limitations in the detection of aneurysms, 3D-CTA using 16-channel MDCT may provide sufficient pre-operative information for the management of patients with intracranial aneurysms in cases of emergency operations or DSA-failure.

  17. Detection of intracranial aneurysms using multi-detector row CT 3D-angiography: comparison with operative findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, You Mie; Lim, Soo Mee; Seo, Eui Kyo; Kim, Yoo Kyung

    2006-01-01

    To assess the efficacy of three-dimensional CT angiography (3D-CTA) using multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms in patients with non-traumatic acute subarachnoid hemorrhage and to describe those aneurysms which were not found 3D-CTA. 3D-CTA was done in 40 patients with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage by using a 16-slice MDCT; conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was done in 36 of those patients within 12 hours. The CT and DSA images were reviewed by two radiologists and the site, size and neck of the aneurysms were evaluated. The results from these two modalities were then compared with the operative findings. We calculated the detection rates by 3D-CTA and DSA and evaluated the size differences of aneurysms diagnosed with 3D-DTA and those found at surgery. We also analyzed the locations and sizes of aneurysms missed by 3D-CTA and attempted to explain these false negatives. A total of 55 aneurysms were surgically confirmed in 40 patients. 48 of these were detected pre-operatively by 3D-CTA. Thus, the detection rate by 3D-CTA was 87%. The size difference of aneurysms as calculated by 3-D CTA and found operatively was as follows: less than 1 mm in 17 cases, within 1-2 mm in 15 cases, and more than 2 mm in 16 cases. Seven aneurysms were not detected by 3D-CTA. The major cause of these missed aneurysms was their small size. The undetected aneurysms were less than 2 mm in size, except for 2 instances of PCoA aneurysms. One case was not detected due to difficult image evaluation. A possible explanation of the one remaining missed aneurysms was the filling of the aneurismal sac by thrombosis. Though there were some limitations in the detection of aneurysms, 3D-CTA using 16-channel MDCT may provide sufficient pre-operative information for the management of patients with intracranial aneurysms in cases of emergency operations or DSA-failure

  18. Influence of slice thickness on the determination of left ventricular wall thickness and dimension by magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohnishi, Shusaku; Fukui, Sugao; Atsumi, Chisato and others

    1989-02-01

    Wall thickness of the ventricular septum and left ventricle, and left ventricular cavity dimension were determined on magnetic resonance (MR) images with slices 5 mm and 10 mm in thickness. Subjects were 3 healthy volunteers and 7 patients with hypertension (4), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (one) or valvular heart disease (2). In visualizing the cardiac structures such as left ventricular papillary muscle and right and left ventricles, 5 mm-thick images were better than 10 mm-thick images. Edges of ventricular septum and left ventricular wall were more clearly visualized on 5 mm-thick images than 10 mm-thick images. Two mm-thick MR images obtained from 2 patients yielded the most excellent visualization in end-systole, but failed to reveal cardiac structures in detail in end-diastole. Phantom studies revealed no significant differences in image quality of 10 mm and 5 mm in thickness in the axial view 80 degree to the long axis. In the axial view 45 degree to the long axis, 10 mm-thick images were inferior to 5 mm-thick images in detecting the edge of the septum and the left ventricular wall. These results indicate that the selection of slice thickness is one of the most important determinant factors in the measurement of left ventricular wall thickness and cavity dimension. (Namekawa, K).

  19. Influence of slice thickness on the determination of left ventricular wall thickness and dimension by magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnishi, Shusaku; Fukui, Sugao; Atsumi, Chisato

    1989-01-01

    Wall thickness of the ventricular septum and left ventricle, and left ventricular cavity dimension were determined on magnetic resonance (MR) images with slices 5 mm and 10 mm in thickness. Subjects were 3 healthy volunteers and 7 patients with hypertension (4), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (one) or valvular heart disease (2). In visualizing the cardiac structures such as left ventricular papillary muscle and right and left ventricles, 5 mm-thick images were better than 10 mm-thick images. Edges of ventricular septum and left ventricular wall were more clearly visualized on 5 mm-thick images than 10 mm-thick images. Two mm-thick MR images obtained from 2 patients yielded the most excellent visualization in end-systole, but failed to reveal cardiac structures in detail in end-diastole. Phantom studies revealed no significant differences in image quality of 10 mm and 5 mm in thickness in the axial view 80 degree to the long axis. In the axial view 45 degree to the long axis, 10 mm-thick images were inferior to 5 mm-thick images in detecting the edge of the septum and the left ventricular wall. These results indicate that the selection of slice thickness is one of the most important determinant factors in the measurement of left ventricular wall thickness and cavity dimension. (Namekawa, K)

  20. GATA4-mediated cardiac hypertrophy induced by D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Zhiming; Zhu Shanjun; Liu Daoyan; Yu Zengping; Yang Yongjian; Giet, Markus van der; Tepel, Martin

    2005-01-01

    We evaluated the effects of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate on cardiac hypertrophy. D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate augmented cardiac hypertrophy as evidenced by its effects on DNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and expression of immediate-early genes c-myc and c-fos, β-myosin heavy chain, and α-actin. The administration of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate increased the expression of nuclear factor of activated T-cells and cardiac-restricted zinc finger transcription factor (GATA4). Real-time quantitative RT-PCR showed that D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate-induced GATA4 mRNA was significantly enhanced even in the presence of the calcineurin inhibitor, cyclosporine A. The effect of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate was blocked after inhibition of inositol-trisphosphate receptors but not after inhibition of c-Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK) or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. The study shows that D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate-induced cardiac hypertrophy is mediated by GATA4 but independent from the calcineurin pathway

  1. Segmentation of left ventricle myocardium in porcine cardiac cine MR images using a hybrid of fully convolutional neural networks and convolutional LSTM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dongqing; Icke, Ilknur; Dogdas, Belma; Parimal, Sarayu; Sampath, Smita; Forbes, Joseph; Bagchi, Ansuman; Chin, Chih-Liang; Chen, Antong

    2018-03-01

    In the development of treatments for cardiovascular diseases, short axis cardiac cine MRI is important for the assessment of various structural and functional properties of the heart. In short axis cardiac cine MRI, Cardiac properties including the ventricle dimensions, stroke volume, and ejection fraction can be extracted based on accurate segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) myocardium. One of the most advanced segmentation methods is based on fully convolutional neural networks (FCN) and can be successfully used to do segmentation in cardiac cine MRI slices. However, the temporal dependency between slices acquired at neighboring time points is not used. Here, based on our previously proposed FCN structure, we proposed a new algorithm to segment LV myocardium in porcine short axis cardiac cine MRI by incorporating convolutional long short-term memory (Conv-LSTM) to leverage the temporal dependency. In this approach, instead of processing each slice independently in a conventional CNN-based approach, the Conv-LSTM architecture captures the dynamics of cardiac motion over time. In a leave-one-out experiment on 8 porcine specimens (3,600 slices), the proposed approach was shown to be promising by achieving average mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.84, Hausdorff distance (HD) of 6.35 mm, and average perpendicular distance (APD) of 1.09 mm when compared with manual segmentations, which improved the performance of our previous FCN-based approach (average mean DSC=0.84, HD=6.78 mm, and APD=1.11 mm). Qualitatively, our model showed robustness against low image quality and complications in the surrounding anatomy due to its ability to capture the dynamics of cardiac motion.

  2. Automated Slicing for a Multi-Axis Metal Deposition System (Preprint)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-09-01

    experimented with different materials like H13 tool steel to build the part. Following the same slicing and scanning toolpath result, there is a geometric...and analysis tool -centroidal axis. Similar to medial axis, it contains geometry and topological information but is significantly computationally...geometry reasoning and analysis tool -centroidal axis. Similar to medial axis, it contains geometry and topological information but is significantly

  3. CAVAREV-an open platform for evaluating 3D and 4D cardiac vasculature reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rohkohl, Christopher; Hornegger, Joachim; Lauritsch, Guenter; Keil, Andreas

    2010-01-01

    The 3D reconstruction of cardiac vasculature, e.g. the coronary arteries, using C-arm CT (rotational angiography) is an active and challenging field of research. There are numerous publications on different reconstruction techniques. However, there is still a lack of comparability of achieved results for several reasons: foremost, datasets used in publications are not open to public and thus experiments are not reproducible by other researchers. Further, the results highly depend on the vasculature motion, i.e. cardiac and breathing motion patterns which are also not comparable across publications. We aim to close this gap by providing an open platform, called Cavarev (CArdiac VAsculature Reconstruction EValuation). It features two simulated dynamic projection datasets based on the 4D XCAT phantom with contrasted coronary arteries which was derived from patient data. In the first dataset, the vasculature undergoes a continuous periodic motion. The second dataset contains aperiodic heart motion by including additional breathing motion. The geometry calibration and acquisition protocol were obtained from a real-world C-arm system. For qualitative evaluation of the reconstruction results, the correlation of the morphology is used. Two segmentation-based quality measures are introduced which allow us to assess the 3D and 4D reconstruction quality. They are based on the spatial overlap of the vasculature reconstruction with the ground truth. The measures enable a comprehensive analysis and comparison of reconstruction results independent from the utilized reconstruction algorithm. An online platform (www.cavarev.com) is provided where the datasets can be downloaded, researchers can manage and publish algorithm results and download a reference C++ and Matlab implementation.

  4. Detection of phasic dopamine by D1 and D2 striatal medium spiny neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yapo, Cedric; Nair, Anu G; Clement, Lorna; Castro, Liliana R; Hellgren Kotaleski, Jeanette; Vincent, Pierre

    2017-12-15

    Brief dopamine events are critical actors of reward-mediated learning in the striatum; the intracellular cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) response of striatal medium spiny neurons to such events was studied dynamically using a combination of biosensor imaging in mouse brain slices and in silico simulations. Both D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons can sense brief dopamine transients in the sub-micromolar range. While dopamine transients profoundly change cAMP levels in both types of medium spiny neurons, the PKA-dependent phosphorylation level remains unaffected in D2 neurons. At the level of PKA-dependent phosphorylation, D2 unresponsiveness depends on protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) inhibition by DARPP-32. Simulations suggest that D2 medium spiny neurons could detect transient dips in dopamine level. The phasic release of dopamine in the striatum determines various aspects of reward and action selection, but the dynamics of the dopamine effect on intracellular signalling remains poorly understood. We used genetically encoded FRET biosensors in striatal brain slices to quantify the effect of transient dopamine on cAMP or PKA-dependent phosphorylation levels, and computational modelling to further explore the dynamics of this signalling pathway. Medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs), which express either D 1 or D 2 dopamine receptors, responded to dopamine by an increase or a decrease in cAMP, respectively. Transient dopamine showed similar sub-micromolar efficacies on cAMP in both D1 and D2 MSNs, thus challenging the commonly accepted notion that dopamine efficacy is much higher on D 2 than on D 1 receptors. However, in D2 MSNs, the large decrease in cAMP level triggered by transient dopamine did not translate to a decrease in PKA-dependent phosphorylation level, owing to the efficient inhibition of protein phosphatase 1 by DARPP-32. Simulations further suggested that D2 MSNs can also operate in a 'tone-sensing' mode, allowing them to detect transient dips in basal dopamine

  5. Evaluation of cleft lip and palate by computed tomography with 2 mm thin slice scanning, 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchiyama, Mayuki; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Harada, Junta

    1992-01-01

    Computed tomography was performed on 104 patients with cleft lip and palate by continuous 2 mm slice scanning. The type of hard palate was classified as normal, hypoplasia and aplasia, depending on its developmental degree. The shape of alveolus was also classified as circular, triangular and asymmetric forms for the evaluation of the maxillary development. The hard palate development correlated with the shape of the alveolus, the diameter of maxillary and mandibular bone, and frequency of sinusitis and otitis media. Evaluation of the hard palate by thin slice scanning is useful in presumption of future fecial development. (author)

  6. Evaluation of cleft lip and palate by computed tomography with 2 mm thin slice scanning, 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uchiyama, Mayuki; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Harada, Junta (Jikei Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine)

    1992-06-01

    Computed tomography was performed on 104 patients with cleft lip and palate by continuous 2 mm slice scanning. The type of hard palate was classified as normal, hypoplasia and aplasia, depending on its developmental degree. The shape of alveolus was also classified as circular, triangular and asymmetric forms for the evaluation of the maxillary development. The hard palate development correlated with the shape of the alveolus, the diameter of maxillary and mandibular bone, and frequency of sinusitis and otitis media. Evaluation of the hard palate by thin slice scanning is useful in presumption of future fecial development. (author).

  7. Slice-based supine to standing postured deformation for chinese anatomical models and the dosimetric results by wide band frequency electromagnetic field exposure: Morphing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, T.; Tan, L.; Shao, Q.; Li, Y.; Yang, L.; Zhao, C.; Xie, Y.; Zhang, S.

    2013-01-01

    Digital human models are frequently obtained from supine-postured medical images or cadaver slices, but many applications require standing models. This paper presents the work of reconstructing standing Chinese adult anatomical models from supine postured slices. Apart from the previous studies, the deformation works on 2-D segmented slices. The surface profile of the standing posture is adjusted by population measurement data. A non-uniform texture amplification approach is applied on the 2-D slices to recover the skin contour and to redistribute the internal tissues. Internal organ shift due to postures is taken into account. The feet are modified by matrix rotation. Then, the supine and standing models are utilised for the evaluation of electromagnetic field exposure over wide band frequency and different incident directions. . (authors)

  8. Preliminary feasibility assessment on the investigation of bronchogenic adenocarcinoma angiogenesis with dynamic multi-slice spiral computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Shenjiang; Xiao Xiangsheng; Li Huimin; Liu Shiyuan; Li Chengzhou; Zhang Chenshi; Tao Zhiwei

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the feasibility on the investigation of bronchogenic adenocarcinoma angiogenesis with dynamic multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) . Methods: 27 patients with bronchogenic adenocarcinomas (diameter ≤4 cm) underwent multi-location dynamic contrast material-enhanced (90 ml, 4 ml/s) serial CT. These dynamic images were processed with the 'time lapse' software and the 'functional CT' software. Peak heights of bronchogenic adenocarcinoma and the aorta, perfusion and mean transit time (MTT) were measured. Ratio of peak height of the bronchogenic adenocarcinoma to that of the aorta was calculated. Perfusion and mean transit time images were obtained. Results: Peak height of bronchogenic adenocarcinoma was (36.66 ± 13.53) HU. No statistically significant difference in the peak height was found between our results and the results of Ukihide et al (mean peak height 34.1 HU) (t =0.981, P = 0.335). Bronchogenic adenocarcinoma-to-aorta ratio was (15.72±4.66 )%. The difference in bronchogenic adenocarcinoma -to-aorta ratio between our results and the results of Zhang and Kono (mean malignant SPN-to-aorta ratio 14.6%) did not reach statistical significance (t=1.244, P=0.225). The mean perfusion value (3.278 ml·min - · kg -1 ) was in the range of that (1.36-2.98 ml·min -1 ·kg -1 ) measured with a single photon emission CT (SPECT). Mean transit time was (17.60 ± 4.52) s. Conclusion: It is feasible to investigate bronchogenic adenocarcinoma angiogenesis with dynamic MSCT

  9. Left atrial passive emptying function is preserved in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation--a 320-slice multidetector computed tomography study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agner, Bue Fridolin Ross; Kühl, Jørgen Tobias; Kofoed, Klaus Fuglsang

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Left atrial (LA) mechanical function is thought to be virtually inexistent in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). Due to recent advances in multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) technology, it is now possible to acquire images of the entire heart in a single heartbeat....... The objective of this study was to compare individual components of LA function assessed by MDCT in patients with permanent AF and patients in sinus rhythm (SR). METHODS: 320-slice MDCT was performed in 30 patients with permanent AF. Measurements of LA volumes during the cardiac cycle were compared to 30......; 71 vs. 30 ml/m(2), p permanent AF have significantly increased LA volumes throughout the cardiac...

  10. Efficient 2-D DCT Computation from an Image Representation Point of View

    OpenAIRE

    Papakostas, G.A.; Koulouriotis, D.E.; Karakasis, E.G.

    2009-01-01

    A novel methodology that ensures the computation of 2-D DCT coefficients in gray-scale images as well as in binary ones, with high computation rates, was presented in the previous sections. Through a new image representation scheme, called ISR (Image Slice Representation) the 2-D DCT coefficients can be computed in significantly reduced time, with the same accuracy.

  11. Value of multi-slice spiral CT MPVR reconstruction in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Kang; Zhao Zehua; Wang Zhi; Wang Weizhong; Xu Songsen; Zhang Miao; Liu Wenjin; Zhang Guozhen; Feng Dianxu

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the value of multi-slice spiral CT MPVR reconstruction in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Methods: A total of 39 patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis underwent surgery from February, 2002 to September, 2003. They were prospectively examined before surgery with routine CT scanning and MPVR reconstruction spiral CT. 31 cases of appendicitis were confirmed after appendectomy. CT scans and surgery-pathology reports were evaluated on a five-grade scale from hyperemic-edematous appendix to abscess (normal appendix: 0 grade). Results: The results of spiral CT MPVR reconstruction were compared with the surgical and pathologic findings at appendectomy, yielding an accuracy of 87.2%, sensitivity of 90.3%, specificity of 75%, positive predictive value of 93.3%, and negative predictive value of 66.7%, respectively. Results of routine CT yielded an accuracy of 38.5%, sensitivity of 38.7%, specificity of 37.5%, positive predictive value of 70.6%, and negative predictive value of 13.6%, respectively. MPVR reconstruction signs of 28 patients with acute appendicitis included enlarged appendix ( > 6 mm) (96.4%), appendicoliths (26.7%), caecal apical thickening (36.7%), periappendiceal inflammation (71.4%), and abscess (10.7%). Conclusion: The use of spiral CT MPVR reconstruction in patients with equivocal clinical presentation suspected of having acute appendicitis can lead to a significant improvement in the preoperative diagnosis and maybe a decrease in surgical-pathologic severity of appendiceal disease. (authors)

  12. Validity of Type D personality in Iceland: association with disease severity and risk markers in cardiac patients

    OpenAIRE

    Svansdottir, Erla; Karlsson, Hrobjartur D.; Gudnason, Thorarinn; Olason, Daniel T.; Thorgilsson, Hordur; Sigtryggsdottir, Unnur; Sijbrands, Eric J.; Pedersen, Susanne S.; Denollet, Johan

    2011-01-01

    textabstractType D personality has been associated with poor prognosis in cardiac patients. This study investigated the validity of the Type D construct in Iceland and its association with disease severity and health-related risk markers in cardiac patients. A sample of 1,452 cardiac patients completed the Type D scale (DS14), and a subgroup of 161 patients completed measurements for the five-factor model of personality, emotional control, anxiety, depression, stress and lifestyle factors. Th...

  13. Calreticulin reveals a critical Ca2+ checkpoint in cardiac myofibrillogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jian; Pucéat, Michel; Perez-Terzic, Carmen; Mery, Annabelle; Nakamura, Kimitoshi; Michalak, Marek; Krause, Karl-Heinz; Jaconi, Marisa E.

    2002-01-01

    Calreticulin (crt) is an ubiquitously expressed and multifunctional Ca2+-binding protein that regulates diverse vital cell functions, including Ca2+ storage in the ER and protein folding. Calreticulin deficiency in mice is lethal in utero due to defects in heart development and function. Herein, we used crt − / − embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiated in vitro into cardiac cells to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure of knockout embryos. After 8 d of differentiation, beating areas were prominent in ES-derived wild-type (wt) embryoid bodies (EBs), but not in ES-derived crt − / − EBs, despite normal expression levels of cardiac transcription factors. Crt − / − EBs exhibited a severe decrease in expression and a lack of phosphorylation of ventricular myosin light chain 2 (MLC2v), resulting in an impaired organization of myofibrils. Crt − / − phenotype could be recreated in wt cells by chelating extracellular or cytoplasmic Ca2+ with EGTA or BAPTA, or by inhibiting Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaMKs). An imposed ionomycin-triggered cystolic-free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) elevation restored the expression, phosphorylation, and insertion of MLC2v into sarcomeric structures and in turn the myofibrillogenesis. The transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor C2 failed to accumulate into nuclei of crt − / − cardiac cells in the absence of ionomycin-triggered [Ca2+]c increase. We conclude that the absence of calreticulin interferes with myofibril formation. Most importantly, calreticulin deficiency revealed the importance of a Ca2+-dependent checkpoint critical for early events during cardiac myofibrillogenesis. PMID:12105184

  14. 3D printing based on cardiac CT assists anatomic visualization prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ripley, Beth; Kelil, Tatiana; Cheezum, Michael K; Goncalves, Alexandra; Di Carli, Marcelo F; Rybicki, Frank J; Steigner, Mike; Mitsouras, Dimitrios; Blankstein, Ron

    2016-01-01

    3D printing is a promising technique that may have applications in medicine, and there is expanding interest in the use of patient-specific 3D models to guide surgical interventions. To determine the feasibility of using cardiac CT to print individual models of the aortic root complex for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) planning as well as to determine the ability to predict paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR). This retrospective study included 16 patients (9 with PAR identified on blinded interpretation of post-procedure trans-thoracic echocardiography and 7 age, sex, and valve size-matched controls with no PAR). 3D printed models of the aortic root were created from pre-TAVR cardiac computed tomography data. These models were fitted with printed valves and predictions regarding post-implant PAR were made using a light transmission test. Aortic root 3D models were highly accurate, with excellent agreement between annulus measurements made on 3D models and those made on corresponding 2D data (mean difference of -0.34 mm, 95% limits of agreement: ± 1.3 mm). The 3D printed valve models were within 0.1 mm of their designed dimensions. Examination of the fit of valves within patient-specific aortic root models correctly predicted PAR in 6 of 9 patients (6 true positive, 3 false negative) and absence of PAR in 5 of 7 patients (5 true negative, 2 false positive). Pre-TAVR 3D-printing based on cardiac CT provides a unique patient-specific method to assess the physical interplay of the aortic root and implanted valves. With additional optimization, 3D models may complement traditional techniques used for predicting which patients are more likely to develop PAR. Copyright © 2016 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A multi-slice sliding cell technique for diffusion measurements in liquid metals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Langxiang; Hu, Jinliang; Geng, Yongliang; Zhu, Chunao; Zhang, Bo

    2017-09-01

    The long capillary and shear-cell techniques are traditionally used for diffusion measurements in liquid metals. Inspired by the idea of the shear-cell method, we have built a multi-slice sliding cell device for inter-diffusion measurements in liquid metals. The device is designed based on a linear sliding movement rather than a rotational shearing as used in the traditional shear-cell method. Compared with the normal shear-cell method, the present device is a more compact setup thus easier to handle. Also, it is expected to be easier to monitor with X-rays or neutrons if used in in situ experiments. A series of benchmark time-dependent diffusion experiments in Al-Cu melts carried out with the present technique reveal that accurate diffusion constants can be achieved only after a sufficient time. For short annealing times, the initial shearing process causing convective flow dominates the measurement and leads to an increase of the measured diffusion coefficient by a factor three. The diffusion data obtained for Al-Cu liquids are consistent with the most accurate data measured by the in situ X-ray radiography method under well controlled conditions of no temperature gradient or other perturbation. High accuracy and easy handling as well as superior adaptability make the present technique suitable for diffusion studies in liquid metals.

  16. Assessment of left ventricular function and mass by MR imaging: a stereological study based on the systematic slice sampling procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazonakis, Michalis; Sahin, Bunyamin; Pagonidis, Konstantin; Damilakis, John

    2011-06-01

    The aim of this study was to combine the stereological technique with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging data for the volumetric and functional analysis of the left ventricle (LV). Cardiac MR examinations were performed in 13 consecutive subjects with known or suspected coronary artery disease. The end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume, ejection fraction (EF), and mass were estimated by stereology using the entire slice set depicting LV and systematic sampling intensities of 1/2 and 1/3 that provided samples with every second and third slice, respectively. The repeatability of stereology was evaluated. Stereological assessments were compared with the reference values derived by manually tracing the endocardial and epicardial contours on MR images. Stereological EDV and EF estimations obtained by the 1/3 systematic sampling scheme were significantly different from those by manual delineation (P sampling intensity of 1/2 (P > .05). For these stereological approaches, a high correlation (r(2) = 0.80-0.93) and clinically acceptable limits of agreement were found with the reference method. Stereological estimations obtained by both sample sizes presented comparable coefficient of variation values of 2.9-5.8%. The mean time for stereological measurements on the entire slice set was 3.4 ± 0.6 minutes and it was reduced to 2.5 ± 0.5 minutes with the 1/2 systematic sampling scheme. Stereological analysis on systematic samples of MR slices generated by the 1/2 sampling intensity provided efficient and quick assessment of LV volumes, function, and mass. Copyright © 2011 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. The evaluation of single-view and multi-view fusion 3D echocardiography using image-driven segmentation and tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajpoot, Kashif; Grau, Vicente; Noble, J Alison; Becher, Harald; Szmigielski, Cezary

    2011-08-01

    Real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) promises a more objective and complete cardiac functional analysis by dynamic 3D image acquisition. Despite several efforts towards automation of left ventricle (LV) segmentation and tracking, these remain challenging research problems due to the poor-quality nature of acquired images usually containing missing anatomical information, speckle noise, and limited field-of-view (FOV). Recently, multi-view fusion 3D echocardiography has been introduced as acquiring multiple conventional single-view RT3DE images with small probe movements and fusing them together after alignment. This concept of multi-view fusion helps to improve image quality and anatomical information and extends the FOV. We now take this work further by comparing single-view and multi-view fused images in a systematic study. In order to better illustrate the differences, this work evaluates image quality and information content of single-view and multi-view fused images using image-driven LV endocardial segmentation and tracking. The image-driven methods were utilized to fully exploit image quality and anatomical information present in the image, thus purposely not including any high-level constraints like prior shape or motion knowledge in the analysis approaches. Experiments show that multi-view fused images are better suited for LV segmentation and tracking, while relatively more failures and errors were observed on single-view images. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. 2D XD-GRASP provides better image quality than conventional 2D cardiac cine MRI for patients who cannot suspend respiration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piekarski, Eve; Chitiboi, Teodora; Ramb, Rebecca; Latson, Larry A; Bhatla, Puneet; Feng, Li; Axel, Leon

    2017-01-01

    Object Residual respiratory motion degrades image quality in conventional cardiac cine MRI (CCMR). We evaluated whether a free-breathing (FB) radial imaging CCMR sequence with compressed sensing reconstruction (eXtra-Dimension (e.g. cardiac and respiratory phases) Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel, or XD-GRASP) could provide better image quality than a conventional Cartesian breath-held (BH) sequence, in an unselected population of patients undergoing clinical CCMR. Material and Methods 101 patients who underwent BH and FB imaging in a mid-ventricular short-axis plane at a matching location were included. Visual and quantitative image analysis was performed by two blinded experienced readers, using a 5-point qualitative scale to score overall image quality and visual signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) grade, with measures of noise and sharpness. End-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES) left-ventricular areas were also measured and compared for both BH and FB images. Results Image quality was generally better with the BH cines (overall quality grade BH vs FB: 4 vs 2.9, pXD-GRASP CCMR was visually inferior to conventional BH cardiac cine in general, it provided improved image quality in the subgroup of patients presenting respiratory motion-induced artifacts on breath-held images. PMID:29067539

  19. Cardiac-specific overexpression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 exacerbates cardiac remodeling in response to pressure overload

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sujith Dassanayaka

    2018-07-01

    Full Text Available Pathological cardiac remodeling during heart failure is associated with higher levels of lipid peroxidation products and lower abundance of several aldehyde detoxification enzymes, including aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2. An emerging idea that could explain these findings concerns the role of electrophilic species in redox signaling, which may be important for adaptive responses to stress or injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether genetically increasing ALDH2 activity affects pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction. Mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC for 12 weeks developed myocardial hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction, which were associated with diminished ALDH2 expression and activity. Cardiac-specific expression of the human ALDH2 gene in mice augmented myocardial ALDH2 activity but did not improve cardiac function in response to pressure overload. After 12 weeks of TAC, ALDH2 transgenic mice had larger hearts than their wild-type littermates and lower capillary density. These findings show that overexpression of ALDH2 augments the hypertrophic response to pressure overload and imply that downregulation of ALDH2 may be an adaptive response to certain forms of cardiac pathology. Keywords: Heart failure, Hypertrophy, Oxidative stress, Aldehydes, Cardiac remodeling, Hormesis

  20. Offensive Strategy in the 2D Soccer Simulation League Using Multi-Group Ant Colony Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shengbing Chen

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The 2D soccer simulation league is one of the best test beds for the research of artificial intelligence (AI. It has achieved great successes in the domain of multi-agent cooperation and machine learning. However, the problem of integral offensive strategy has not been solved because of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the environment. In this paper, we present a novel offensive strategy based on multi-group ant colony optimization (MACO-OS. The strategy uses the pheromone evaporation mechanism to count the preference value of each attack action in different environments, and saves the values of success rate and preference in an attack information tree in the background. The decision module of the attacker then selects the best attack action according to the preference value. The MACO-OS approach has been successfully implemented in our 2D soccer simulation team in RoboCup competitions. The experimental results have indicated that the agents developed with this strategy, along with related techniques, delivered outstanding performances.

  1. Advantages and disadvantages of 3D ultrasound of thyroid nodules including thin slice volume rendering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slapa Rafal

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to assess the advantages and disadvantages of 3D gray-scale and power Doppler ultrasound, including thin slice volume rendering (TSVR, applied for evaluation of thyroid nodules. Methods The retrospective evaluation by two observers of volumes of 71 thyroid nodules (55 benign, 16 cancers was performed using a new TSVR technique. Dedicated 4D ultrasound scanner with an automatic 6-12 MHz 4D probe was used. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata v. 8.2. Results Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that independent risk factors of thyroid cancers identified by 3D ultrasound include: (a ill-defined borders of the nodule on MPR presentation, (b a lobulated shape of the nodule in the c-plane and (c a density of central vessels in the nodule within the minimal or maximal ranges. Combination of features provided sensitivity 100% and specificity 60-69% for thyroid cancer. Calcification/microcalcification-like echogenic foci on 3D ultrasound proved not to be a risk factor of thyroid cancer. Storage of the 3D data of the whole nodules enabled subsequent evaluation of new parameters and with new rendering algorithms. Conclusions Our results indicate that 3D ultrasound is a practical and reproducible method for the evaluation of thyroid nodules. 3D ultrasound stores volumes comprising the whole lesion or organ. Future detailed evaluations of the data are possible, looking for features that were not fully appreciated at the time of collection or applying new algorithms for volume rendering in order to gain important information. Three-dimensional ultrasound data could be included in thyroid cancer databases. Further multicenter large scale studies are warranted.

  2. Comparative 3D micro-CT and 2D histomorphometry analysis of dental implant osseointegration in the maxilla of minipigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bissinger, Oliver; Probst, Florian Andreas; Wolff, Klaus-Dietrich; Jeschke, Anke; Weitz, Jochen; Deppe, Herbert; Kolk, Andreas

    2017-04-01

    The bone implant contact (BIC) has traditionally been evaluated with histological methods. Thereupon, strong correlations of two-dimensional (2D) BIC have been detected between μCT and destructive histology. However, due to the high intra-sample variability in BIC values, one histological slice is not sufficient to represent 3D BIC. Therefore, our aim has been to correlate the averaged values of 3-4 histological sections to 3D μCT. Fifty-four implants inserted into the maxilla of 14 minipigs were evaluated. Two different time points were selected to assess the 3D BIC (distance to implant: 2-5 voxels), an inner ring (6-30 voxels) and an outer ring (55-100 voxels) using μCT (voxel size: 10 μm) and to correlate the values to histomorphometry. Strong correlations (p implant, μCT values were higher compared with histomorphometry. Although 3-4 histological slices per implant seem to predict the 3D BIC, μCT might be advantageous because of its non-destructive 3D character. The healing time may not impact on the comparability. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. RF slice profile effects in magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Taehwa; Han, Dongyeob; Kim, Min-Oh; Kim, Dong-Hyun

    2017-09-01

    The radio frequency (RF) slice profile effects on T1 and T2 estimation in magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) are investigated with respect to time-bandwidth product (TBW), flip angle (FA) level and field inhomogeneities. Signal evolutions are generated incorporating the non-ideal slice selective excitation process using Bloch simulation and matched to the original dictionary with and without the non-ideal slice profile taken into account. For validation, phantom and in vivo experiments are performed at 3T. Both simulations and experiments results show that T1 and T2 error from non-ideal slice profile increases with increasing FA level, off-resonance, and low TBW values. Therefore, RF slice profile effects should be compensated for accurate determination of the MR parameters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Glutaredoxin-2 controls cardiac mitochondrial dynamics and energetics in mice, and protects against human cardiac pathologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georges N. Kanaan

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Glutaredoxin 2 (GRX2, a mitochondrial glutathione-dependent oxidoreductase, is central to glutathione homeostasis and mitochondrial redox, which is crucial in highly metabolic tissues like the heart. Previous research showed that absence of Grx2, leads to impaired mitochondrial complex I function, hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in mice but the impact on mitochondrial structure and function in intact cardiomyocytes and in humans has not been explored. We hypothesized that Grx2 controls cardiac mitochondrial dynamics and function in cellular and mouse models, and that low expression is associated with human cardiac dysfunction. Here we show that Grx2 absence impairs mitochondrial fusion, ultrastructure and energetics in primary cardiomyocytes and cardiac tissue. Moreover, provision of the glutathione precursor, N-acetylcysteine (NAC to Grx2-/- mice did not restore glutathione redox or prevent impairments. Using genetic and histopathological data from the human Genotype-Tissue Expression consortium we demonstrate that low GRX2 is associated with fibrosis, hypertrophy, and infarct in the left ventricle. Altogether, GRX2 is important in the control of cardiac mitochondrial structure and function, and protects against human cardiac pathologies. Keywords: Human heart, Mitochondria, Oxidative stress, Redox, Cardiac metabolism, Cardiac hypertrophy

  5. Type D personality is associated with impaired psychological status and unhealthy lifestyle in Icelandic cardiac patients: A cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svansdottir Erla

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Type D (distressed personality has been associated with adverse cardiac prognosis and poor emotional well-being in cardiac patients, but it is still unclear what mechanisms link Type D personality with poor clinical outcomes in cardiac patients. In the present cohort of Icelandic cardiac patients, we examined potential pathways that may explain this relationship. The objectives were to examine 1 the association between Type D personality and impaired psychological status, and to explore whether this association is independent of disease severity; and 2 the association between Type D personality and an unhealthy lifestyle. Methods A sample of 268 Icelandic coronary angiography patients (74% males (N = 199; mean age 62.9 years (SD 10.5, range 28-85 years completed the Type D Scale (DS14, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS at hospitalization. Health-related behaviors were assessed 4 months following angiography. Clinical data were collected from medical files. Results Type D personality was associated with an increased risk of anxiety (OR 2.97, 95% CI:1.55-5.69, depression (OR 4.01, 95% CI:1.42-11.29, and stress (OR 5.99, 95% CI:3.08-11.63, independent of demographic variables and disease severity. Furthermore, fish consumption was lower among Type Ds, as 21% of Type Ds versus 5% of non-Type Ds consumed fish p p = 0.024 and to use antidepressants (17% versus 9%, p = 0.049 and sleeping pills (49% versus 33%, p = 0.019 compared to non-Type Ds. Type D personality was not associated with other health-related behaviors, aside from trends towards less fruit and vegetable consumption, and more weight gain. Conclusion Type D personality was associated with psychological distress and an unhealthy lifestyle in Icelandic cardiac patients. Future studies should further investigate the association between Type D personality and health-related behaviors.

  6. Adolescent Kawasaki disease: usefulness of 64-slice CT coronary angiography for follow-up investigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carbone, Iacopo; Cannata, David; Algeri, Emanuela; Galea, Nicola; Napoli, Alessandro; Catalano, Carlo; Passariello, Roberto; Francone, Marco [Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Radiological, Onchological and Anatomopathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome (Italy); De Zorzi, Andrea [Bambino Gesu Hospital, Cardiology Division, Rome (Italy); Bosco, Giovanna; D' Agostino, Rita [Sapienza University of Rome, Unit of Paediatric Cardiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome (Italy); Menezes, Leon [University College of London, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom)

    2011-09-15

    Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis that mainly affects coronary arteries in children, and requires regular follow-up from the time of diagnosis. To evaluate the feasibility of 64-slice CT angiography (CTA) for follow-up of patients with KD using previously performed invasive catheter coronary angiography (CCA) as reference standard. The study group comprised 12 patients (age 17.6 {+-} 2.9 years, mean{+-}SD) with a diagnosis of KD and a previously performed CCA (interval, 32.6 {+-} 13.5 months) who underwent 64-slice cardiac CTA. The quality of the images for establishing the presence of coronary abnormalities was determined by two observers. The CTA findings were compared with those from the prior CCA. Adequate image quality was obtained in all patients. Mean effective dose for CTA was 6.56 {+-} 0.95 mSv. CTA allowed accurate identification, characterization and measurement of all coronary aneurysms (n = 32), stenoses (n = 3) and occlusions (n = 9) previously demonstrated by CCA. One patient with disease progression went on to have percutaneous coronary intervention. Coronary lesions were reliably evaluated by 64-slice CTA in the follow-up of compliant patients with KD, reducing the need for repeated diagnostic invasive CCA. Hence, in an adequately selected patient population, the role of CCA could be limited almost only to therapeutic procedures. (orig.)

  7. Single-slice epicardial fat area measurement. Do we need to measure the total epicardial fat volume?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oyama, Noriko; Goto, Daisuke; Ito, Yoichi M.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess a method for measuring epicardial fat volume (EFV) by means of a single-slice area measurement. We investigated the relation between a single-slice fat area measurement and total EFV. A series of 72 consecutive patients (ages 65±11 years; 36 men) who had undergone cardiac computed tomography (CT) on a 64-slice multidetector scanner with prospective electrocardiographic triggering were retrospectively reviewed. Pixels in the pericardium with a density range from -230 to -30 Hounsfield units were considered fat, giving the per-slice epicardial fat area (EFA). The EFV was estimated by the summation of EFAs multiplied by the slice thickness. We investigated the relation between total EFV and each EFA. EFAs measured at several anatomical landmarks - right pulmonary artery, origins of the left main coronary artery, right coronary artery, coronary sinus - all correlated with the EFV (r=0.77-0.92). The EFA at the LMCA level was highly reproducible and showed an excellent correlation with the EFV (r=0.92). The EFA is significantly correlated with the EFV. The EFA is a simple, quick method for representing the time-consuming EFV, which has been used as a predictive indicator of cardiovascular diseases. (author)

  8. Chronic ingestion of 2-deoxy-D-glucose induces cardiac vacuolization and increases mortality in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minor, Robin K.; Smith, Daniel L.; Sossong, Alex M.; Kaushik, Susmita; Poosala, Suresh; Spangler, Edward L.; Roth, George S.; Lane, Mark; Allison, David B.; Cabo, Rafael de; Ingram, Donald K.; Mattison, Julie A.

    2010-01-01

    Calorie restriction (CR), the purposeful reduction of energy intake with maintenance of adequate micronutrient intake, is well known to extend the lifespan of laboratory animals. Compounds like 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) that can recapitulate the metabolic effects of CR are of great interest for their potential to extend lifespan. 2DG treatment has been shown to have potential therapeutic benefits for treating cancer and seizures. 2DG has also recapitulated some hallmarks of the CR phenotype including reduced body temperature and circulating insulin in short-term rodent trials, but one chronic feeding study in rats found toxic effects. The present studies were performed to further explore the long-term effects of 2DG in vivo. First we demonstrate that 2DG increases mortality of male Fischer-344 rats. Increased incidence of pheochromocytoma in the adrenal medulla was also noted in the 2DG treated rats. We reconfirm the cardiotoxicity of 2DG in a 6-week follow-up study evaluating male Brown Norway rats and a natural form of 2DG in addition to again examining effects in Fischer-344 rats and the original synthetic 2DG. High levels of both 2DG sources reduced weight gain secondary to reduced food intake in both strains. Histopathological analysis of the hearts revealed increasing vacuolarization of cardiac myocytes with dose, and tissue staining revealed the vacuoles were free of both glycogen and lipid. We did, however, observe higher expression of both cathepsin D and LC3 in the hearts of 2DG-treated rats which indicates an increase in autophagic flux. Although a remarkable CR-like phenotype can be reproduced with 2DG treatment, the ultimate toxicity of 2DG seriously challenges 2DG as a potential CR mimetic in mammals and also raises concerns about other therapeutic applications of the compound.

  9. Comparison of 640-Slice Multidetector Computed Tomography Versus 32-Slice MDCT for Imaging of the Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis Lamina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, Joseph M; Kishikova, Lyudmila; Avadhanam, Venkata S; Koumellis, Panos; Francis, Ian S; Liu, Christopher S C

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the efficacy of 640-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for detecting osteo-odonto laminar resorption in the osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) compared with the current standard 32-slice MDCT. Explanted OOKP laminae and bone-dentine fragments were scanned using 640-slice MDCT (Aquilion ONE; Toshiba) and 32-slice MDCT (LightSpeed Pro32; GE Healthcare). Pertinent comparisons including image quality, radiation dose, and scanning parameters were made. Benefits of 640-slice MDCT over 32-slice MDCT were shown. Key comparisons of 640-slice MDCT versus 32-slice MDCT included the following: percentage difference and correlation coefficient between radiological and anatomical measurements, 1.35% versus 3.67% and 0.9961 versus 0.9882, respectively; dose-length product, 63.50 versus 70.26; rotation time, 0.175 seconds versus 1.000 seconds; and detector coverage width, 16 cm versus 2 cm. Resorption of the osteo-odonto lamina after OOKP surgery can result in potentially sight-threatening complications, hence it warrants regular monitoring and timely intervention. MDCT remains the gold standard for radiological assessment of laminar resorption, which facilitates detection of subtle laminar changes earlier than the onset of clinical signs, thus indicating when preemptive measures can be taken. The 640-slice MDCT exhibits several advantages over traditional 32-slice MDCT. However, such benefits may not offset cost implications, except in rare cases, such as in young patients who might undergo years of radiation exposure.

  10. Software Method for Computed Tomography Cylinder Data Unwrapping, Re-slicing, and Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Don J.

    2013-01-01

    A software method has been developed that is applicable for analyzing cylindrical and partially cylindrical objects inspected using computed tomography (CT). This method involves unwrapping and re-slicing data so that the CT data from the cylindrical object can be viewed as a series of 2D sheets (or flattened onion skins ) in addition to a series of top view slices and 3D volume rendering. The advantages of viewing the data in this fashion are as follows: (1) the use of standard and specialized image processing and analysis methods is facilitated having 2D array data versus a volume rendering; (2) accurate lateral dimensional analysis of flaws is possible in the unwrapped sheets versus volume rendering; (3) flaws in the part jump out at the inspector with the proper contrast expansion settings in the unwrapped sheets; and (4) it is much easier for the inspector to locate flaws in the unwrapped sheets versus top view slices for very thin cylinders. The method is fully automated and requires no input from the user except proper voxel dimension from the CT experiment and wall thickness of the part. The software is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and can be used with binary data (8- and 16-bit) and BMP type CT image sets. The software has memory (RAM) and hard-drive based modes. The advantage of the (64-bit) RAM-based mode is speed (and is very practical for users of 64-bit Windows operating systems and computers having 16 GB or more RAM). The advantage of the hard-drive based analysis is one can work with essentially unlimited-sized data sets. Separate windows are spawned for the unwrapped/re-sliced data view and any image processing interactive capability. Individual unwrapped images and un -wrapped image series can be saved in common image formats. More information is available at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/OptInstr/ NDE_CT_CylinderUnwrapper.html.

  11. The impact of different cone beam computed tomography and multi-slice computed tomography scan parameters on virtual three-dimensional model accuracy using a highly precise ex vivo evaluation method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matta, Ragai-Edward; von Wilmowsky, Cornelius; Neuhuber, Winfried; Lell, Michael; Neukam, Friedrich W; Adler, Werner; Wichmann, Manfred; Bergauer, Bastian

    2016-05-01

    Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) are indispensable imaging techniques in advanced medicine. The possibility of creating virtual and corporal three-dimensional (3D) models enables detailed planning in craniofacial and oral surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different scan protocols for CBCT and MSCT on virtual 3D model accuracy using a software-based evaluation method that excludes human measurement errors. MSCT and CBCT scans with different manufacturers' predefined scan protocols were obtained from a human lower jaw and were superimposed with a master model generated by an optical scan of an industrial noncontact scanner. To determine the accuracy, the mean and standard deviations were calculated, and t-tests were used for comparisons between the different settings. Averaged over 10 repeated X-ray scans per method and 19 measurement points per scan (n = 190), it was found that the MSCT scan protocol 140 kV delivered the most accurate virtual 3D model, with a mean deviation of 0.106 mm compared to the master model. Only the CBCT scans with 0.2-voxel resolution delivered a similar accurate 3D model (mean deviation 0.119 mm). Within the limitations of this study, it was demonstrated that the accuracy of a 3D model of the lower jaw depends on the protocol used for MSCT and CBCT scans. Copyright © 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Three-dimensional echocardiography in various types of heart disease: a comparison study of magnetic resonance imaging and 64-slice computed tomography in a real-world population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squeri, Angelo; Censi, Stefano; Reverberi, Claudio; Gaibazzi, Nicola; Baldelli, Marco; Binno, Simone Maurizio; Properzi, Enrico; Bosi, Stefano

    2017-03-01

    Accurate quantification of left ventricular (LV) volumes [end-diastolic volume (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV)] and ejection fraction (EF) is of critical importance. The development of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) has shown better correlation than two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. The aim of our study was to assess the accuracy of RT3DE and 64-slice computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of LV volumes and function using MRI as the reference standard in a real-world population with various types of heart disease with different chamber geometry. The study population consisted of 66 patients referred for cardiac MRI for various pathologies. All patients underwent cardiac MRI, and RT3DE and 64 slices CT were then performed on a subsequent day. The study population was then divided into 5 clinical groups depending on the underlying heart disease. RT3DE volumes correlated well with MRI values (R 2 values: 0.90 for EDV and 0.94 for ESV). RT3DE measurements of EF correlated well with MRI values (R 2  = 0.86). RT3DE measurements resulted in slightly underestimated values of both EDV and ESV, as reflected by biases of -9.18 and -4.50 mL, respectively. Comparison of RT3DE and MRI in various types of cardiomyopathies showed no statistical difference between different LV geometrical patterns. These results confirm that RT3DE has good accuracy in everyday clinical practice and can be of clinical utility in all types of cardiomyopathy independently of LV geometric pattern, LV diameter or wall thickness, taking into account a slight underestimation of LV volumes and EF compared to MRI.

  13. The significance of multi-slice helical CT multiplanar reconstruction in the diagnoses of laryngeal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Lin; Luo Dehong; Zhou Chunwu; Zhao Xinming; Jiang Liming; Huang Yao; Jiang Lingxia; Li Jing; Wu Ning

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the significance of multi-slice helical CT with multiplanar reconstruction in laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: Thirty-five patients with laryngeal carcinoma were studied by helical CT, MPR were subsequently done. The lesion extent of the axial image findings, MPR findings and the combined image findings were compared with the pathological results respectively. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: In the evaluation of the anterior commissure, the axial image findings, MPR findings and the combined image findings were 82.9%, 68.6% and 91.4% in accuracy respectively, the results were statistically different (P 0.05). The combined images were superior to the axial images and the MPR images in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the lesion extent. Conclusion: The axial images could show the shape, size, extension of the tumor and the lymphadenopathy, MPR images displayed the shape, size and extension roundly and directly, they were the supplement for the axial images. Axial images combined with MPR could improve the accuracy in the diagnoses of laryngeal carcinoma. (authors)

  14. Alterations of left ventricular deformation and cardiac sympathetic derangement in patients with systolic heart failure: a 3D speckle tracking echocardiography and cardiac {sup 123}I-MIBG study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leosco, Dario; Parisi, Valentina; Pagano, Gennaro; Femminella, Grazia Daniela; Bevilacqua, Agnese; Formisano, Roberto; Ferro, Gaetana; De Lucia, Claudio; Ferrara, Nicola [University Federico II, Department of Translational Medical Science, Naples (Italy); Pellegrino, Teresa [Italian National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, Naples (Italy); University Federico II, Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, Naples (Italy); Paolillo, Stefania [University Federico II, Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, Naples (Italy); SDN Foundation, Institute of Diagnostic and Nuclear Development, Naples (Italy); Prastaro, Maria; Filardi, Pasquale Perrone; Cuocolo, Alberto [University Federico II, Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, Naples (Italy); Rengo, Giuseppe [University Federico II, Department of Translational Medical Science, Naples (Italy); Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Istituto di Telese, Benevento, BN (Italy)

    2015-09-15

    Myocardial contractile function is under the control of cardiac sympathetic activity. Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) and cardiac imaging with {sup 123}I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ({sup 123}I-MIBG) are two sophisticated techniques for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) deformation and sympathetic innervation, respectively, which offer important prognostic information in patients with heart failure (HF). The purpose of this investigation was to explore, in patients with systolic HF, the relationship between LV deformation assessed by 3D-STE and cardiac sympathetic derangement evaluated by {sup 123}I-MIBG imaging. We prospectively studied 75 patients with systolic HF. All patients underwent a 3D-STE study (longitudinal, circumferential, area and radial) and {sup 123}I-MIBG planar and SPECT cardiac imaging. 3D-STE longitudinal, circumferential and area strain values were correlated with {sup 123}I-MIBG late heart to mediastinum (H/M) ratio and late SPECT total defect score. After stratification of the patients according to ischaemic or nonischaemic HF aetiology, we observed a good correlation of all 3D-STE measurements with late H/M ratio and SPECT data in the ischaemic group, but in patients with HF of nonischaemic aetiology, no correlation was found between LV deformation and cardiac sympathetic activity. At the regional level, the strongest correlation between LV deformation and adrenergic innervation was found for the left anterior descending coronary artery distribution territory for all four 3D-STE values. In multivariate linear regression analyses, including age, gender, LV ejection fraction, NYHA class, body mass index, heart rate and HF aetiology, only 3D-STE area and radial strain values significantly predicted cardiac sympathetic derangement on {sup 123}I-MIBG late SPECT. This study indicated that 3D-STE measurements are correlated with {sup 123}I-MIBG planar and SPECT data. Furthermore, 3D-STE area and radial strain values

  15. Vitamin D treatment attenuates cardiac FGF23/FGFR4 signaling and hypertrophy in uremic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leifheit-Nestler, Maren; Grabner, Alexander; Hermann, Laura; Richter, Beatrice; Schmitz, Karin; Fischer, Dagmar-Christiane; Yanucil, Christopher; Faul, Christian; Haffner, Dieter

    2017-09-01

    Vitamin D deficiency and excess of circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) contribute to cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). FGF23 activates FGF receptor 4 and (FGFR4) calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) signaling in cardiac myocytes, thereby causing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Here, we determined if 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol) inhibits FGF23-induced cardiac signaling and LVH. 5/6 nephrectomized (5/6 Nx) rats were treated with different doses of calcitriol for 4 or 10 weeks and cardiac expression of FGF23/FGFR4 and activation of calcineurin/NFAT as well as LVH were analyzed. FGFR4 activation and hypertrophic cell growth were studied in cultured cardiac myocytes that were co-treated with FGF23 and calcitriol. In 5/6Nx rats with LVH, we detected elevated FGF23 expression in bone and myocardium, increased cardiac expression of FGFR4 and elevated cardiac activation of calcineurin/NFAT signaling. Cardiac expression levels of FGF23 and FGFR4 significantly correlated with the presence of LVH in uremic rats. Treatment with calcitriol reduced LVH as well as cardiac FGFR4 expression and calcineurin/NFAT activation. Bone and cardiac FGF23 expression were further stimulated by calcitriol in a dose-dependent manner, but levels of intact cardiac FGF23 protein were suppressed by high-dose calcitriol. In cultured cardiac myocytes, co-treatment with calcitriol blocked FGF23-induced activation of FGFR4 and hypertrophic cell growth. Our data suggest that in CKD, cardioprotective effects of calcitriol stem from its inhibitory actions on the cardiac FGF23/FGFR4 system, and based on their counterbalancing effects on cardiac myocytes, high FGF23 and low calcitriol synergistically contribute to cardiac hypertrophy. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

  16. Recent developments in multi-wire fixed abrasive slicing technique (FAST). [for low cost silicon wafer production from ingots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmid, F.; Khattak, C. P.; Smith, M. B.; Lynch, L. D.

    1982-01-01

    Slicing is an important processing step for all technologies based on the use of ingots. A comparison of the economics of three slicing techniques shows that the fixed abrasive slicing technique (FAST) is superior to the internal diameter (ID) and the multiblade slurry (MBS) techniques. Factors affecting contact length are discussed, taking into account kerf width, rocking angle, ingot size, and surface speed. Aspects of blade development are also considered. A high concentration of diamonds on wire has been obtained in wire packs usd for FAST slicing. The material removal rate was found to be directly proportional to the pressure at the diamond tips.

  17. Mathematical Modeling of Thin Layer Microwave Drying of Taro Slices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Vivek; Sharma, H. K.; Singh, K.

    2016-03-01

    The present study investigated the drying kinetics of taro slices precooked in different medium viz water (WC), steam (SC) and Lemon Solution (LC) and dried at different microwave power 360, 540 and 720 W. Drying curves of all precooked slices at all microwave powers showed falling rate period along with a very short accelerating period at the beginning of the drying. At all microwave powers, higher drying rate was observed for LC slices as compared to WC and SC slices. To select a suitable drying curve, seven thin-layer drying models were fitted to the experimental data. The data revealed that the Page model was most adequate in describing the microwave drying behavior of taro slices precooked in different medium. The highest effective moisture diffusivity value of 2.11 × 10-8 m2/s was obtained for LC samples while the lowest 0.83 × 10-8 m2/s was obtained for WC taro slices. The activation energy (E a ) of LC taro slices was lower than the E a of WC and SC taro slices.

  18. Quantitative assessment of right ventricular function and pulmonary regurgitation in surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot using 256-slice CT: comparison with 3-Tesla MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamasaki, Yuzo; Yonezawa, Masato; Matsuo, Yoshio; Kamitani, Takeshi; Higuchi, Ko; Honda, Hiroshi [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Clinical Radiology, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan); Nagao, Michinobu; Kawanami, Satoshi [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Molecular Imaging and Diagnosis, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan); Yamamura, Kenichiro [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Pediatrics, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan); Sakamoto, Ichiro [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan); Shiokawa, Yuichi [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan); Yabuuchi, Hidetake [Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Department of Health Sciences, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan)

    2014-12-15

    To compare 256-slice cardiac computed tomography (CCT) with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to assess right ventricular (RV) function and pulmonary regurgitant fraction (PRF) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Thirty-three consecutive patients with repaired TOF underwent retrospective ECG-gated CCT and 3-Tesla CMR. RV and left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) were measured using CCT and CMR. PRF-CCT (%) was defined as (RVSV - LVSV)/RVSV. PRF-CMR (%) was measured by the phase-contrast method. Repeated measurements were performed to determine intra- and interobserver variability. CCT measurements, including PRF, correlated highly with the CMR reference (r = 0.71-0.96). CCT overestimated RVEDV (mean difference, 17.1 ± 2.9 ml), RVESV (12.9 ± 2.1 ml) and RVSV (4.2 ± 2.0 ml), and underestimated RVEF (-2.6 ± 1.0 %) and PRF (-9.1 ± 2.0 %) compared with CMR. The limits of agreement between CCT and CMR were in a good range for all measurements. The variability in CCT measurements was lower than those in CMR. The estimated effective radiation dose was 7.6 ± 2.6 mSv. 256-slice CCT can assess RV function and PRF with relatively low dose radiation exposure in patients with repaired TOF, but overestimates RV volume and underestimates PRF. (orig.)

  19. Quantitative assessment of right ventricular function and pulmonary regurgitation in surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot using 256-slice CT: comparison with 3-Tesla MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamasaki, Yuzo; Yonezawa, Masato; Matsuo, Yoshio; Kamitani, Takeshi; Higuchi, Ko; Honda, Hiroshi; Nagao, Michinobu; Kawanami, Satoshi; Yamamura, Kenichiro; Sakamoto, Ichiro; Shiokawa, Yuichi; Yabuuchi, Hidetake

    2014-01-01

    To compare 256-slice cardiac computed tomography (CCT) with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to assess right ventricular (RV) function and pulmonary regurgitant fraction (PRF) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Thirty-three consecutive patients with repaired TOF underwent retrospective ECG-gated CCT and 3-Tesla CMR. RV and left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) were measured using CCT and CMR. PRF-CCT (%) was defined as (RVSV - LVSV)/RVSV. PRF-CMR (%) was measured by the phase-contrast method. Repeated measurements were performed to determine intra- and interobserver variability. CCT measurements, including PRF, correlated highly with the CMR reference (r = 0.71-0.96). CCT overestimated RVEDV (mean difference, 17.1 ± 2.9 ml), RVESV (12.9 ± 2.1 ml) and RVSV (4.2 ± 2.0 ml), and underestimated RVEF (-2.6 ± 1.0 %) and PRF (-9.1 ± 2.0 %) compared with CMR. The limits of agreement between CCT and CMR were in a good range for all measurements. The variability in CCT measurements was lower than those in CMR. The estimated effective radiation dose was 7.6 ± 2.6 mSv. 256-slice CCT can assess RV function and PRF with relatively low dose radiation exposure in patients with repaired TOF, but overestimates RV volume and underestimates PRF. (orig.)

  20. Investigations of the D-multi-ρ interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, C.W. [Institut fuer Kernphysik (Theorie), Institute for Advanced Simulation, and Juelich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Juelich (Germany); Central South University, School of Physics and Electronics, Changsha (China)

    2017-09-15

    In the present work, which aims at searching for bound states, the interactions of the D-multi-ρ systems are investigated by means of the formalism of the fixed-center approximation to Faddeev equations. Reproducing the states of f{sub 2}(1270) and D{sub 1}(2420) dynamically in the two-body ρρ and ρD interactions, respectively, as the clusters of the fixed-center approximation, the state of D(3000){sup 0} is found as a molecule of D - f{sub 2} or ρ - D{sub 1} structures in the three-body interactions, where we determine its quantum number J{sup P} = 2{sup -} and find another possible state of D{sub 2}(3100) with isospin I = 3/2. In our results, there are some other predictions with uncertainties, a D{sub 3}(3160) state with I(J{sup P}) = (1)/(2)(3{sup +}) in the four-body interactions, a narrow D{sub 4}(3730) state with I(J{sup P}) = (1)/(2)(4{sup -}), a wide D{sub 4}(3410) state of I(J{sup P}) = (1)/(2)(4{sup -}), and another wide D{sub 4}(3770) state but with I(J{sup P}) = (3)/(2)(4{sup -}) in the five-body interactions, and a D{sub 5}(3570) state with I(J{sup P}) = (1)/(2)(5{sup +}) in the six-body interactions. (orig.)

  1. Fast acceleration of 2D wave propagation simulations using modern computational accelerators.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Wang

    Full Text Available Recent developments in modern computational accelerators like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs and coprocessors provide great opportunities for making scientific applications run faster than ever before. However, efficient parallelization of scientific code using new programming tools like CUDA requires a high level of expertise that is not available to many scientists. This, plus the fact that parallelized code is usually not portable to different architectures, creates major challenges for exploiting the full capabilities of modern computational accelerators. In this work, we sought to overcome these challenges by studying how to achieve both automated parallelization using OpenACC and enhanced portability using OpenCL. We applied our parallelization schemes using GPUs as well as Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC coprocessor to reduce the run time of wave propagation simulations. We used a well-established 2D cardiac action potential model as a specific case-study. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study auto-parallelization of 2D cardiac wave propagation simulations using OpenACC. Our results identify several approaches that provide substantial speedups. The OpenACC-generated GPU code achieved more than 150x speedup above the sequential implementation and required the addition of only a few OpenACC pragmas to the code. An OpenCL implementation provided speedups on GPUs of at least 200x faster than the sequential implementation and 30x faster than a parallelized OpenMP implementation. An implementation of OpenMP on Intel MIC coprocessor provided speedups of 120x with only a few code changes to the sequential implementation. We highlight that OpenACC provides an automatic, efficient, and portable approach to achieve parallelization of 2D cardiac wave simulations on GPUs. Our approach of using OpenACC, OpenCL, and OpenMP to parallelize this particular model on modern computational accelerators should be applicable to other

  2. Short-scan-time multi-slice diffusion MRI of the mouse cervical spinal cord using echo planar imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callot, Virginie; Duhamel, Guillaume; Cozzone, Patrick J; Kober, Frank

    2008-10-01

    Mouse spinal cord (SC) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides important information on tissue morphology and structural changes that may occur during pathologies such as multiple sclerosis or SC injury. The acquisition scheme of the commonly used DWI techniques is based on conventional spin-echo encoding, which is time-consuming. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether the use of echo planar imaging (EPI) would provide good-quality diffusion MR images of mouse SC, as well as accurate measurements of diffusion-derived metrics, and thus enable diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and highly resolved DWI within reasonable scan times. A four-shot diffusion-weighted spin-echo EPI (SE-EPI) sequence was evaluated at 11.75 T on a group of healthy mice (n = 10). SE-EPI-derived apparent diffusion coefficients of gray and white matter were compared with those obtained using a conventional spin-echo sequence (c-SE) to validate the accuracy of the method. To take advantage of the reduction in acquisition time offered by the EPI sequence, multi-slice DTI acquisitions were performed covering the cervical segments (six slices, six diffusion-encoding directions, three b values) within 30 min (vs 2 h for c-SE). From these measurements, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivities were calculated, and fiber tracking along the C1 to C6 cervical segments was performed. In addition, high-resolution images (74 x 94 microm(2)) were acquired within 5 min per direction. Clear delineation of gray and white matter and identical apparent diffusion coefficient values were obtained, with a threefold reduction in acquisition time compared with c-SE. While overcoming the difficulties associated with high spatially and temporally resolved DTI measurements, the present SE-EPI approach permitted identification of reliable quantitative parameters with a reproducibility compatible with the detection of pathologies. The SE-EPI method may be particularly valuable when multiple sets of images

  3. Agreement between manual relaxometry and semi-automated scanner-based multi-echo Dixon technique for measuring liver T2* in a pediatric and young adult population

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serai, Suraj D.; Trout, Andrew T.; Dillman, Jonathan R.; Smith, Ethan A.

    2018-01-01

    Commercially available 3D multi-echo Dixon (mDixon) sequences provide parametric maps of liver T2*, obviating manual curve fitting that is often required with conventional gradient recalled echo (GRE)-based multi-echo relaxometry, potentially simplifying clinical work flow. The purpose of our study was to compare T2* values generated by a 3D mDixon sequence to values generated by GRE-based T2* relaxometry with manual curve fitting in a pediatric and young adult population. We reviewed clinical MRI exams performed at 1.5T for liver iron content estimation between February 2015 and June 2016 that included both mDixon and multi-echo GRE pulse sequences. We obtained mean T2* measurements based on each sequence by drawing regions of interest on each of four axial slices through the mid-liver. We compared mDixon-based and GRE-based T2* measurements using paired t-tests and assessed agreement using single-measure intra-class correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman difference plots. One hundred nine patients met inclusion criteria (site 1=82; site 2=27). Mean age was 12.4±5.8 years, and 42 subjects (39%) were female. There was no statistically significant difference in mean T2* values for the two sequences (pooled means: 11.7±11.0 [GRE] vs. 11.7±10.9 ms [mDixon]; P=0.93). There was excellent absolute agreement between sequences (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.98 for patients at both sites, confidence interval [CI]: 0.97-0.98 with mean bias of 0.0 ms [-4.2 ms to +4.2 ms]). 3D mDixon is accurate for measuring liver T2* and can likely replace 2D GRE-based relaxometry. (orig.)

  4. Agreement between manual relaxometry and semi-automated scanner-based multi-echo Dixon technique for measuring liver T2* in a pediatric and young adult population

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serai, Suraj D.; Trout, Andrew T.; Dillman, Jonathan R. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Radiology, MLC 5031, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Smith, Ethan A. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Radiology, MLC 5031, Cincinnati, OH (United States); University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2018-01-15

    Commercially available 3D multi-echo Dixon (mDixon) sequences provide parametric maps of liver T2*, obviating manual curve fitting that is often required with conventional gradient recalled echo (GRE)-based multi-echo relaxometry, potentially simplifying clinical work flow. The purpose of our study was to compare T2* values generated by a 3D mDixon sequence to values generated by GRE-based T2* relaxometry with manual curve fitting in a pediatric and young adult population. We reviewed clinical MRI exams performed at 1.5T for liver iron content estimation between February 2015 and June 2016 that included both mDixon and multi-echo GRE pulse sequences. We obtained mean T2* measurements based on each sequence by drawing regions of interest on each of four axial slices through the mid-liver. We compared mDixon-based and GRE-based T2* measurements using paired t-tests and assessed agreement using single-measure intra-class correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman difference plots. One hundred nine patients met inclusion criteria (site 1=82; site 2=27). Mean age was 12.4±5.8 years, and 42 subjects (39%) were female. There was no statistically significant difference in mean T2* values for the two sequences (pooled means: 11.7±11.0 [GRE] vs. 11.7±10.9 ms [mDixon]; P=0.93). There was excellent absolute agreement between sequences (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.98 for patients at both sites, confidence interval [CI]: 0.97-0.98 with mean bias of 0.0 ms [-4.2 ms to +4.2 ms]). 3D mDixon is accurate for measuring liver T2* and can likely replace 2D GRE-based relaxometry. (orig.)

  5. Non invasive cardiac vein mapping: Role of multislice CT coronary angiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malago, Roberto, E-mail: robertomalag@yahoo.it [Radiology Department, University Hospital Policlinico G.B.Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona (Italy); Pezzato, Andrea; Barbiani, Camilla; Sala, Giuseppe; Zamboni, Giulia A. [Radiology Department, University Hospital Policlinico G.B.Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona (Italy); Tavella, Domenico [Cardiology Service, University Hospital Policlinico G.B.Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona (Italy); Mucelli, Roberto Pozzi [Radiology Department, University Hospital Policlinico G.B.Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona (Italy)

    2012-11-15

    Purpose: Coronary venous anatomy is of primary importance when implanting a cardiac resynchronization therapy device, besides, the coronary sinus can be differently enlarged depending on chronic heart failure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Coronary CTA in describing the coronary venous tree and in particular the coronary sinus and detecting main venous system variants. Materials and methods: 301 consecutive patients (196 Male-Sign , mean age 63.74 years) studied for coronary artery disease with 64 slice Coronary CTA were retrospectively examined. The acquisition protocol was the standard acquisition one used for coronary artery evaluation but the cardiac venous system were visualized. The cardiac venous system was depicted using 3D, MPR, cMPR and MIP post-processing reconstructions on an off-line workstation. For each patient image quality, presence and caliber of the coronary sinus (CS), great cardiac vein (GCV), middle vein (MV), anterior interventricular vein (AIV), lateral cardiac vein (LCV), posterior cardiac vein (PCV), small cardiac vein (SCV) and presence of variant of the normal anatomy were examined and recorded. Results: CS, GCV, MV and AIV were visualized in 100% of the cases. The LCV was visualized in 255/301 (84%) patients, the PCV in 248/301 (83%) patients and the SCV in 69/301 (23%) patients. Mean diameter of the CS was 8.7 mm in 276/301 (91.7%) patients without chronic heart failure and 9.93 mm in 25/301 (8.3%) patients with chronic heart failure. Conclusions: Coronary CTA allows non invasive mapping of the cardiac venous system and may represent a useful presurgical tool for biventricular pacemaker devices implantation.

  6. Adaptive slices for acquisition of anisotropic BRDF

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vávra, Radomír; Filip, Jiří

    (2018) ISSN 2096-0433 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-18407S Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : anisotropic BRDF * slice * sampling Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2018/RO/vavra-0486116.pdf

  7. Quantitative parameters to compare image quality of non-invasive coronary angiography with 16-slice, 64-slice and dual-source computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgstahler, Christof; Reimann, Anja; Brodoefel, Harald; Tsiflikas, Ilias; Thomas, Christoph; Heuschmid, Martin; Daferner, Ulrike; Drosch, Tanja; Schroeder, Stephen; Herberts, Tina

    2009-01-01

    Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) is a non-invasive modality to visualize coronary arteries with an overall good image quality. Improved spatial and temporal resolution of 64-slice and dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) scanners are supposed to have a positive impact on diagnostic accuracy and image quality. However, quantitative parameters to compare image quality of 16-slice, 64-slice MSCT and DSCT are missing. A total of 256 CT examinations were evaluated (Siemens, Sensation 16: n=90; Siemens Sensation 64: n=91; Siemens Definition: n=75). Mean Hounsfield units (HU) were measured in the cavum of the left ventricle (LV), the ascending aorta (Ao), the left ventricular myocardium (My) and the proximal part of the left main (LM), the left anterior descending artery (LAD), the right coronary artery (RCA) and the circumflex artery (CX). Moreover, the ratio of intraluminal attenuation (HU) to myocardial attenuation was assessed for all coronary arteries. Clinical data [body mass index (BMI), gender, heart rate] were accessible for all patients. Mean attenuation (CA) of the coronary arteries was significantly higher for DSCT in comparison to 64- and 16-slice MSCT within the RCA [347±13 vs. 254±14 (64-MSCT) vs. 233±11 (16-MSCT) HU], LM (362±11/275 ± 12/262±9), LAD (332±17/248±19/219±14) and LCX (310±12/210±13/221±10, all p<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between DSCT and 64-MSCT for the LV, the Ao and My. Heart rate had a significant impact on CA ratio in 16-slice and 64-slice CT only (p<0.05). BMI had no impact on the CA ratio in DSCT only (p<0.001). Improved spatial and temporal resolution of dual-source CT is associated with better opacification of the coronary arteries and a better contrast with the myocardium, which is independent of heart rate. In comparison to MSCT, opacification of the coronary arteries at DSCT is not affected by BMI. The main advantage of DSCT lies with the heart rate independency, which might have a

  8. Optical Properties of Plasmon Resonances with Ag/SiO2/Ag Multi-Layer Composite Nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye-Wan, Ma; Li-Hua, Zhang; Zhao-Wang, Wu; Jie, Zhang

    2010-01-01

    Optical properties of plasmon resonance with Ag/SiO 2 /Ag multi-layer nanoparticles are studied by numerical simulation based on Green's function theory. The results show that compared with single-layer Ag nanoparticles, the multi-layer nanoparticles exhibit several distinctive optical properties, e.g. with increasing the numbers of the multi-layer nanoparticles, the scattering efficiency red shifts, and the intensity of scattering enhances accordingly. It is interesting to find out that slicing an Ag-layer into multi-layers leads to stronger scattering intensity and more 'hot spots' or regions of stronger field enhancement. This property of plasmon resonance of surface Raman scattering has greatly broadened the application scope of Raman spectroscopy. The study of metal surface plasmon resonance characteristics is critical to the further understanding of surface enhanced Raman scattering as well as its applications. (fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications))

  9. Strain analysis in CRT candidates using the novel segment length in cine (SLICE) post-processing technique on standard CMR cine images

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zweerink, A.; Allaart, C.P.; Kuijer, J.P.A.; Wu, L.; Beek, A.M.; Ven, P.M. van de; Meine, M.; Croisille, P.; Clarysse, P.; Rossum, A.C. van; Nijveldt, R.

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Although myocardial strain analysis is a potential tool to improve patient selection for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), there is currently no validated clinical approach to derive segmental strains. We evaluated the novel segment length in cine (SLICE) technique to derive

  10. Reduction of the estimated radiation dose and associated patient risk with prospective ECG-gated 256-slice CT coronary angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Efstathopoulos, E P; Kelekis, N L; Pantos, I; Brountzos, E; Argentos, S; Grebac, J; Ziaka, D; Seimenis, I; Katritsis, D G

    2009-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography has been widely used since the introduction of 64-slice scanners and dual-source CT technology, but high radiation doses have been reported. Prospective ECG-gating using a 'step-and-shoot' axial scanning protocol has been shown to reduce radiation exposure effectively while maintaining diagnostic accuracy. 256-slice scanners with 80 mm detector coverage have been currently introduced into practice, but their impact on radiation exposure has not been adequately studied. The aim of this study was to assess radiation doses associated with CT coronary angiography using a 256-slice CT scanner. Radiation doses were estimated for 25 patients scanned with either prospective or retrospective ECG-gating. Image quality was assessed objectively in terms of mean CT attenuation at selected regions of interest on axial coronary images and subjectively by coronary segment quality scoring. It was found that radiation doses associated with prospective ECG-gating were significantly lower than retrospective ECG-gating (3.2 ± 0.6 mSv versus 13.4 ± 2.7 mSv). Consequently, the radiogenic fatal cancer risk for the patient is much lower with prospective gating (0.0176% versus 0.0737%). No statistically significant differences in image quality were observed between the two scanning protocols for both objective and subjective quality assessments. Therefore, prospective ECG-gating using a 'step-and-shoot' protocol that covers the cardiac anatomy in two axial acquisitions effectively reduces radiation doses in 256-slice CT coronary angiography without compromising image quality.

  11. Impact of type 2 diabetes and duration of type 2 diabetes on cardiac structure and function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Peter G; Jensen, Magnus T; Mogelvang, Rasmus

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Contemporary treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has improved patient outcome and may also have affected myocardial structure and function. We aimed to describe the effect of T2D and T2D duration on cardiac structure and function in a large outpatient population. METHODS: We performed...... comprehensive echocardiography on a representative sample of 1004 persons including a representative sample of 770 patients with T2D without known heart disease and 234 age- and sex-matched controls. RESULTS: T2D was associated with increased left ventricular (LV) wall thicknesses and decreased LV internal...... dysfunction persisted after multivariable adjustment (P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with T2D, LV structural and functional alterations persist and are accentuated with increasing diabetes duration despite reductions in overall risk of cardiovascular disease in this patient population....

  12. Probabilistic Teleportation of Multi-particle d-Level Quantum State

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    CAO Min; ZHU Shi-Qun

    2005-01-01

    The general scheme for teleportation of a multi-particle d-level quantum state is presented when m pairs of partially entangled particles are utilized as quantum channels. The probabilistic teleportation can be achieved with a successful probability of d-1∏N=0(CN0)2/dM,which is determined by the smallest coefficients of each entangled channels.

  13. The role of multi-slice CT in preoperative staging of colonic tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Miao; Chen Kemin; Zhao Zehua; Ling Huawei

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To determine the accuracy of multi-slice CT pneumocolon in the staging of colonic carcinomas. Methods: Thirty-six patients, who were strongly suspected to have colonic disorders, underwent CT pneumocolon before and after intravenous injection of iodinated contrast agent. CTVE, MPR, SSD, and Raysum images were then obtained by using 4 different softwares in workstation (ADW3.1). 33 positive cases were staged preoperatively according to TNM standard. All cases were proved by surgical or colonoscopic histology. Sensitivity and accuracy of MSCT were determined for the detection of cancers, lymph nodes, and metastases. Results: MSCT pneumocolon examinations demonstrated 32 lesions, missing one case. Sensitivity and positive accuracy value for T staging were 96.97% (32/33) and 87.88% (29/33), respectively; Sensitivity and positive accuracy value for lymph node involvement were 73.91% (17/23) and 69.57% (16/23), respectively. The density of metastatic lymph node was higher than that of normal one. Five cases in M stage were all diagnosed correctly. Conclusion: MSCT pneumocolon is a better method of depicting the colorectal carcinoma. It allows for accurate staging of the colorectal carcinoma, especially detecting the invasion of adjacent tissues and distant metastasis. However the value for early T staging in colorectal carcinoma and minute metastasis of lymph nodes is limited. It is helpful to combine all the findings of lymph nodes, including the size, density, and location, to make a correct diagnosis. (authors)

  14. Functional 3-D cardiac co-culture model using bioactive chitosan nanofiber scaffolds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Ali; Collins, George; Yip, Derek; Cho, Cheul H

    2013-02-01

    The in vitro generation of a three-dimensional (3-D) myocardial tissue-like construct employing cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules is a promising strategy in cardiac tissue regeneration, drug testing, and tissue engineering applications. Despite significant progress in this field, current cardiac tissue models are not yet able to stably maintain functional characteristics of cardiomyocytes for long-term culture and therapeutic purposes. The objective of this study was to fabricate bioactive 3-D chitosan nanofiber scaffolds using an electrospinning technique and exploring its potential for long-term cardiac function in the 3-D co-culture model. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide biomaterial that is biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic, and cost effective. Electrospun chitosan was utilized to provide structural scaffolding characterized by scale and architectural resemblance to the extracellular matrix (ECM) in vivo. The chitosan fibers were coated with fibronectin via adsorption in order to enhance cellular adhesion to the fibers and migration into the interfibrous milieu. Ventricular cardiomyocytes were harvested from neonatal rats and studied in various culture conditions (i.e., mono- and co-cultures) for their viability and function. Cellular morphology and functionality were examined using immunofluorescent staining for alpha-sarcomeric actin (SM-actin) and gap junction protein, Connexin-43 (Cx43). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy were used to investigate cellular morphology, spatial organization, and contractions. Calcium indicator was used to monitor calcium ion flux of beating cardiomyocytes. The results demonstrate that the chitosan nanofibers retained their cylindrical morphology in long-term cell cultures and exhibited good cellular attachment and spreading in the presence of adhesion molecule, fibronectin. Cardiomyocyte mono-cultures resulted in loss of cardiomyocyte polarity and islands of non-coherent contractions. However

  15. You Can Touch This! Bringing HST images to life as 3-D models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christian, Carol A.; Nota, A.; Grice, N. A.; Sabbi, E.; Shaheen, N.; Greenfield, P.; Hurst, A.; Kane, S.; Rao, R.; Dutterer, J.; de Mink, S. E.

    2014-01-01

    We present the very first results of an innovative process to transform Hubble images into tactile 3-D models of astronomical objects. We have created a very new, unique tool for understanding astronomical phenomena, especially designed to make astronomy accessible to visually impaired children and adults. From the multicolor images of stellar clusters, we construct 3-D computer models that are digitally sliced into layers, each featuring touchable patterning and Braille characters, and are printed on a 3-D printer. The slices are then fitted together, so that the user can explore the structure of the cluster environment with their fingertips, slice-by-slice, analogous to a visual fly-through. Students will be able to identify and spatially locate the different components of these complex astronomical objects, namely gas, dust and stars, and will learn about the formation and composition of stellar clusters. The primary audiences for the 3D models are middle school and high school blind students and, secondarily, blind adults. However, we believe that the final materials will address a broad range of individuals with varied and multi-sensory learning styles, and will be interesting and visually appealing to the public at large.

  16. Characterization of respiratory and cardiac motion from electro-anatomical mapping data for improved fusion of MRI to left ventricular electrograms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sébastien Roujol

    Full Text Available Accurate fusion of late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and electro-anatomical voltage mapping (EAM is required to evaluate the potential of MRI to identify the substrate of ventricular tachycardia. However, both datasets are not acquired at the same cardiac phase and EAM data is corrupted with respiratory motion limiting the accuracy of current rigid fusion techniques. Knowledge of cardiac and respiratory motion during EAM is thus required to enhance the fusion process. In this study, we propose a novel approach to characterize both cardiac and respiratory motion from EAM data using the temporal evolution of the 3D catheter location recorded from clinical EAM systems. Cardiac and respiratory motion components are extracted from the recorded catheter location using multi-band filters. Filters are calibrated for each EAM point using estimates of heart rate and respiratory rate. The method was first evaluated in numerical simulations using 3D models of cardiac and respiratory motions of the heart generated from real time MRI data acquired in 5 healthy subjects. An accuracy of 0.6-0.7 mm was found for both cardiac and respiratory motion estimates in numerical simulations. Cardiac and respiratory motions were then characterized in 27 patients who underwent LV mapping for treatment of ventricular tachycardia. Mean maximum amplitude of cardiac and respiratory motion was 10.2±2.7 mm (min = 5.5, max = 16.9 and 8.8±2.3 mm (min = 4.3, max = 14.8, respectively. 3D Cardiac and respiratory motions could be estimated from the recorded catheter location and the method does not rely on additional imaging modality such as X-ray fluoroscopy and can be used in conventional electrophysiology laboratory setting.

  17. Calculation of the Scattered Radiation Profile in 64 Slice CT Scanners Using Experimental Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afshin Akbarzadeh

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: One of the most important parameters in x-ray CT imaging is the noise induced by detected scattered radiation. The detected scattered radiation is completely dependent on the scanner geometry as well as size, shape and material of the scanned object. The magnitude and spatial distribution of the scattered radiation in x-ray CT should be quantified for development of robust scatter correction techniques. Empirical methods based on blocking the primary photons in a small region are not able to extract scatter in all elements of the detector array while the scatter profile is required for a scatter correction procedure. In this study, we measured scatter profiles in 64 slice CT scanners using a new experimental measurement. Material and Methods: To measure the scatter profile, a lead block array was inserted under the collimator and the phantom was exposed at the isocenter. The raw data file, which contained detector array readouts, was transferred to a PC and was read using a dedicated GUI running under MatLab 7.5. The scatter profile was extracted by interpolating the shadowed area. Results: The scatter and SPR profiles were measured. Increasing the tube voltage from 80 to 140 kVp resulted in an 80% fall off in SPR for a water phantom (d=210 mm and 86% for a polypropylene phantom (d = 350 mm. Increasing the air gap to 20.9 cm caused a 30% decrease in SPR. Conclusion: In this study, we presented a novel approach for measurement of scattered radiation distribution and SPR in a CT scanner with 64-slice capability using a lead block array. The method can also be used on other multi-slice CT scanners. The proposed technique can accurately estimate scatter profiles. It is relatively straightforward, easy to use, and can be used for any related measurement.

  18. A comparative study for spatial resolution and subjective image characteristics of a multi-slice CT and a cone-beam CT for dental use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Hiroshi; Honda, Eiichi; Tetsumura, Akemi; Kurabayashi, Tohru

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Multi-slice CT (MSCT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) are widely used in dental practice. This study compared the spatial resolution of these CT systems to elucidate which CT modalities should be selected for various clinical cases. Materials and methods: As MSCT and CBCT apparatuses, Somatom Sensation 64 and 3D Accuitomo instruments, respectively, were used. As an objective evaluation of spatial resolution of these CT systems, modulation transfer function (MTF) analysis was performed employing an over-sampling method. The results of MTF analysis were confirmed with a line-pair test using CATPHAN. As a subjective evaluation, a microstructure visualization ability study was performed using a Jcl:SD rat and a head CT phantom. Results: MTF analysis showed that for the in-plane direction, the z-axis ultrahigh resolution mode (zUHR) of the Sensation 64 and 3D Accuitomo instruments had higher spatial resolutions than the conventional mode (64x) of the Sensation 64, but for the longitudinal direction, the 3D Accuitomo had clearly higher spatial resolution than either mode of the Sensation 64. A line-pair test study and microstructure visualization ability studies confirmed the results for MTF analysis. However, images of the rat and the CT phantom revealed that the 3D Accuitomo demonstrated the failure to visualize the soft tissues along with aliasing and beam-hardening artifacts, which were not observed in the Sensation 64. Conclusions: This study successfully applied spatial resolution analysis using MSCT and CBCT systems in a comparative manner. These findings could help in deciding which CT modality should be selected for various clinical cases.

  19. High-resolution ex vivo imaging of coronary artery stents using 64-slice computed tomography - initial experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rist, Carsten; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Wintersperger, Bernd J.; Reiser, Maximilian F.; Becker, Christoph R.; Flohr, Thomas

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential of new-generation multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner technology for the delineation of coronary artery stents in an ex vivo setting. Nine stents of various diameters (seven stents 3 mm, two stents 2.5 mm) were implanted into the coronary arteries of ex vivo porcine hearts and filled with a mixture of an iodine-containing contrast agent. Specimens were scanned with a 16-slice CT (16SCT) machine; (Somatom Sensation 16, Siemens Medical Solutions), slice thickness 0.75 mm, and a 64-slice CT (64SCT, Somatom Sensation 64), slice-thickness 0.6 mm. Stent diameters as well as contrast densities were measured, on both the 16SCT and 64SCT images. No significant differences of CT densities were observed between the 16SCT and 64SCT images outside the stent lumen: 265±25HU and 254±16HU (P=0.33), respectively. CT densities derived from the 64SCT images and 16SCT images within the stent lumen were 367±36HU versus 402±28HU, P<0.05, respectively. Inner and outer stent diameters as measured from 16SCT and 64SCT images were 2.68±0.08 mm versus 2.81±0.07 mm and 3.29±0.06 mm versus 3.18±0.07 mm (P<0.05), respectively. The new 64SCT scanner proved to be superior in the ex vivo assessment of coronary artery stents to the conventional 16SCT machine. Increased spatial resolution allows for improved assessment of the coronary artery stent lumen. (orig.)

  20. Effect of Hops Beta Acids on the Survival of Unstressed- or Acid-Stress-Adapted-Listeria Monocytogenes and on the Quality and Sensory Attributes of Commercially Cured Ham Slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li; McKeith, Amanda Gipe; Shen, Cangliang; Carter, Kelsey; Huff, Alyssa; McKeith, Russell; Zhang, Xinxia; Chen, Zhengxing

    2016-02-01

    This study evaluated the antilisterial activity of hops beta acids (HBA) and their impact on the quality and sensory attributes of ham. Commercially cured ham slices were inoculated with unstressed- and acid-stress-adapted (ASA)-L. monocytogenes (2.2 to 2.5 log CFU/cm(2) ), followed by no dipping (control), dipping in deionized (DI) water, or dipping in a 0.11% HBA solution. This was followed by vacuum or aerobic packaging and storage (7.2 °C, 35 or 20 d). Samples were taken periodically during storage to check for pH changes and analyze the microbial populations. Color measurements were obtained by dipping noninoculated ham slices in a 0.11% HBA solution, followed by vacuum packaging and storage (4.0 °C, 42 d). Sensory evaluations were performed on ham slices treated with 0.05% to 0.23% HBA solutions, followed by vacuum packaging and storage (4.0 °C, 30 d). HBA caused immediate reductions of 1.2 to 1.5 log CFU/cm(2) (P ham slices. During storage, the unstressed-L. monocytogenes populations on HBA-treated samples were 0.5 to 2.0 log CFU/cm(2) lower (P color or sensory attributes of the ham slices stored in vacuum packages. These results are useful for helping ready-to-eat meat processors develop operational procedures for applying HBA on ham slices. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

  1. Application of gamma irradiation for the microbiological safety of sliced cheddar cheese

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyun Joo; Song, Beom Seok; Kim, Jae Hun; Choi, Jong Ill; Lee, Ju Woon; Byun, Myung Woo [Radiation Research Center for Innovative Technology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of); Jo, Cheo Run [Dept. of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-05-15

    This study was conducted to establish the microbiological safety of sliced cheddar cheese with gamma irradiation. Total aerobic bacteria was 2.50 Log CFUg-1 in non-irradiated sample. No viable cells were observed in the gamma-irradiated at 1 kGy and over. D10 value for Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus inoculated in sliced cheddar cheese were 0.64 and 0.54 kGy, respectively. TBARS (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) values were increased as irradiation dose was increased, but there was no significant difference between nonirradiated and irradiated samples at 1 kGy. Sensory evaluation showed there was no significant difference between samples irradiated at 1 kGy and non-irradiated in respect of color, odor, overall acceptability. Theses results indicated that gamma irradiation at 1 kGy was considered to be an effective treatment to ensure the microbiological safety of sliced cheddar cheese with minimal change of sensory, even though further studies should be investigated to reduce the deterioration of sensory quality induced by gamma irradiation.

  2. Studying Axon-Astrocyte Functional Interactions by 3D Two-Photon Ca2+ Imaging: A Practical Guide to Experiments and "Big Data" Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savtchouk, Iaroslav; Carriero, Giovanni; Volterra, Andrea

    2018-01-01

    Recent advances in fast volumetric imaging have enabled rapid generation of large amounts of multi-dimensional functional data. While many computer frameworks exist for data storage and analysis of the multi-gigabyte Ca 2+ imaging experiments in neurons, they are less useful for analyzing Ca 2+ dynamics in astrocytes, where transients do not follow a predictable spatio-temporal distribution pattern. In this manuscript, we provide a detailed protocol and commentary for recording and analyzing three-dimensional (3D) Ca 2+ transients through time in GCaMP6f-expressing astrocytes of adult brain slices in response to axonal stimulation, using our recently developed tools to perform interactive exploration, filtering, and time-correlation analysis of the transients. In addition to the protocol, we release our in-house software tools and discuss parameters pertinent to conducting axonal stimulation/response experiments across various brain regions and conditions. Our software tools are available from the Volterra Lab webpage at https://wwwfbm.unil.ch/dnf/group/glia-an-active-synaptic-partner/member/volterra-andrea-volterra in the form of software plugins for Image J (NIH)-a de facto standard in scientific image analysis. Three programs are available: MultiROI_TZ_profiler for interactive graphing of several movable ROIs simultaneously, Gaussian_Filter5D for Gaussian filtering in several dimensions, and Correlation_Calculator for computing various cross-correlation parameters on voxel collections through time.

  3. Transmission of 2.5 Gbit/s Spectrum-sliced WDM System for 50 km Single-mode Fiber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Nasim; Aljunid, Sayed Alwee; Ahmad, R. Badlisha; Fadil, Hilal Adnan; Rashid, Mohd Abdur

    2011-06-01

    The transmission of a spectrum-sliced WDM channel at 2.5 Gbit/s for 50 km of single mode fiber using an system channel spacing only 0.4 nm is reported. We have investigated the system performance using NRZ modulation format. The proposed system is compared with conventional system. The system performance is characterized as the bit-error-rate (BER) received against the system bit rates. Simulation results show that the NRZ modulation format performs well for 2.5 Gbit/s system bit rates. Using this narrow channel spectrum-sliced technique, the total number of multiplexed channels can be increased greatly in WDM system. Therefore, 0.4 nm channel spacing spectrum-sliced WDM system is highly recommended for the long distance optical access networks, like the Metro Area Network (MAN), Fiber-to-the-Building (FTTB) and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH).

  4. Estimation of Radiation Exposure of 128-Slice 4D-Perfusion CT for the Assessment of Tumor Vascularity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ketelsen, Dominik; Horger, Marius; Buchgeister, Markus; Fenchel, Michael; Thomas, Christoph; Boehringer, Nadine; Schulze, Maximilian; Tsiflikas, Ilias; Claussen, Claus D.; Heuschmid, Martin [University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany)

    2010-10-15

    We aimed to estimate the effective dose of 4D-Perfusion-CT protocols of the lung, liver, and pelvis for the assessment of tumor vascularity. An Alderson-Rando phantom equipped with thermoluminescent dosimeters was used to determine the effective dose values of 4D Perfusion-CT. Phantom measurements were performed on a 128-slice single source scanner in adaptive 4D-spiral-mode with bidirectional table movement and a total scan range of 69 mm over a time period of nearly 120 seconds (26 scans). Perfusion measurements were simulated for the lung, liver, and pelvis under the following conditions: lung (80 kV, 60 mAs), liver (80 kV/80 mAs and 80 kV/120 mAs), pelvis (100 kV/80 mAs and 100 kV/120 mAs). Depending on gender, the evaluated body region and scan protocol, an effective whole-body dose between 2.9-12.2 mSv, was determined. The radiation exposure administered to gender-specific organs like the female breast tissue (lung perfusion) or to the ovaries (pelvic perfusion) led to an increase in the female specific dose by 86% and 100% in perfusion scans of the lung and the pelvis, respectively. Due to a significant radiation dose of 4D-perfusion-CT protocols, the responsible use of this new promising technique is mandatory. Gender- and organ-specific differences should be considered for indication and planning of tumor perfusion scans

  5. 124I-Epidepride: A PET radiotracer for extended imaging of dopamine D2/D3 receptors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, Suresh; Venugopal, Archana; Kant, Ritu; Coleman, Robert; Mukherjee, Jogeshwar

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: A new radiotracer, 124 I-epidepride, has been developed for the imaging of dopamine D2/3 receptors (D2/3Rs). 124 I-Epidepride (half-life of 124 I = 4.2 days) allows imaging over extended periods compared to 18 F-fallypride (half-life of 18 F = 0.076 days) and may maximize visualization of D2/3Rs in the brain and pancreas (allowing clearance from adjacent organs). D2/3Rs are also present in pancreatic islets where they co-localize with insulin to produce granules and may serve as a surrogate marker for imaging diabetes. Methods: 124 I-Epidepride was synthesized using N-[[(2S)-1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-yl]methyl]-5-tributyltin-2, 3-dimethoxybenzamide and 124 I-iodide under no carrier added condition. Rats were used for in vitro and in vivo imaging. Brain slices were incubated with 124 I-epidepride (0.75 μCi/cc) and nonspecific binding measured with 10 μM haloperidol. Autoradiograms were analyzed by OptiQuant. 124 I-Epidepride (0.2 to 0.3 mCi, iv) was administered to rats and brain uptake at 3 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours post injection was evaluated. Results: 124 I-Epidepride was obtained with 50% radiochemical yield and high radiochemical purity (> 95%). 124 I-Epidepride localized in the striatum with a striatum to cerebellum ratio of 10. Binding was displaced by dopamine and haloperidol. Brain slices demonstrated localization of 124 I-epidepride up until 48 hours in the striatum. However, the extent of binding was reduced significantly. Conclusions: 124 I-Epidepride is a new radiotracer suitable for extended imaging of dopamine D2/3 receptors and may have applications in imaging of receptors in the brain and monitoring pancreatic islet cell grafting

  6. Analysis of hepatic vein variations in healthy people with 64-slice spiral CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Rong; Li Yong; Shen Jun; Zeng Weike; Li Jieting; Huang Suiqiao; Liang Biling; Liu Chao

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To analyze variations of hepatic vein in healthy people with 64-slice spiral CT. Methods: Seventy-five healthy subjects underwent multi-slice spiral computed (MSCT) hepatic venography. The anatomy of the junction of the hepatic veins with the inferior vena cava and the intrahepatic drainage territory of the hepatic veins and tributaries were evaluated. The hepatic veins were classified according to three anatomic classification (Nakamura's, Marcos's and Kawasaki's classification) methods respectively. Results: There was a common trunk of the middle and left hepatic veins before joining the IVC in 86.7% (65/75)of the cases. In 13.3% (10/75)of the cases, the three main hepatic veins joined the IVC separately. The ratios of Nakamma's classification type A, B, C of hepatic veins were 49.4% (37/75), 37.3% (28/75), and 13.3% (10/75) respectively. The ratios of Marcos's classification type A, B, C of hepatic veins were 56.0% (42/75), 24.0% (18/75), and 20.0% (15/75) respectively. The ratios of Kawasaki's classification type I, II of hepatic vein were 40.0% (30/75) and 60.0% (45/75). Conclusion: Multi-slice spiral CT hepatic venography can provide visualization of peripheral hepatic venous branches in details. (authors)

  7. Preservation of low slice emittance in bunch compressors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Bettoni

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Minimizing the dilution of the electron beam emittance is crucial for the performance of accelerators, in particular for free electron laser facilities, where the length of the machine and the efficiency of the lasing process depend on it. Measurements performed at the SwissFEL Injector Test Facility revealed an increase in slice emittance after compressing the bunch even for moderate compression factors. The phenomenon was experimentally studied by characterizing the dependence of the effect on beam and machine parameters relevant for the bunch compression. The reproduction of these measurements in simulation required the use of a 3D beam dynamics model along the bunch compressor that includes coherent synchrotron radiation. Our investigations identified transverse effects, such as coherent synchrotron radiation and transverse space charge as the sources of the observed emittance dilution, excluding other effects, such as chromatic effects on single slices or spurious dispersion. We also present studies, both experimental and simulation based, on the effect of the optics mismatch of the slices on the variation of the slice emittance along the bunch. After a corresponding reoptimization of the beam optics in the test facility we reached slice emittances below 200 nm for the central slices along the longitudinal dimension with a moderate increase up to 300 nm in the head and tail for a compression factor of 7.5 and a bunch charge of 200 pC, equivalent to a final current of 150 A, at about 230 MeV energy.

  8. A model for the parabolic slices Per1(e2πip/q) in moduli space of quadratic rational maps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Uhre, Eva

    2010-01-01

    The notion of relatedness loci in the parabolic slices Per1(e2πip/q) in moduli space of quadratic rational maps is introduced. They are counterparts of the disconnectedness or escape locus in the slice of quadratic polynomials. A model for these loci is presented, and a strategy of proof of the f......The notion of relatedness loci in the parabolic slices Per1(e2πip/q) in moduli space of quadratic rational maps is introduced. They are counterparts of the disconnectedness or escape locus in the slice of quadratic polynomials. A model for these loci is presented, and a strategy of proof...... of the faithfulness of the model is given....

  9. Analysis of chronic aortic regurgitation by 2D and 3D echocardiography and cardiac MRI

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stoebe, Stephan; Metze, Michael; Jurisch, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    ) were assessed retrospectively by 2D, 3D echocardiography and cMRI in 55 chronic AR patients. Semi-quantitative parameters were assessed by 2D echocardiography. RESULTS: 22 (40%) patients had mild, 25 (46%) moderate and 8 (14%) severe AR. The quantitative volumetric approach was feasible using 2D, 3D...... echocardiography and cMRI, whereas the feasibility of semi-quantitative parameters varied considerably. LV volume (LVEDV, LVESV, SVtot) analyses showed good correlations between the different imaging modalities, although significantly increased LV volumes were assessed by cMRI. RVol was significantly different...... between 2D/3D echocardiography and 2D echocardiography/cMRI but was not significantly different between 3D echocardiography/cMRI. RF was not statistically different between 2D echocardiography/cMRI and 3D echocardiography/cMRI showing poor correlations (r

  10. Caloric restriction lowers endocannabinoid tonus and improves cardiac function in type 2 diabetes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eyk, van H.J.; Schinkel, van L.D.; Kantae, V.; Dronkers, C.E.A.; Westenberg, J.J.M.; Roos, de A.; Lamb, H.J.; Jukema, J.W.; Harms, A.C.; Hankemeier, T.; Stelt, van der M.; Jazet, I.M.; Rensen, P.C.N.; Smit, J.W.A.

    2018-01-01

    Background/ObjectivesEndocannabinoids (ECs) are associated with obesity and ectopic fat accumulation, both of which play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The effect of prolonged caloric restriction on ECs in relation to fat distribution and cardiac

  11. Asian consortium on radiation dose of pediatric cardiac CT (ASCI-REDCARD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hui, Peter K.T.; Goo, Hyun Woo; Du, Jing; Ip, Janice J.K.; Kanzaki, Suzu; Kim, Young Jin; Kritsaneepaiboon, Supika; Lilyasari, Oktavia; Siripornpitak, Suvipaporn

    2017-01-01

    With incremental utilization of pediatric cardiac CT in congenital heart disease, it is imperative to define its current radiation dose levels in clinical practice in order to help imagers optimize CT protocols, particularly in Asia and other developing countries where CT physicists are not readily available. To evaluate current radiation dose levels and influencing factors in cardiac CT in children with congenital heart disease in Asia by conducting a retrospective multi-center, multi-vendor study. We included 1,043 pediatric cardiac CT examinations performed in 8 centers between January 2014 and December 2014 to evaluate congenital heart disease. In five weight groups, we calculated radiation dose metrics including volume CT dose index, size-specific dose estimate, dose-length product and effective dose. Age at CT exam, gender, tube voltage, scan mode, CT indication and image reconstruction algorithm were analyzed to learn whether they influenced CT radiation dose. Volume CT dose index, size-specific dose estimate, dose-length product and effective dose of pediatric cardiac CT showed variations in the range of 4.3-23.8 mGy, 4.9-17.6 mGy, 55.8-501.3 mGy circle cm and 1.5-3.2 mSv, respectively, within five weight groups. Gender, tube voltage, scan mode and cardiac function assessment significantly influenced CT radiation dose. This multi-center, multi-vendor study demonstrated variations in radiation dose metrics of pediatric cardiac CT reflecting current practice in Asia. Gender, tube voltage, scan mode and cardiac function assessment should be considered as essential radiation dose-influencing factors in developing optimal pediatric cardiac CT protocols. (orig.)

  12. Asian consortium on radiation dose of pediatric cardiac CT (ASCI-REDCARD)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hui, Peter K.T. [Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, Department of Radiology, Hong Kong, SAR (China); Goo, Hyun Woo [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Du, Jing [Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Department of Radiology, Beijing (China); Ip, Janice J.K. [Queen Mary Hospital, Department of Radiology, Hong Kong, SAR (China); Kanzaki, Suzu [National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Department of Radiology, Osaka (Japan); Kim, Young Jin [Yonsei University, Shinchon Severance Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kritsaneepaiboon, Supika [Songklanagarind Hospital, Prince of Songkla University, Department of Radiology, Hat Yai (Thailand); Lilyasari, Oktavia [University of Indonesia, National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Department of Cardiology, Jakarta (Indonesia); Siripornpitak, Suvipaporn [Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Department of Radiology, Salaya (Thailand)

    2017-07-15

    With incremental utilization of pediatric cardiac CT in congenital heart disease, it is imperative to define its current radiation dose levels in clinical practice in order to help imagers optimize CT protocols, particularly in Asia and other developing countries where CT physicists are not readily available. To evaluate current radiation dose levels and influencing factors in cardiac CT in children with congenital heart disease in Asia by conducting a retrospective multi-center, multi-vendor study. We included 1,043 pediatric cardiac CT examinations performed in 8 centers between January 2014 and December 2014 to evaluate congenital heart disease. In five weight groups, we calculated radiation dose metrics including volume CT dose index, size-specific dose estimate, dose-length product and effective dose. Age at CT exam, gender, tube voltage, scan mode, CT indication and image reconstruction algorithm were analyzed to learn whether they influenced CT radiation dose. Volume CT dose index, size-specific dose estimate, dose-length product and effective dose of pediatric cardiac CT showed variations in the range of 4.3-23.8 mGy, 4.9-17.6 mGy, 55.8-501.3 mGy circle cm and 1.5-3.2 mSv, respectively, within five weight groups. Gender, tube voltage, scan mode and cardiac function assessment significantly influenced CT radiation dose. This multi-center, multi-vendor study demonstrated variations in radiation dose metrics of pediatric cardiac CT reflecting current practice in Asia. Gender, tube voltage, scan mode and cardiac function assessment should be considered as essential radiation dose-influencing factors in developing optimal pediatric cardiac CT protocols. (orig.)

  13. Short-term exercise worsens cardiac oxidative stress and fibrosis in 8-month-old db/db mice by depleting cardiac glutathione.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laher, Ismail; Beam, Julianne; Botta, Amy; Barendregt, Rebekah; Sulistyoningrum, Dian; Devlin, Angela; Rheault, Mark; Ghosh, Sanjoy

    2013-01-01

    Moderate exercise improves cardiac antioxidant status in young humans and animals with Type-2 diabetes (T2D). Given that both diabetes and advancing age synergistically decrease antioxidant expression in most tissues, it is unclear whether exercise can upregulate cardiac antioxidants in chronic animal models of T2D. To this end, 8-month-old T2D and normoglycemic mice were exercised for 3 weeks, and cardiac redox status was evaluated. As expected, moderate exercise increased cardiac antioxidants and attenuated oxidative damage in normoglycemic mice. In contrast, similar exercise protocol in 8-month-old db/db mice worsened cardiac oxidative damage, which was associated with a specific dysregulation of glutathione (GSH) homeostasis. Expression of enzymes for GSH biosynthesis [γ-glutamylcysteine synthase, glutathione reductase] as well as for GSH-mediated detoxification (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase) was lower, while toxic metabolites dependent on GSH for clearance (4-hydroxynonenal) were increased in exercised diabetic mice hearts. To validate GSH loss as an important factor for such aggravated damage, daily administration of GSH restored cardiac GSH levels in exercised diabetic mice. Such supplementation attenuated both oxidative damage and fibrotic changes in the myocardium. Expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and its regulated genes which are responsible for such profibrotic changes were also attenuated with GSH supplementation. These novel findings in a long-term T2D animal model demonstrate that short-term exercise by itself can deplete cardiac GSH and aggravate cardiac oxidative stress. As GSH administration conferred protection in 8-month-old diabetic mice undergoing exercise, supplementation with GSH-enhancing agents may be beneficial in elderly diabetic patients undergoing exercise.

  14. Tuple image multi-scale optical flow for detailed cardiac motion extraction: Application to left ventricle rotation analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Assen, van H.C.; Florack, L.M.J.; Westenberg, J.J.M.; Haar Romenij, ter B.M.; Hamarneh, G.; Abugharbieh, R.

    2008-01-01

    We present a new method for detailed tracking of cardiac motion based on MR-tagging imaging, multi-scale optical flow, and HARP-like image filtering.In earlier work, we showed that the results obtained with our method correlate very well with Phase Contrast MRI. In this paper we combine the

  15. Automated Multi-Contrast Brain Pathological Area Extraction from 2D MR Images

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dvořák, Pavel; Bartušek, Karel; Kropatsch, W.G.; Smékal, Z.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 1 (2015), s. 58-69 ISSN 1665-6423 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP102/12/1104 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 Keywords : Brain Pathology * Brain Tumor * MRI * Multi-contrast MRI * Symmetry Analysis Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 0.447, year: 2013

  16. Environmental Toxin Screening Using Human-Derived 3D Bioengineered Liver and Cardiac Organoids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven D. Forsythe

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available IntroductionEnvironmental toxins, such as lead and other heavy metals, pesticides, and other compounds, represent a significant health concern within the USA and around the world. Even in the twenty-first century, a plethora of cities and towns in the U.S. have suffered from exposures to lead in drinking water or other heavy metals in food or the earth, while there is a high possibility of further places to suffer such exposures in the near future.MethodsWe employed bioengineered 3D human liver and cardiac organoids to screen a panel of environmental toxins (lead, mercury, thallium, and glyphosate, and charted the response of the organoids to these compounds. Liver and cardiac organoids were exposed to lead (10 µM–10 mM, mercury (200 nM–200 µM, thallium (10 nM–10 µM, or glyphosate (25 µM–25 mM for a duration of 48 h. The impacts of toxin exposure were then assessed by LIVE/DEAD viability and cytotoxicity staining, measuring ATP activity and determining IC50 values, and determining changes in cardiac organoid beating activity.ResultsAs expected, all of the toxins induced toxicity in the organoids. Both ATP and LIVE/DEAD assays showed toxicity in both liver and cardiac organoids. In particular, thallium was the most toxic, with IC50 values of 13.5 and 1.35 µM in liver and cardiac organoids, respectively. Conversely, glyphosate was the least toxic of the four compounds, with IC50 values of 10.53 and 10.85 mM in liver and cardiac organoids, respectively. Additionally, toxins had a negative influence on cardiac organoid beating activity as well. Thallium resulting in the most significant decreases in beating rate, followed by mercury, then glyphosate, and finally, lead. These results suggest that the 3D organoids have significant utility to be deployed in additional toxicity screening applications, and future development of treatments to mitigate exposures.Conclusion3D organoids have significant utility to be

  17. The mitochondrial toxin, 3-nitropropionic acid, induces extracellular Zn2+ accumulation in rat hippocampus slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guo; Hough, Christopher J; Sarvey, John M

    2004-11-11

    3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), a suicide inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH; complex II), has been used to provide useful experimental models of Huntington's disease (HD) and "chemical hypoxia" in rodents. The trace ion Zn2+ has been shown to cause neurodegeneration. Employing real-time Newport Green fluorescence imaging of extracellular Zn2+, we found that 3-NPA (10-100 microM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in the concentration of extracellular Zn2+ ([Zn2+]o) in acute rat hippocampus slices. This increase in [Zn2+]o was abolished by 10 mM CaEDTA. The increase of [Zn2+]o was also accompanied by a rapid increase of cytoplasmic-free Zn2+ concentration ([Zn2+]i). The induction of Zn2+ release by 3-MPA in hippocampus slices points to a potential mechanism by which 3-NPA might induce neurodegeneration.

  18. Complex engineering objects construction using Multi-D innovative technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agafonov, Alexey

    2013-01-01

    Multi-D technology is an integrated innovative project management system for a construction of complex engineering objects based on a construction process simulation using an intellectual 3D model. Multi-D technology includes: • The unified schedule of E+P+C; • The schedule of loading of human resources, machines & mechanisms; • The budget of expenses and the income integrated with the schedule; • 3D model; • Multi-D model; • Weekly-daily tasks (with 4th level schedules); • Control system of interaction of Customer-EPC(m) company - Contractors; • Change and configuration management system

  19. Effect of high image compression on the reproducibility of cardiac Sestamibi reporting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, P.; Allen, L.; Beuzeville, S.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: Compression algorithms have been mooted to minimize storage space and transmission times of digital images. We assessed the impact of high-level lousy compression using JPEG and wavelet algorithms on image quality and reporting accuracy of cardiac Sestamibi studies. Twenty stress/rest Sestamibi cardiac perfusion studies were reconstructed into horizontal short, vertical long and horizontal long axis slices using conventional methods. Each of these six sets of slices were aligned for reporting and saved (uncompressed) as a bitmap. This bitmap was then compressed using JPEG compression, then decompressed and saved as a bitmap for later viewing. This process was repeated using the original bitmap and wavelet compression. Finally, a second copy of the original bitmap was made. All 80 bitmaps were randomly coded to ensure blind reporting. The bitmaps were read blinded and by consensus of 2 experienced nuclear medicine physicians using a 5-point scale and 25 cardiac segments. Subjective image quality was also reported using a 3-point scale. Samples of the compressed images were also subtracted from the original bitmap for visual comparison of differences. Results showed an average compression ratio of 23:1 for wavelet and 13:1 for JPEG. Image subtraction showed only very minor discordance between the original and compressed images. There was no significant difference in subjective quality between the compressed and uncompressed images. There was no significant difference in reporting reproducibility of the identical bitmap copy, the JPEG image and the wavelet image compared with the original bitmap. Use of the high compression algorithms described had no significant impact on reporting reproducibility and subjective image quality of cardiac Sestamibi perfusion studies

  20. Detection and severity of coronary disease: comparison between Framingham and calcium scores using multi-slice tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Gomez, Maria Liliana; Montenegro, Edison; Ruiz, Angela Maria; Ardila, Jaime

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: multiple studies have shown that the coronary calcium index is an independent, more accurate predictor of future coronary events in relation to traditional risk factors. However, these studies have not been conducted in populations of developing countries like Colombia. Objective: to compare the strength of association between the Framingham index and the coronary calcium score in detecting the presence and severity of coronary disease as defined by 64-channel multi-slice angio-CT in order to provide additional information for decision-making in our asymptomatic coronary population. Methodology: we reviewed the written reports of coronary angiography scans performed in past 3 years. Based on this information, bivariate (calculation of Spearman rho correlation coefficients) and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses were performed. Results: the coronary calcium score showed a higher correlation with the presence and severity of coronary disease, Spearman Rho coefficient, compared with the Framingham index, Spearman's Rho coefficient of 0.30 (p<0.001). The moderate Framingham index (10-19%) shows no strength of association with significant and non-significant coronary artery disease, OR = 2, 51 CI 95% (0.7-8.9) and OR = 2.3 CI 95% (0.86-6.15), respectively. Patients with calcium values = 100 showed significant strength of association, OR = 182, 95% (17.4 -190.2), with significant coronary disease compared with high Framingham index values (=20%), OR = 18.6, CI 95% (1.75-198). Conclusions: the coronary calcium score has a higher correlation with the presence and severity of coronary disease when compared with the Framingham index. There is a low correlation between the index and Framingham coronary calcium.

  1. Estimation of diastolic filling pressure with cardiac CT in comparison with echocardiography using tissue doppler imaging: Determination of optimal CT reconstruction parameters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Ji Sun; Suh, Jon; Lee, Heon [Soonchunhyang University Hospital Bucheon, Bucheon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Bora [Dept. of Biostatistics, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Soo Jeong [Terarecon Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jou, Sung Shick [Dept. of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Cheonan, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Hyun Kyung [Dept. of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Seoul, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-08-01

    To determine the optimal CT image reconstruction parameters for the measurement of early transmitral peak velocity (E), early peak mitral septal tissue velocity (E′), and E / E′. Forty-six patients underwent simultaneous cardiac CT and echocardiography on the same day. Four CT datasets were reconstructed with a slice thickness/interval of 0.9/0.9 mm or 3/3 mm at 10 (10% RR-interval) or 20 (5% RR-interval) RR-intervals. The E was calculated by dividing the peak transmitral flow (mL/s) by the corresponding mitral valve area (cm{sup 2}). E′ was calculated from the changes in the left ventricular length per cardiac phase. E / E′ was then estimated and compared with that from echocardiography. For assessment of E / E′, CT and echocardiography were more strongly correlated (p < 0.05) with a slice thickness of 0.9 mm and 5% RR-interval (r = 0.77) than with 3 mm or 10% RR-interval. The diagnostic accuracy of predicting elevated filling pressure (E / E′ ≥ 13, n = 14) was better with a slice thickness of 0.9 mm and 5% RR-interval (87.0%) than with 0.9 mm and 10% RR-interval (71.7%) (p = 0.123) and significantly higher than that with a slice thickness of 3 mm with 5% (67.4%) and 10% RR-interval (63.0%), (p < 0.05), respectively. Data reconstruction with a slice thickness of 0.9 mm at 5% RR-interval is superior to that with a slice thickness of 3 mm or 10% RR-interval in terms of the correlation of E / E′ between CT and echocardiography. Thin slices and frequent sampling also allow for more accurate prediction of elevated filling pressure.

  2. The optimal dose reduction level using iterative reconstruction with prospective ECG-triggered coronary CTA using 256-slice MDCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou, Yang; Xu, Shu; Guo, Wenli; Vembar, Mani; Guo, Qiyong

    2012-01-01

    Aim: To assess the image quality (IQ) of an iterative reconstruction (IR) technique (iDose 4 ) from prospective electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered coronary computed tomography angiography (coronary CTA) on a 256-slice multi-detector CT (MDCT) scanner and determine the optimal dose reduction using IR that can provide IQ comparable to filtered back projection (FBP). Method and materials: 110 consecutive patients (69 men, 41 women; age: 54 ± 10 years) underwent coronary CTA on a 256-slice MDCT (Brilliance iCT, Philips Healthcare). The control group (Group A, n = 21) were scanned using the conventional tube output (120 kVp, 210 mAs) and reconstructed using FBP. The other 4 groups were scanned with the same kVp but successively reduced tube output as follows: B[n = 15]: 125 mAs; C[n = 22]: 105 mAs; D[n = 36]: 84 mAs: E[n = 16]: 65 mAs) and reconstructed using IR levels of L3 (Group B), L4 (Group C) and L5 (Groups D and E), to compensate for the noise increase. All images were reconstructed using the same kernel (XCB). Two radiologists graded IQ in a blinded fashion on a 4-point scale (4 – excellent, 3 – good, 2 – fair and 1 – poor). Quantitative measurements of CT values, image noise and contrast-to-noise (CNR) were measured in each group. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine a radiation reduction threshold up to which excellent IQ was maintained. Results: There were no significant differences in objective noise, SNR and CNR values among Groups A, B, C, D, and E (P = 0.14, 0.09, 0.17, respectively). There were no significant differences in the scores of the subjective IQ between Group A, and Groups B, C, D, E (P = 0.23–0.97). Significant differences in image sharpness and study acceptability were observed between groups A and E (P < 0.05). Using the criterion of excellent IQ (score 4), the ROC curve of dose levels and IQ acceptability established a reduction of 60% of tube output (Group D) as optimum cutoff point (AUC

  3. 3D multifunctional integumentary membranes for spatiotemporal cardiac measurements and stimulation across the entire epicardium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Lizhi; Gutbrod, Sarah R.; Bonifas, Andrew P.; Su, Yewang; Sulkin, Matthew S.; Lu, Nanshu; Chung, Hyun-Joong; Jang, Kyung-In; Liu, Zhuangjian; Ying, Ming; Lu, Chi; Webb, R. Chad; Kim, Jong-Seon; Laughner, Jacob I.; Cheng, Huanyu; Liu, Yuhao; Ameen, Abid; Jeong, Jae-Woong; Kim, Gwang-Tae; Huang, Yonggang; Efimov, Igor R.; Rogers, John A.

    2014-02-01

    Means for high-density multiparametric physiological mapping and stimulation are critically important in both basic and clinical cardiology. Current conformal electronic systems are essentially 2D sheets, which cannot cover the full epicardial surface or maintain reliable contact for chronic use without sutures or adhesives. Here we create 3D elastic membranes shaped precisely to match the epicardium of the heart via the use of 3D printing, as a platform for deformable arrays of multifunctional sensors, electronic and optoelectronic components. Such integumentary devices completely envelop the heart, in a form-fitting manner, and possess inherent elasticity, providing a mechanically stable biotic/abiotic interface during normal cardiac cycles. Component examples range from actuators for electrical, thermal and optical stimulation, to sensors for pH, temperature and mechanical strain. The semiconductor materials include silicon, gallium arsenide and gallium nitride, co-integrated with metals, metal oxides and polymers, to provide these and other operational capabilities. Ex vivo physiological experiments demonstrate various functions and methodological possibilities for cardiac research and therapy.

  4. A fast rebinning algorithm for 3D positron emission tomography using John's equation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Defrise, Michel; Liu, Xuan

    1999-08-01

    Volume imaging in positron emission tomography (PET) requires the inversion of the three-dimensional (3D) x-ray transform. The usual solution to this problem is based on 3D filtered-backprojection (FBP), but is slow. Alternative methods have been proposed which factor the 3D data into independent 2D data sets corresponding to the 2D Radon transforms of a stack of parallel slices. Each slice is then reconstructed using 2D FBP. These so-called rebinning methods are numerically efficient but are approximate. In this paper a new exact rebinning method is derived by exploiting the fact that the 3D x-ray transform of a function is the solution to the second-order partial differential equation first studied by John. The method is proposed for two sampling schemes, one corresponding to a pair of infinite plane detectors and another one corresponding to a cylindrical multi-ring PET scanner. The new FORE-J algorithm has been implemented for this latter geometry and was compared with the approximate Fourier rebinning algorithm FORE and with another exact rebinning algorithm, FOREX. Results with simulated data demonstrate a significant improvement in accuracy compared to FORE, while the reconstruction time is doubled. Compared to FOREX, the FORE-J algorithm is slightly less accurate but more than three times faster.

  5. Conservation of cardiac L-type Ca2+ channels and their regulation in Drosophila: A novel genetically-pliable channelopathic model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limpitikul, Worawan B; Viswanathan, Meera C; O'Rourke, Brian; Yue, David T; Cammarato, Anthony

    2018-04-21

    Dysregulation of L-type Ca 2+ channels (LTCCs) underlies numerous cardiac pathologies. Understanding their modulation with high fidelity relies on investigating LTCCs in their native environment with intact interacting proteins. Such studies benefit from genetic manipulation of endogenous channels in cardiomyocytes, which often proves cumbersome in mammalian models. Drosophila melanogaster, however, offers a potentially efficient alternative as it possesses a relatively simple heart, is genetically pliable, and expresses well-conserved genes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed an abundance of Ca-α1D and Ca-α1T mRNA in fly myocardium, which encode subunits that specify hetero-oligomeric channels homologous to mammalian LTCCs and T-type Ca 2+ channels, respectively. Cardiac-specific knockdown of Ca-α1D via interfering RNA abolished cardiac contraction, suggesting Ca-α1D (i.e. A1D) represents the primary functioning Ca 2+ channel in Drosophila hearts. Moreover, we successfully isolated viable single cardiomyocytes and recorded Ca 2+ currents via patch clamping, a feat never before accomplished with the fly model. The profile of Ca 2+ currents recorded in individual cells when Ca 2+ channels were hypomorphic, absent, or under selective LTCC blockage by nifedipine, additionally confirmed the predominance of A1D current across all activation voltages. T-type current, activated at more negative voltages, was also detected. Lastly, A1D channels displayed Ca 2+ -dependent inactivation, a critical negative feedback mechanism of LTCCs, and the current through them was augmented by forskolin, an activator of the protein kinase A pathway. In sum, the Drosophila heart possesses a conserved compendium of Ca 2+ channels, suggesting that the fly may serve as a robust and effective platform for studying cardiac channelopathies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. 3-D reconstruction using an efficient Octree encoding scheme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, H.J.; Jagadeesh, J.M.

    1986-01-01

    Reconstruction of a three dimensional (3-D) model of biological objects from their thin section 2-D slices is a valuable tool for biomedical research. The goal of a 3-D reconstruction routine is to find the 3-D structure from a set of sliced images and display the 3-D view on a 2-D screen. Octree has been widely used as a powerful data structure to represent 3-D objects in computer. The encoding technique is specially useful for the representation of objects with irregular shape, such as biomedical objects. A method called level-wise pointerless representation which can offer much less storage requirement has been developed. In addition, a complete software package has been designed using the efficient data structure to reconstruct 3-D objects from 2-D sliced images and to display the 3-D objects on 2-D screen

  7. TLS for generating multi-LOD of 3D building model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akmalia, R; Setan, H; Majid, Z; Suwardhi, D; Chong, A

    2014-01-01

    The popularity of Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS) to capture three dimensional (3D) objects has been used widely for various applications. Development in 3D models has also led people to visualize the environment in 3D. Visualization of objects in a city environment in 3D can be useful for many applications. However, different applications require different kind of 3D models. Since a building is an important object, CityGML has defined a standard for 3D building models at four different levels of detail (LOD). In this research, the advantages of TLS for capturing buildings and the modelling process of the point cloud can be explored. TLS will be used to capture all the building details to generate multi-LOD. This task, in previous works, involves usually the integration of several sensors. However, in this research, point cloud from TLS will be processed to generate the LOD3 model. LOD2 and LOD1 will then be generalized from the resulting LOD3 model. Result from this research is a guiding process to generate the multi-LOD of 3D building starting from LOD3 using TLS. Lastly, the visualization for multi-LOD model will also be shown

  8. TLS for generating multi-LOD of 3D building model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akmalia, R.; Setan, H.; Majid, Z.; Suwardhi, D.; Chong, A.

    2014-02-01

    The popularity of Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS) to capture three dimensional (3D) objects has been used widely for various applications. Development in 3D models has also led people to visualize the environment in 3D. Visualization of objects in a city environment in 3D can be useful for many applications. However, different applications require different kind of 3D models. Since a building is an important object, CityGML has defined a standard for 3D building models at four different levels of detail (LOD). In this research, the advantages of TLS for capturing buildings and the modelling process of the point cloud can be explored. TLS will be used to capture all the building details to generate multi-LOD. This task, in previous works, involves usually the integration of several sensors. However, in this research, point cloud from TLS will be processed to generate the LOD3 model. LOD2 and LOD1 will then be generalized from the resulting LOD3 model. Result from this research is a guiding process to generate the multi-LOD of 3D building starting from LOD3 using TLS. Lastly, the visualization for multi-LOD model will also be shown.

  9. Analysis of chronic aortic regurgitation by 2D and 3D echocardiography and cardiac MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoebe, Stephan; Metze, Michael; Jurisch, Daniel; Tayal, Bhupendar; Solty, Kilian; Laufs, Ulrich; Pfeiffer, Dietrich; Hagendorff, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    Purpose The study compares the feasibility of the quantitative volumetric and semi-quantitative approach for quantification of chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) using different imaging modalities. Methods Left ventricular (LV) volumes, regurgitant volumes (RVol) and regurgitant fractions (RF) were assessed retrospectively by 2D, 3D echocardiography and cMRI in 55 chronic AR patients. Semi-quantitative parameters were assessed by 2D echocardiography. Results 22 (40%) patients had mild, 25 (46%) moderate and 8 (14%) severe AR. The quantitative volumetric approach was feasible using 2D, 3D echocardiography and cMRI, whereas the feasibility of semi-quantitative parameters varied considerably. LV volume (LVEDV, LVESV, SVtot) analyses showed good correlations between the different imaging modalities, although significantly increased LV volumes were assessed by cMRI. RVol was significantly different between 2D/3D echocardiography and 2D echocardiography/cMRI but was not significantly different between 3D echocardiography/cMRI. RF was not statistically different between 2D echocardiography/cMRI and 3D echocardiography/cMRI showing poor correlations (r echocardiography and 2D echocardiography/cMRI and good agreement was observed between 3D echocardiography/cMRI. Conclusion Semi-quantitative parameters are difficult to determine by 2D echocardiography in clinical routine. The quantitative volumetric RF assessment seems to be feasible and can be discussed as an alternative approach in chronic AR. However, RVol and RF did not correlate well between the different imaging modalities. The best agreement for grading of AR severity by RF was observed between 3D echocardiography and cMRI. LV volumes can be verified by different approaches and different imaging modalities. PMID:29519957

  10. A systematic evaluation of three different cardiac T2-mapping sequences at 1.5 and 3T in healthy volunteers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baeßler, Bettina; Schaarschmidt, Frank; Stehning, Christian; Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Maintz, David; Bunck, Alexander C

    2015-11-01

    Previous studies showed that myocardial T2 relaxation times measured by cardiac T2-mapping vary significantly depending on sequence and field strength. Therefore, a systematic comparison of different T2-mapping sequences and the establishment of dedicated T2 reference values is mandatory for diagnostic decision-making. Phantom experiments using gel probes with a range of different T1 and T2 times were performed on a clinical 1.5T and 3T scanner. In addition, 30 healthy volunteers were examined at 1.5 and 3T in immediate succession. In each examination, three different T2-mapping sequences were performed at three short-axis slices: Multi Echo Spin Echo (MESE), T2-prepared balanced SSFP (T2prep), and Gradient Spin Echo with and without fat saturation (GraSEFS/GraSE). Segmented T2-Maps were generated according to the AHA 16-segment model and statistical analysis was performed. Significant intra-individual differences between mean T2 times were observed for all sequences. In general, T2prep resulted in lowest and GraSE in highest T2 times. A significant variation with field strength was observed for mean T2 in phantom as well as in vivo, with higher T2 values at 1.5T compared to 3T, regardless of the sequence used. Segmental T2 values for each sequence at 1.5 and 3T are presented. Despite a careful selection of sequence parameters and volunteers, significant variations of the measured T2 values were observed between field strengths, MR sequences and myocardial segments. Therefore, we present segmental T2 values for each sequence at 1.5 and 3T with the inherent potential to serve as reference values for future studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Trimethyltin (TMT) neurotoxicity in organotypic rat hippocampal slice cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Noraberg, J; Gramsbergen, J B; Fonnum, F

    1998-01-01

    ) propidium iodide (PI) uptake, (b) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) efflux into the culture medium, (c) cellular cobalt uptake as an index of calcium influx, (d) ordinary Nissl cell staining, and (e) immunohistochemical staining for microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2). Cellular degeneration as assessed...... to in vivo cell stain observations of rats acutely exposed to TMT. The mean PI uptake of the cultures and the LDH efflux into the medium were highly correlated. The combined results obtained by the different markers indicate that the hippocampal slice culture method is a feasible model for further studies...

  12. Portable Device Slices Thermoplastic Prepregs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Beverly A.; Boston, Morton W.; Wilson, Maywood L.

    1993-01-01

    Prepreg slitter designed to slit various widths rapidly by use of slicing bar holding several blades, each capable of slicing strip of preset width in single pass. Produces material evenly sliced and does not contain jagged edges. Used for various applications in such batch processes involving composite materials as press molding and autoclaving, and in such continuous processes as pultrusion. Useful to all manufacturers of thermoplastic composites, and in slicing B-staged thermoset composites.

  13. Estimation of Radiation Exposure of 128-Slice 4D-Perfusion CT for the Assessment of Tumor Vascularity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horger, Marius; Buchgeister, Markus; Fenchel, Michael; Thomas, Christoph; Boehringer, Nadine; Schulze, Maximilian; Tsiflikas, Ilias; Claussen, Claus D.; Heuschmid, Martin

    2010-01-01

    Objective We aimed to estimate the effective dose of 4D-Perfusion-CT protocols of the lung, liver, and pelvis for the assessment of tumor vascularity. Materials and Methods An Alderson-Rando phantom equipped with thermoluminescent dosimeters was used to determine the effective dose values of 4D-Perfusion-CT. Phantom measurements were performed on a 128-slice single-source scanner in adaptive 4D-spiral-mode with bidirectional table movement and a total scan range of 69 mm over a time period of nearly 120 seconds (26 scans). Perfusion measurements were simulated for the lung, liver, and pelvis under the following conditions: lung (80 kV, 60 mAs), liver (80 kV/80 mAs and 80 kV/120 mAs), pelvis (100 kV/80 mAs and 100 kV/120 mAs). Results Depending on gender, the evaluated body region and scan protocol, an effective whole-body dose between 2.9-12.2 mSv, was determined. The radiation exposure administered to gender-specific organs like the female breast tissue (lung perfusion) or to the ovaries (pelvic perfusion) led to an increase in the female specific dose by 86% and 100% in perfusion scans of the lung and the pelvis, respectively. Conclusion Due to a significant radiation dose of 4D-perfusion-CT protocols, the responsible use of this new promising technique is mandatory. Gender- and organ-specific differences should be considered for indication and planning of tumor perfusion scans. PMID:20808699

  14. Prediction of 6-year prognosis for cardiac event by thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with treadmill exercise test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Katsumi; Ohsuzu, Fumitaka; Kosuda, Shigeru; Nakamura, Haruo

    1997-01-01

    To examine thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with a treadmill exercise test can predict the long-term prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease, 95 patients (71 men, 24 women) who underwent a treadmill exercise test with thallium-201 SPECT from April to December 1986 were followed for 6 years. Three short-axis slices at the apical, mid- and basal-level were selected, and each slice was divided into eight segments. Each segment count was assigned a score according to the count range in the slice (score 0, count range 76-100%; 1, 51-75%; 2, 26-50%; 3, 1-25%; 4, 0%) by evaluating the mean value of the slice. The total Tl defect score of each segment in 3 slices was summed (ΣTl defect score). The 'early ΣTl defect score' was the ΣTl defect score 5 min after treadmill exercise, and the 'late ΣTl defect score' was ΣTl defect score measured 4 h after treadmill exercise. Cardiac events occurred in 27 of the 95 patients: cardiac death 3; myocardial infarction 1; percutaneous transluminal angioplasty 16; coronary artery bypass graft 5; congestive heart failure 3. Univariate analysis showed that previous myocardial infarction (p<0.01), exercise work load (p<0.05), early ΣTl defect score (p<0.0l) and late ΣTl defect score (p<0.01) were independent predictors of the prognosis. These results suggest that thallium-201 SPECT with the treadmill exercise test could be applicable and useful to predict long term prognosis. (author)

  15. Acquiring Multiview C-Arm Images to Assist Cardiac Ablation Procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fallavollita Pascal

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available CARTO XP is an electroanatomical cardiac mapping system that provides 3D color-coded maps of the electrical activity of the heart; however it is expensive and it can only use a single costly magnetic catheter for each patient intervention. Our approach consists of integrating fluoroscopic and electrical data from the RF catheters into the same image so as to better guide RF ablation, shorten the duration of this procedure, increase its efficacy, and decrease hospital cost when compared to CARTO XP. We propose a method that relies on multi-view C-arm fluoroscopy image acquisition for (1 the 3D reconstruction of the anatomical structure of interest, (2 the robust temporal tracking of the tip-electrode of a mapping catheter between the diastolic and systolic phases and (3 the 2D/3D registration of color coded isochronal maps directly on the 2D fluoroscopy image that would help the clinician guide the ablation procedure much more effectively. The method has been tested on canine experimental data.

  16. Recirculating cardiac delivery of AAV2/1SERCA2a improves myocardial function in an experimental model of heart failure in large animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, M J; Power, J M; Preovolos, A; Mariani, J A; Hajjar, R J; Kaye, D M

    2008-12-01

    Abnormal excitation-contraction coupling is a key pathophysiologic component of heart failure (HF), and at a molecular level reduced expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA2a) is a major contributor. Previous studies in small animals have suggested that restoration of SERCA function is beneficial in HF. Despite this promise, the means by which this information might be translated into potential clinical application remains uncertain. Using a recently established cardiac-directed recirculating method of gene delivery, we administered adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2)/1SERCA2a to sheep with pacing-induced HF. We explored the effects of differing doses of AAV2/1SERCA2a (low 1 x 10(10) d.r.p.; medium 1 x 10(12) d.r.p. and high 1 x 10(13) d.r.p.) in conjunction with an intra-coronary delivery group (2.5 x 10(13) d.r.p.). At the end of the study, haemodynamic, echocardiographic, histopathologic and molecular biologic assessments were performed. Cardiac recirculation delivery of AAV2/1SERCA2a elicited a dose-dependent improvement in cardiac performance determined by left ventricular pressure analysis, (+d P/d t(max); low dose -220+/-70, P>0.05; medium dose 125+/-53, P0.05; medium dose 1+/-2, P>0.05; high dose 6.5+/-3.9, Preversal of the HF molecular phenotype. In contrast, direct intra-coronary infusion did not elicit any effect on ventricular function. As such, AAV2/1SERCA2a elicits favourable functional and molecular actions when delivered in a mechanically targeted manner in an experimental model of HF. These observations lay a platform for potential clinical translation.

  17. Prognostic value of absence or presence of coronary artery disease determined by 64-slice computed tomography coronary angiography A systematic review and meta-analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdulla, Jawdat; Asferg, Camilla Lundegaard; Kofoed, Klaus Fuglsang

    2011-01-01

    To determine via a meta-analysis the prognostic value of 64-slice computed tomography angiography (CTA) by quantifying risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in different patient groups classified according to CT angiographic findings. A systematic literature search and meta...

  18. SU-E-J-129: Atlas Development for Cardiac Automatic Contouring Using Multi-Atlas Segmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, R; Yang, J; Pan, T; Milgrom, S; Pinnix, C; Shi, A; Yang, J; Liu, Y; Nguyen, Q; Gomez, D; Dabaja, B; Balter, P; Court, L; Liao, Z

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To develop a set of atlases for automatic contouring of cardiac structures to determine heart radiation dose and the associated toxicity. Methods: Six thoracic cancer patients with both contrast and non-contrast CT images were acquired for this study. Eight radiation oncologists manually and independently delineated cardiac contours on the non-contrast CT by referring to the fused contrast CT and following the RTOG 1106 atlas contouring guideline. Fifteen regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated, including heart, four chambers, four coronary arteries, pulmonary artery and vein, inferior and superior vena cava, and ascending and descending aorta. Individual expert contours were fused using the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm for each ROI and each patient. The fused contours became atlases for an in-house multi-atlas segmentation. Using leave-one-out test, we generated auto-segmented contours for each ROI and each patient. The auto-segmented contours were compared with the fused contours using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Results: Inter-observer variability was not obvious for heart, chambers, and aorta but was large for other structures that were not clearly distinguishable on CT image. The average DSC between individual expert contours and the fused contours were less than 50% for coronary arteries and pulmonary vein, and the average MSD were greater than 4.0 mm. The largest MSD of expert contours deviating from the fused contours was 2.5 cm. The mean DSC and MSD of auto-segmented contours were within one standard deviation of expert contouring variability except the right coronary artery. The coronary arteries, vena cava, and pulmonary vein had DSC<70% and MSD>3.0 mm. Conclusion: A set of cardiac atlases was created for cardiac automatic contouring, the accuracy of which was comparable to the variability in expert contouring. However, substantial modification may need

  19. Endogenous 24S-hydroxycholesterol modulates NMDAR-mediated function in hippocampal slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Min-Yu; Izumi, Yukitoshi; Benz, Ann; Zorumski, Charles F; Mennerick, Steven

    2016-03-01

    N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), a major subtype of glutamate receptors mediating excitatory transmission throughout the central nervous system (CNS), play critical roles in governing brain function and cognition. Because NMDAR dysfunction contributes to the etiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders including stroke and schizophrenia, NMDAR modulators are potential drug candidates. Our group recently demonstrated that the major brain cholesterol metabolite, 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24S-HC), positively modulates NMDARs when exogenously administered. Here, we studied whether endogenous 24S-HC regulates NMDAR activity in hippocampal slices. In CYP46A1(-/-) (knockout; KO) slices where endogenous 24S-HC is greatly reduced, NMDAR tone, measured as NMDAR-to-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) ratio, was reduced. This difference translated into more NMDAR-driven spiking in wild-type (WT) slices compared with KO slices. Application of SGE-301, a 24S-HC analog, had comparable potentiating effects on NMDAR EPSCs in both WT and KO slices, suggesting that endogenous 24S-HC does not saturate its NMDAR modulatory site in ex vivo slices. KO slices did not differ from WT slices in either spontaneous neurotransmission or in neuronal intrinsic excitability, and exhibited LTP indistinguishable from WT slices. However, KO slices exhibited higher resistance to persistent NMDAR-dependent depression of synaptic transmission induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), an effect restored by SGE-301. Together, our results suggest that loss of positive NMDAR tone does not elicit compensatory changes in excitability or transmission, but it protects transmission against NMDAR-mediated dysfunction. We expect that manipulating this endogenous NMDAR modulator may offer new treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric dysfunction. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  20. IGUANA: a high-performance 2D and 3D visualisation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alverson, G. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Eulisse, G. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Muzaffar, S. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Osborne, I. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Taylor, L. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)]. E-mail: lucas.taylor@cern.ch; Tuura, L.A. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

    2004-11-21

    The IGUANA project has developed visualisation tools for multiple high-energy experiments. At the core of IGUANA is a generic, high-performance visualisation system based on OpenInventor and OpenGL. This paper describes the back-end and a feature-rich 3D visualisation system built on it, as well as a new 2D visualisation system that can automatically generate 2D views from 3D data, for example to produce R/Z or X/Y detector displays from existing 3D display with little effort. IGUANA has collaborated with the open-source gl2ps project to create a high-quality vector postscript output that can produce true vector graphics output from any OpenGL 2D or 3D display, complete with surface shading and culling of invisible surfaces. We describe how it works. We also describe how one can measure the memory and performance costs of various OpenInventor constructs and how to test scene graphs. We present good patterns to follow and bad patterns to avoid. We have added more advanced tools such as per-object clipping, slicing, lighting or animation, as well as multiple linked views with OpenInventor, and describe them in this paper. We give details on how to edit object appearance efficiently and easily, and even dynamically as a function of object properties, with instant visual feedback to the user.

  1. IGUANA: a high-performance 2D and 3D visualisation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alverson, G.; Eulisse, G.; Muzaffar, S.; Osborne, I.; Taylor, L.; Tuura, L.A.

    2004-01-01

    The IGUANA project has developed visualisation tools for multiple high-energy experiments. At the core of IGUANA is a generic, high-performance visualisation system based on OpenInventor and OpenGL. This paper describes the back-end and a feature-rich 3D visualisation system built on it, as well as a new 2D visualisation system that can automatically generate 2D views from 3D data, for example to produce R/Z or X/Y detector displays from existing 3D display with little effort. IGUANA has collaborated with the open-source gl2ps project to create a high-quality vector postscript output that can produce true vector graphics output from any OpenGL 2D or 3D display, complete with surface shading and culling of invisible surfaces. We describe how it works. We also describe how one can measure the memory and performance costs of various OpenInventor constructs and how to test scene graphs. We present good patterns to follow and bad patterns to avoid. We have added more advanced tools such as per-object clipping, slicing, lighting or animation, as well as multiple linked views with OpenInventor, and describe them in this paper. We give details on how to edit object appearance efficiently and easily, and even dynamically as a function of object properties, with instant visual feedback to the user

  2. Suggested cut-off values for vitamin D as a risk marker for total and cardiac death in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrycja Anna Naesgaard

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Several studies have demonstrated an association between low vitamin D levels and cardiovascular risk. Vitamin D cut off levels are still under debate. Objectives: To assess two cut-off levels, 40 nmol/L and 70 nmol/L, respectively, for vitamin D measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OHD] in chest pain patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome.Methods: We investigated 1853 patients from coastal-Norway and inland Northern-Argentina. A similar database was used for pooling of data. 2-year follow-up data including all-cause mortality, cardiac death and sudden cardiac death in the total patient population were analyzed, applying univariate and multivariable analysis. Results: 255 patients with known vitamin D concentrations died. In the multivariable analysis, there was a decrease in total mortality above a cut-off level of 40 nmol/L and a decrease in cardiac death above a cut-off level of 70 nmol/L, [HRs of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.50 – 0.88, p = 0.004 and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.22 – 0.94, p = 0.034, respectively].Conclusion: Vitamin D cut-off levels of 40 nmol/L and 70 nmol/L, were related to total mortality and cardiac death, respectively.

  3. Histamine H3 receptor activation selectively inhibits dopamine D1 receptor-dependent [3H]GABA release from depolarization-stimulated slices of rat substantia nigra pars reticulata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aceves, J.; Young, J.M.; Arias-Montano, J.A.; Floran, B.; Garcia, M.

    1997-01-01

    The release of [ 3 H]GABA from slices of rat substantia nigra pars reticulata induced by increasing extracellular K + from 6 to 15 mM in the presence of 10 μM sulpiride was inhibited by 73±3% by 1 μM SCH 23390, consistent with a large component of release dependent upon D 1 receptor activation. The histamine H 3 receptor-selective agonist immepip (1 μM) and the non-selective agonist histamine (100 μM) inhibited [ 3 H]GABA release by 78±2 and 80±2%, respectively. The inhibition by both agonists was reversed by the H 3 receptor antagonist thioperamide (1 μM). However, in the presence of 1 μM SCH 23390 depolarization-induced release of [ 3 H]GABA was not significantly decreased by 1 μM immepip. In rats depleted of dopamine by pretreatment with reserpine, immepip no longer inhibited control release of [ 3 H]GABA, but in the presence of 1 μM SKF 38393, which produced a 7±1-fold stimulation of release, immepip reduced the release to a level not statistically different from that in the presence of immepip alone. Immepip (1 μM) also inhibited the depolarization-induced release of [ 3 H]dopamine from substantia nigra pars reticulata slices, by 38±3%.The evidence is consistent with the proposition that activation of histamine H 3 receptors leads to the selective inhibition of the component of depolarization-induced [ 3 H]GABA release in substantia nigra pars reticulata slices which is dependent upon D 1 receptor activation. This appears to be largely an action at the terminals of the striatonigral GABA projection neurons, which may be enhanced by a partial inhibition of dendritic [ 3 H]dopamine release. (Copyright (c) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  4. Computation of a voxelized anthropomorphic phantom from Computer Tomography slices and 3D dose distribution calculation utilizing the MCNP5 Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abella, V.; Miro, R.; Juste, B.; Verdu, G.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The purpose of this work is to obtain the voxelization of a series of tomography slices in order to provide a voxelized human phantom throughout a MatLab algorithm, and the consequent simulation of the irradiation of such phantom with the photon beam generated in a Theratron 780 (MDS Nordion) 60 Co radiotherapy unit, using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle), version 5. The project provides as results dose mapping calculations inside the voxelized anthropomorphic phantom. Prior works have validated the cobalt therapy model utilizing a simple heterogeneous water cube-shaped phantom. The reference phantom model utilized in this work is the Zubal phantom, which consists of a group of pre-segmented CT slices of a human body. The CT slices are to be input into the Matlab program which computes the voxelization by means of two-dimensional pixel and material identification on each slice, and three-dimensional interpolation, in order to depict the phantom geometry via small cubic cells. Each slice is divided in squares with the size of the desired voxelization, and then the program searches for the pixel intensity with a predefined material at each square, making a subsequent three-dimensional interpolation. At the end of this process, the program produces a voxelized phantom in which each voxel defines the mixture of the different materials that compose it. In the case of the Zubal phantom, the voxels result in pure organ materials due to the fact that the phantom is presegmented. The output of this code follows the MCNP input deck format and is integrated in a full input model including the 60 Co radiotherapy unit. Dose rates are calculated using the MCNP5 tool FMESH, superimposed mesh tally. This feature allows to tally particles on an independent mesh over the problem geometry, and to obtain the length estimation of the particle flux, in units of particles/cm 2 (tally F4). Furthermore, the particle flux is transformed into dose by

  5. In vitro evaluation of 56 coronary artery stents by 256-slice multi-detector coronary CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steen, Henning; Andre, Florian; Korosoglou, Grigorios; Mueller, Dirk; Hosch, Waldemar; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Katus, Hugo A.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: We sought to investigate stent lumen visibility of 56 coronary stents with the newest 256-multi-slice-CT (256-MDCT) technology for different reconstruction algorithms in an in vitro model. Background: Early identification of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is important to avoid recurrent ischemia and prevent acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Since angiography has the disadvantage of high costs and its invasiveness, MDCT could be a convenient and safe non-invasive alternative for detection of ISR. Material and methods: Percentages of in-stent lumen diameter and in-stent signal attenuation (measured as contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)) of 56 coronary stents (group A ≤2.5 mm; group B = 2.75-3.0 mm; group C = 3.5-4.0 mm) were evaluated in a coronary vessel in vitro phantom (iodine-filled plastic tubes) employing four different reconstruction algorithms (XCD, CC, CD, XCB) on a novel 256-MDCT (Philips-iCT, collimation = 128 mm x 0.625 mm; rotation time = 270 ms; tube current = 800 mA s with 120 kV). Analysis was conducted with the semi-automatical full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) method. P-values 60% for group C stents was significantly larger and CNR was significantly lower (both p 3.0 mm when analysed with cardio-dedicated sharp kernels, although clinical studies corroborating this claim should be performed. However, stents ≤3.0 mm reconstructed by soft kernels revealed insufficient in-stent lumen visualisation and should not be used in clinical practice. Further improvements in spatial and temporal image resolution as well as reductions of radiation exposure and image noise have to be accomplished for the ambitious goal of characterising both CT coronary artery anatomy and in-stent lumen.

  6. Evaluation of a multi-atlas based method for segmentation of cardiac CTA data: a large-scale, multicenter, and multivendor study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirisli, H. A.; Schaap, M.; Klein, S.; Papadopoulou, S. L.; Bonardi, M.; Chen, C. H.; Weustink, A. C.; Mollet, N. R.; Vonken, E. J.; Geest, R. J. van der; Walsum, T. van; Niessen, W. J.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is increasingly used for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, CTA is not commonly used for the assessment of ventricular and atrial function, although functional information extracted from CTA data is expected to improve the diagnostic value of the examination. In clinical practice, the extraction of ventricular and atrial functional information, such as stroke volume and ejection fraction, requires accurate delineation of cardiac chambers. In this paper, we investigated the accuracy and robustness of cardiac chamber delineation using a multiatlas based segmentation method on multicenter and multivendor CTA data. Methods: A fully automatic multiatlas based method for segmenting the whole heart (i.e., the outer surface of the pericardium) and cardiac chambers from CTA data is presented and evaluated. In the segmentation approach, eight atlas images are registered to a new patient's CTA scan. The eight corresponding manually labeled images are then propagated and combined using a per voxel majority voting procedure, to obtain a cardiac segmentation. Results: The method was evaluated on a multicenter/multivendor database, consisting of (1) a set of 1380 Siemens scans from 795 patients and (2) a set of 60 multivendor scans (Siemens, Philips, and GE) from different patients, acquired in six different institutions worldwide. A leave-one-out 3D quantitative validation was carried out on the eight atlas images; we obtained a mean surface-to-surface error of 0.94±1.12 mm and an average Dice coefficient of 0.93 was achieved. A 2D quantitative evaluation was performed on the 60 multivendor data sets. Here, we observed a mean surface-to-surface error of 1.26±1.25 mm and an average Dice coefficient of 0.91 was achieved. In addition to this quantitative evaluation, a large-scale 2D and 3D qualitative evaluation was performed on 1380 and 140 images, respectively. Experts evaluated that 49% of the 1380 images

  7. A STUDY ON ASYMPTOMATIC CARDIAC CHANGES IN TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramchandra Rao

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Majority of the time the patient of Diabetes presents with complications like Myocardial infarction, heart failure, being end stages of cardiovascular 2 disease associated with other macro and microvascular complications. If patients are screened at an early stage of Diabetes before the onset of symptoms the cardiovascular complications can be delayed and mortality can be reduced . There are only few studies in India done to screen asymptomatic diabetic individuals for cardiovascular compli cations. This study is done in view of screening the asymptomatic individuals in our area to prevent complications. With the available infrastructure, ECG, 2D ECHO were done in 50 patients who met inclusion, exclusion criterias, the changes were noted and the cardiac status was evaluated. AIM AND OBJECTIVES : “To study the asymptomatic cardiac changes in type2 Diabetes patients”. To observe the ECG changes in patients of type2 Diabetes without any symptoms of cardiac disease. To evaluate the ECG changes along with 2DECHO findings in asymptomatic cardiac patients of type 2 Diabetes. To study the correlation between these two investigations and evaluate the cardiac status of the individual. CONCLUSIONS : M ost of the patients in study group belong to 5 th decade , Males with Diabetes were almost double that of females , Most of the patients had duration of Diabetes as 5yrs , Less than half of patients had family history of Diabetes , Half of the group had alcohol, smoking habits , More than half of patients were overweight , Only 20% had good control of Diabetes , Total cholesterol is above normal in almost all of the patients, LDL is elevated in half of the patients, triglycerides in most of them, there is significant dyslipidemia in patients of Diabetes , Only 6 had normal ECG. Rest of them have LVH, ischemia , 18 patients had changes in echo including LVD, regional and global hypokinesias , t hus the present study shows patients with type 2

  8. Experimental demonstration of spectrum-sliced elastic optical path network (SLICE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozicki, Bartłomiej; Takara, Hidehiko; Tsukishima, Yukio; Yoshimatsu, Toshihide; Yonenaga, Kazushige; Jinno, Masahiko

    2010-10-11

    We describe experimental demonstration of spectrum-sliced elastic optical path network (SLICE) architecture. We employ optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation format and bandwidth-variable optical cross-connects (OXC) to generate, transmit and receive optical paths with bandwidths of up to 1 Tb/s. We experimentally demonstrate elastic optical path setup and spectrally-efficient transmission of multiple channels with bit rates ranging from 40 to 140 Gb/s between six nodes of a mesh network. We show dynamic bandwidth scalability for optical paths with bit rates of 40 to 440 Gb/s. Moreover, we demonstrate multihop transmission of a 1 Tb/s optical path over 400 km of standard single-mode fiber (SMF). Finally, we investigate the filtering properties and the required guard band width for spectrally-efficient allocation of optical paths in SLICE.

  9. Effect of global cardiac ischemia on human ventricular fibrillation: insights from a multi-scale mechanistic model of the human heart.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan V Kazbanov

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Acute regional ischemia in the heart can lead to cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation (VF, which in turn compromise cardiac output and result in secondary global cardiac ischemia. The secondary ischemia may influence the underlying arrhythmia mechanism. A recent clinical study documents the effect of global cardiac ischaemia on the mechanisms of VF. During 150 seconds of global ischemia the dominant frequency of activation decreased, while after reperfusion it increased rapidly. At the same time the complexity of epicardial excitation, measured as the number of epicardical phase singularity points, remained approximately constant during ischemia. Here we perform numerical studies based on these clinical data and propose explanations for the observed dynamics of the period and complexity of activation patterns. In particular, we study the effects on ischemia in pseudo-1D and 2D cardiac tissue models as well as in an anatomically accurate model of human heart ventricles. We demonstrate that the fall of dominant frequency in VF during secondary ischemia can be explained by an increase in extracellular potassium, while the increase during reperfusion is consistent with washout of potassium and continued activation of the ATP-dependent potassium channels. We also suggest that memory effects are responsible for the observed complexity dynamics. In addition, we present unpublished clinical results of individual patient recordings and propose a way of estimating extracellular potassium and activation of ATP-dependent potassium channels from these measurements.

  10. Pemetaan Hutan Mangrove di Estuari Sungai Andai, Manokwari Papua Barat Berdasarkan Metode Density Slicing Berbasis Citra Alos Avnir-2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian S. Imburi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRAK Secara umum julat nilai spektral objek diperoleh melalui perpustakaan spektral (spectral library atau melalui pengukuran langsung di lapangan dengan alat ukur spectroradiometer, spectrometer, dan spectrophotometer, atau alat-alat sejenis yang mahal serta jarang, sehingga sulit untuk memperoleh julat nilai spektral objek tertentu. Studi tentang Metode Density Slicing Berbasis Citra ALOS AVNIR-2 Untuk Pemetaan Hutan Mangrove di Estuari Sungai Andai, Manokwari Papua Barat dilakukan dengan tujuan menghasilkan prosedur analisis perolehan julat nilai spektral melalui analis histogram band inframerah dekat ALOS AVNIR-2.  Penelitian ini dilakukan melalui dua tahapan metode analisis, yakni: 1 Analisis utama untuk menghasilkan julat nilai spektral, yakni analisis histogram band inframerah dekat ALOS AVNIR-2, dan 2 Analisis tambahan untuk menjelaskan tingkat akurasi julat nilai spektral melalui: (a survei lapangan yang menghasilkan data untuk proses uji akurasi reklasifikasi metode density slicing, serta (b melakukan uji akurasi terhadap peta zonasi mangrove berbasis density slicing. Analisis tersebut dijabarkan melalui pendekatan penginderaan jauh multitingkat, dimana citra QuickBird digunakan sebagai referensi untuk masking citra ALOS AVNIR-2, dan juga untuk validasi peta hasil metode density slicing. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah prosedur analisis perolehan julat nilai spektral dan julat nilai spektral zonasi genus mangrove.  Akurasi pemetan hutan mangrove untuk metode density slicingmenghasilkan nilai 40%. Nilai tersebut masih belum memenuhi standar ketelitian yang diharapkan. Namun demikian, penelitian ini secara keseluruhan dapat menghasilkan julat nilai spektral, dan hal ini memberikan implikasi terhadap pengembangan prosedur untuk menghasilkan julat nilai spektral objek.   ABSTRACT Generally the range of spectral value objects can be obtained through spectral library or through direct measurement in the field with measuring instrument

  11. Evaluation of the accuracy of linear measurements on multi-slice and cone beam computed tomography scans to detect the mandibular canal during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freire-Maia, B; Machado, V deC; Valerio, C S; Custódio, A L N; Manzi, F R; Junqueira, J L C

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of linear measurements of the distance between the mandibular cortical bone and the mandibular canal using 64-detector multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). It was sought to evaluate the reliability of these examinations in detecting the mandibular canal for use in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) planning. Eight dry human mandibles were studied. Three sites, corresponding to the lingula, the angle, and the body of the mandible, were selected. After the CT scans had been obtained, the mandibles were sectioned and the bone segments measured to obtain the actual measurements. On analysis, no statistically significant difference was found between the measurements obtained through MSCT and CBCT, or when comparing the measurements from these scans with the actual measurements. It is concluded that the images obtained by CT scan, both 64-detector multi-slice and cone beam, can be used to obtain accurate linear measurements to locate the mandibular canal for preoperative planning of BSSO. The ability to correctly locate the mandibular canal during BSSO will reduce the occurrence of neurosensory disturbances in the postoperative period. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Age-Related Differences in the Effect of Psychological Distress on Mortality: Type D Personality in Younger versus Older Patients with Cardiac Arrhythmias

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan Denollet

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Mixed findings in biobehavioral research on heart disease may partly be attributed to age-related differences in the prognostic value of psychological distress. This study sought to test the hypothesis that Type D (distressed personality contributes to an increased mortality risk following implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD treatment in younger patients but not in older patients. Methods. The Type D Scale (DS14 was used to assess general psychological distress in 455 younger (≤70 y,. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT, but not Type D personality, was associated with increased mortality in older patients. Among younger patients, however, Type D personality was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio = 1.91 (95% CI 1.09–3.34 and 2.26 (95% CI 1.16–4.41 for all-cause and cardiac mortality; other predictors were increasing age, CRT, appropriate shocks, ACE-inhibitors, and smoking. Conclusion. Type D personality was independently associated with all-cause and cardiac mortality in younger ICD patients but not in older patients. Cardiovascular research needs to further explore age-related differences in psychosocial risk.

  13. Low-dose multi-slice CT (LMCT) assessment of pulmonary emphysema in public-school teachers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horiuchi, Noriaki; Yamazaki, Yasuhiro; Fujita, Jiro; Suemitsu, Ichizou; Kamei, Tadashi; Tada, Shinya; Ueda, Nobuo

    2003-01-01

    Although rates of emphysematous change in smokers have been reported previously, the precise effects of smoking on emphysematous change have not been established because the study subjects of previous reports were heterogeneous. This study was designed to determine the incidence of emphysematous change identified by low-dose multi-slice CT (LMCT) imaging in public-school teachers. We reviewed 1776 consecutive subjects (ages from 31 to 61 years) who had undergone LMCT scanning during health care examinations. In addition, their replies to questionnaires about smoking were obtained. Emphysematous change was found by LMCT imaging in 22 male smokers. In these 22 smokers, the scores of emphysematous change according to Goddard's method was well correlated with smoking history. According to the questionnaires, the smoking rates of male and female teachers were 56.7% and 4%, respectively. Eighty-five percent of the teachers worked in offices separated from smokers. Most smokers wished to quit smoking and most teachers knew the risk of nicotine as well as the rate of smoking among high school students. However, knowledge of the relationships between smoking and lung cancer, myocardial infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were not adequate. Our present study clearly demonstrated the incidence of emphysematous change in school teachers. In addition, early exposure to information about the risks of smoking is believed to be important for students, but school teachers did not have enough of such information. (author)

  14. Reference geometry-based detection of (4D-)CT motion artifacts: a feasibility study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, René; Gauer, Tobias

    2015-03-01

    Respiration-correlated computed tomography (4D or 3D+t CT) can be considered as standard of care in radiation therapy treatment planning for lung and liver lesions. The decision about an application of motion management devices and the estimation of patient-specific motion effects on the dose distribution relies on precise motion assessment in the planning 4D CT data { which is impeded in case of CT motion artifacts. The development of image-based/post-processing approaches to reduce motion artifacts would benefit from precise detection and localization of the artifacts. Simple slice-by-slice comparison of intensity values and threshold-based analysis of related metrics suffer from- depending on the threshold- high false-positive or -negative rates. In this work, we propose exploiting prior knowledge about `ideal' (= artifact free) reference geometries to stabilize metric-based artifact detection by transferring (multi-)atlas-based concepts to this specific task. Two variants are introduced and evaluated: (S1) analysis and comparison of warped atlas data obtained by repeated non-linear atlas-to-patient registration with different levels of regularization; (S2) direct analysis of vector field properties (divergence, curl magnitude) of the atlas-to-patient transformation. Feasibility of approaches (S1) and (S2) is evaluated by motion-phantom data and intra-subject experiments (four patients) as well as - adopting a multi-atlas strategy- inter-subject investigations (twelve patients involved). It is demonstrated that especially sorting/double structure artifacts can be precisely detected and localized by (S1). In contrast, (S2) suffers from high false positive rates.

  15. State-dependent variation in the inhibitory effect of (D-Ala sup 2 , D-Leu sup 5 )-enkephalin on hippocampal serotonin release in ground squirrels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramarova, L.I.; Lee, T.F.; Cui, Y.; Wang, L.C.H. (Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada))

    1990-01-01

    Accumulated evidence has suggested that increased endogenous opioid activities may facilitate the onset of hibernation either directly or possibly through modulation of other neurotransmitter systems. The seasonal change of (D-Ala{sup 2}, D-Leu{sup 5})-enkephalin (DADLE), a {delta} receptor agonist, in modulating K{sup +}-induced ({sup 3}H)-5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release from the hippocampal and hypothalamic slices of euthermic and hibernating Richardsons' ground squirrels was therefore investigated. DADLE had no effect on 5-HT release in the hypothalamic slices but elicited a dose-related inhibition on ({sup 3}H)-5-HT release from the hippocampal slices of the euthermic ground squirrel. The inhibitory effect of DADLE was completely reversed by naloxone, but not by tetrodotoxin. In contrast, DADLE failed to alter the K{sup +}-induced 5-HT release from the hippocampal slices of the hibernating ground squirrel. This state-dependent reduction in responsiveness to an opioid is consistent with the hypothesis that enhanced endogenous opioid activity in the hibernating phase could lead to down regulation of the opioid receptors and minimize its inhibition on hippocampal serotonergic activity. A high 5-HT activity would inhibit midbrain reticular activating system indirectly through non-serotonergic fibers, which in turn facilitate the onset or maintenance of hibernation.

  16. 3-D display of magnetic resonance images by use of multiplex holography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oshita, Hiroshi; Yokoi, Shigeki; Toriwaki, Jun-ichiro; Matsuo, Michimasa.

    1987-01-01

    In this paper, we study the method of generating a true 3-D image from MRI multiple slices by using the multiplex holography. The purpose in our method is to display effectively the density information distributed in the 3-D space. For making a multiplex hologram any projected image in each direction from multiple slices should be computed. We study computer processing for producing images of good quality from the viewpoint of displaying the density distribution in the 3-D space clearly and discriminating lesions from normal tissues. The following two kinds of processing are studied. (1) Projection: To generate fastly projections of good quality, the following subjects are examined. 1. Computation method of density values on a projected image from an original slice image. 2. Methods for projection of multiple slices. 3. Interpolation of slices between original neighbouring slices. 4. Composition of several sets of multiple slices in different directions. (2) Image enahancement: To enhance depth feeling of slices and density values in lesions, the following methods are studied. 1. Enhancement of depth feeling by a weighted sum of slices. 2. Slice enhancement by multiplying the particular slices by weights. 3. Lesion enhancement by thresholding. 4. Lesion enhancement by operations between images with different imaging parameters. The following are the results ; projected images of the quality good enough for constructing a multiplex hologram can be obtained by the simple method proposed in this paper, using four sets of multiple slices in four different directions. The enhancement technique mentioned above was proved to be effective for improving the understandability of 3-D information. (author)

  17. Visualisation of animal anatomy using MRI and CT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Henrik; Hansen, Kasper; Pedersen, Michael

    imaging (MRI) and CT. Various species (tarantula, horseshoe crab, carp, haddock, lungfish, axolotl) were subjected to multi-slice MRI and CT protocols to produce 2D images of body slices, followed by volume rendering producing 3D digital models of animal anatomy with applications for visualising specific...

  18. The bit slice micro-processor 'GESPRO' as a project in the UA2 experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becam, C.; Bernaudin, P.; Delanghe, J.; Mencik, M.; Merkel, B.; Plothow, H.; Fest, H.M.; Lecoq, J.; Martin, H.; Meyer, J.M.

    1981-01-01

    The bit slice micro-processor GESPRO, as it is proposed for use in the UA 2 data acquisition chain and trigger system, is a CAMAC module plugged into a standard Elliott System crate via which it communicates as a slave with its host computer (ND, DEC). It has full control of CAMAC as a master unit. GESPRO is a 24 bit machine (150 ns effective cycle time) with multi-mode memory addressing capacity of 64 K words. The micro-processor structure uses 5 busses including pipe-line registers to mask access time and 16 interrupt levels. The micro-program memory capacity is 2 K (RAM) words of 48 bits each. A special hardwired module allows floating point (as well as integer) multiplication of 24 x 24 bits, result in 48 bits, in about 200 ns. This micro-processor could be used in the UA2 data acquisition chain and trigger system for the following tasks: a) online data reduction, i.e. to read DURANDAL (fast ADC's = the hardware trigger in the experiment), process the information (effective mass calculation, etc.) resulting in accepting or rejecting the event. b) read out and analysis of the accepted data (collect statistical information). c) preprocess the data (calculation of pointers, address decoding, etc.). The UA2 version of GESPRO is under construction, programs and micro-programs are under development. Hardware and software will be tested with simulated data. First results are expected in about one year from now. (orig.)

  19. CT liver volumetry using three-dimensional image data in living donor liver transplantation: Effects of slice thickness on volume calculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hori, Masatoshi; Suzuki, Kenji; Epstein, Mark L.; Baron, Richard L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose was to evaluate a relationship between slice thickness and calculated volume on CT liver volumetry by comparing the results for images with various slice thicknesses including three-dimensional images. Twenty adult potential liver donors (12 men, 8 women; mean age, 39 years; range, 24–64) underwent CT with a 64-section multi-detector row CT scanner after intra-venous injection of contrast material. Four image sets with slice thicknesses of 0.625 mm, 2.5 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm were used. First, a program developed in our laboratory for automated liver extraction was applied to CT images, and the liver boundary was obtained automatically. Then, an abdominal radiologist reviewed all images on which automatically extracted boundaries were superimposed, and edited the boundary on each slice to enhance the accuracy. Liver volumes were determined by counting of the voxels within the liver boundary. Mean whole liver volumes estimated with CT were 1322.5 cm3 on 0.625-mm, 1313.3 cm3 on 2.5-mm, 1310.3 cm3 on 5-mm, and 1268.2 cm3 on 10-mm images. Volumes calculated for three-dimensional (0.625-mm-thick) images were significantly larger than those for thicker images (Pvolumetry. If not, three-dimensional images could be essential. PMID:21850689

  20. A 3D active shape model driven by fuzzy inference : application to cardiac CT and MR

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Assen, van H.C.; Danilouchkine, M.G.; Dirksen, M.S.; Reiber, J.H.C.; Lelieveldt, B.P.F.

    2008-01-01

    Abstract—Manual quantitative analysis of cardiac left ventricular function using Multislice CT and MR is arduous because of the large data volume. In this paper, we present a 3-D active shape model (ASM) for semiautomatic segmentation of cardiac CT and MRvolumes, without the requirement of

  1. A method to quantify mechanobiologic forces during zebrafish cardiac development using 4-D light sheet imaging and computational modeling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijay Vedula

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Blood flow and mechanical forces in the ventricle are implicated in cardiac development and trabeculation. However, the mechanisms of mechanotransduction remain elusive. This is due in part to the challenges associated with accurately quantifying mechanical forces in the developing heart. We present a novel computational framework to simulate cardiac hemodynamics in developing zebrafish embryos by coupling 4-D light sheet imaging with a stabilized finite element flow solver, and extract time-dependent mechanical stimuli data. We employ deformable image registration methods to segment the motion of the ventricle from high resolution 4-D light sheet image data. This results in a robust and efficient workflow, as segmentation need only be performed at one cardiac phase, while wall position in the other cardiac phases is found by image registration. Ventricular hemodynamics are then quantified by numerically solving the Navier-Stokes equations in the moving wall domain with our validated flow solver. We demonstrate the applicability of the workflow in wild type zebrafish and three treated fish types that disrupt trabeculation: (a chemical treatment using AG1478, an ErbB2 signaling inhibitor that inhibits proliferation and differentiation of cardiac trabeculation; (b injection of gata1a morpholino oligomer (gata1aMO suppressing hematopoiesis and resulting in attenuated trabeculation; (c weak-atriumm58 mutant (wea with inhibited atrial contraction leading to a highly undeveloped ventricle and poor cardiac function. Our simulations reveal elevated wall shear stress (WSS in wild type and AG1478 compared to gata1aMO and wea. High oscillatory shear index (OSI in the grooves between trabeculae, compared to lower values on the ridges, in the wild type suggest oscillatory forces as a possible regulatory mechanism of cardiac trabeculation development. The framework has broad applicability for future cardiac developmental studies focused on quantitatively

  2. A randomised, double-blind, multi-centre trial comparing vasopressin and adrenaline in patients with cardiac arrest presenting to or in the Emergency Department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Marcus Eng Hock; Tiah, Ling; Leong, Benjamin Sieu-Hon; Tan, Elaine Ching Ching; Ong, Victor Yeok Kein; Tan, Elizabeth Ai Theng; Poh, Bee Yen; Pek, Pin Pin; Chen, Yuming

    2012-08-01

    To compare vasopressin and adrenaline in the treatment of patients with cardiac arrest presenting to or in the Emergency Department (ED). A randomised, double-blind, multi-centre, parallel-design clinical trial in four adult hospitals. Eligible cardiac arrest patients (confirmed by the absence of pulse, unresponsiveness and apnea) aged >16 (aged>21 for one hospital) were randomly assigned to intravenous adrenaline (1mg) or vasopressin (40 IU) at ED. Patients with traumatic cardiac arrest or contraindication for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were excluded. Patients received additional open label doses of adrenaline as per current guidelines. Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge (defined as participant discharged alive or survival to 30 days post-arrest). The study recruited 727 participants (adrenaline = 353; vasopressin = 374). Baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable. Eight participants (2.3%) from adrenaline and 11 (2.9%) from vasopressin group survived to hospital discharge with no significant difference between groups (p = 0.27, RR = 1.72, 95% CI = 0.65-4.51). After adjustment for race, medical history, bystander CPR and prior adrenaline given, more participants survived to hospital admission with vasopressin (22.2%) than with adrenaline (16.7%) (p = 0.05, RR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02-2.04). Sub-group analysis suggested improved outcomes for vasopressin in participants with prolonged arrest times. Combination of vasopressin and adrenaline did not improve long term survival but seemed to improve survival to admission in patients with prolonged cardiac arrest. Further studies on the effect of vasopressin combined with therapeutic hypothermia on patients with prolonged cardiac arrest are needed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Cardiac chamber quantification using magnetic resonance imaging at 7 Tesla - a pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, Florian von; Schulz-Menger, Jeanette; Frauenrath, Tobias; Hezel, Fabian; Prothmann, Marcel; Dieringer, Matthias A.; Niendorf, Thoralf; Renz, Wolfgang; Kretschel, Kerstin

    2010-01-01

    Interest in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) at 7 T is motivated by the expected increase in spatial and temporal resolution, but the method is technically challenging. We examined the feasibility of cardiac chamber quantification at 7 T. A stack of short axes covering the left ventricle was obtained in nine healthy male volunteers. At 1.5 T, steady-state free precession (SSFP) and fast gradient echo (FGRE) cine imaging with 7 mm slice thickness (STH) were used. At 7 T, FGRE with 7 mm and 4 mm STH were applied. End-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, ejection fraction and mass were calculated. All 7 T examinations provided excellent blood/myocardium contrast for all slice directions. No significant difference was found regarding ejection fraction and cardiac volumes between SSFP at 1.5 T and FGRE at 7 T, while volumes obtained from FGRE at 1.5 T were underestimated. Cardiac mass derived from FGRE at 1.5 and 7 T was larger than obtained from SSFP at 1.5 T. Agreement of volumes and mass between SSFP at 1.5 T and FGRE improved for FGRE at 7 T when combined with an STH reduction to 4 mm. This pilot study demonstrates that cardiac chamber quantification at 7 T using FGRE is feasible and agrees closely with SSFP at 1.5 T. (orig.)

  4. Fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging: first experience with a 3D version in epilepsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wieshmann, U.C.; Symms, M.R.; Bartlett, P.A.; Shorvon, S.D.; Barker, G.J.; Stevens, J.M.

    1998-01-01

    We developed a 3D version of fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging (FLAIR) which provides images with a slice thickness of 1.5 mm. We present our initial experience with 3D fast FLAIR in patients with epilepsy. We compared 3D fast FLAIR (slice thickness 1.5 mm), 2D fast FLAIR (slice thickness 5 mm) and a 3D spoiled GRASS (IRSPGR) sequence (slice thickness 1.5 mm) in 10 patients with lesional epilepsy (head injury 1, hippocampal sclerosis 2, low-grade glioma 2, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour 2, polymicrogyria 1, perinatal infarct 1 and presumed thrombosed aneurysm 1). Both 2D and 3D fast FLAIR sequences yielded higher conspicuity for lesions than the T1-weighted IRSPGR sequence, except in the patient with polymicrogyria. The extent of the lesion, in particular that of low-grade tumours, was best assessed on 3D fast FLAIR images. 3D fast FLAIR may be a useful additional tool especially for imaging low-grade tumours. (orig.)

  5. Preliminary evaluation of 3D TOF MRA fly-around advantages in the diagnosis of internal carotid artery aneurysms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Yusen; Zhang Lina; Xu Ke; Li Songbai; Huang Yanling; Sun Wenge; Jin Anyu; Qi Xixun; Li Yanliang

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To assess the advantages and the clinical application value of 3D TOF MR angiography fly-around in diagnosing internal carotid artery aneurysms in comparison with multi-slice helical CT three dimensional angiography (MS 3D-CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Methods: Eighteen patients with clinical suspected internal carotid artery aneurysms were involved in the study. There were 4 males and 14 females, and their age ranged from 17 to 76 years. 14 patients were with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 4 patients with oculomotor nerve palsy. All these patients underwent 3D TOF MRA and MS 3D-CTA, and 17 patients underwent DSA. All of them accepted operation treatment. 3D TOF MRA was performed with Toshiba 1.5 T MRI system and the parameters of 3D-TOF sequence were: TR 30 ms, TE 6.8 ms, field of view 17 cm x 19 cm, matrix 160 x 256, slab thickness 50-60 mm, section thickness 1.2 mm, flip angle 20 degree. Row data of MS 3D-CTA was acquired by Multi-slice helical CT-Aquilion (Toshiba). The scanning parameters were: image slice thickness 1.0 mm, scan speed 0.5 s/r, helical pitch 3.5, delay time 15-18 sec. Nonionic contrast agent was injected intravenously (2.0 ml/kg) at the speed of 4.0-5.0 ml/s using a power injector. Source images of 3D TOF MRA and MS 3D-CTA were processed into MIP and fly-around using a workstation SGI-O2, with the post-processing software Alatoview (Ver: 1.42). Conventional four-vessel digital subtraction angiography was performed with Siemens Multi-Start OT. Results: 22 aneurysms were detected by both 3D TOF MRA and MS 3D-CTA (1 ACA aneurysm, 3 ACoMA aneurysms, 1 left MCA aneurysm, 2 ICA-cavernous aneurysms, 3 left ICA-PCoM aneurysms, 8 right ICA-PCoM aneurysms, 1 left ICA-AChA aneurysms, 2 right ICA-AChA aneurysms, and 1 superior pituitary artery aneurysm). Among those aneurysms, one was not detected by DSA, and another aneurysm's neck was not clear on the image of DSA. 1 right ICA-PCoM aneurysm was surgically treated according to 3D

  6. Investigation of power and frequency for 3D conformal MRI-controlled transurethral ultrasound therapy with a dual frequency multi-element transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    N'djin, William Apoutou; Burtnyk, Mathieu; Bronskill, Michael; Chopra, Rajiv

    2012-01-01

    Transurethral ultrasound therapy uses real-time magnetic resonance (MR) temperature feedback to enable the 3D control of thermal therapy accurately in a region within the prostate. Previous canine studies showed the feasibility of this method in vivo. The aim of this study was to reduce the procedure time, while maintaining targeting accuracy, by investigating new combinations of treatment parameters. Simulations and validation experiments in gel phantoms were used, with a collection of nine 3D realistic target prostate boundaries obtained from previous preclinical studies, where multi-slice MR images were acquired with the transurethral device in place. Acoustic power and rotation rate were varied based on temperature feedback at the prostate boundary. Maximum acoustic power and rotation rate were optimised interdependently, as a function of prostate radius and transducer operating frequency. The concept of dual frequency transducers was studied, using the fundamental frequency or the third harmonic component depending on the prostate radius. Numerical modelling enabled assessment of the effects of several acoustic parameters on treatment outcomes. The range of treatable prostate radii extended with increasing power, and tended to narrow with decreasing frequency. Reducing the frequency from 8 MHz to 4 MHz or increasing the surface acoustic power from 10 to 20 W/cm(2) led to treatment times shorter by up to 50% under appropriate conditions. A dual frequency configuration of 4/12 MHz with 20 W/cm(2) ultrasound intensity exposure can treat entire prostates up to 40 cm(3) in volume within 30 min. The interdependence between power and frequency may, however, require integrating multi-parametric functions in the controller for future optimisations.

  7. ALE3D: An Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Multi-Physics Code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noble, Charles R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Anderson, Andrew T. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Barton, Nathan R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bramwell, Jamie A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Capps, Arlie [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chang, Michael H. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chou, Jin J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Dawson, David M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Diana, Emily R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Dunn, Timothy A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Faux, Douglas R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fisher, Aaron C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Greene, Patrick T. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Heinz, Ines [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Kanarska, Yuliya [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Khairallah, Saad A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Liu, Benjamin T. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Margraf, Jon D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Nichols, Albert L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Nourgaliev, Robert N. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Puso, Michael A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Reus, James F. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Robinson, Peter B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Shestakov, Alek I. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Solberg, Jerome M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Taller, Daniel [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Tsuji, Paul H. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); White, Christopher A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); White, Jeremy L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-05-23

    ALE3D is a multi-physics numerical simulation software tool utilizing arbitrary-Lagrangian- Eulerian (ALE) techniques. The code is written to address both two-dimensional (2D plane and axisymmetric) and three-dimensional (3D) physics and engineering problems using a hybrid finite element and finite volume formulation to model fluid and elastic-plastic response of materials on an unstructured grid. As shown in Figure 1, ALE3D is a single code that integrates many physical phenomena.

  8. Ring artifacts removal from synchrotron CT image slices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei Zhouping; Chapman, Dean; Wiebe, Sheldon

    2013-01-01

    Ring artifacts can occur in reconstructed images from x-ray Computerized Tomography (CT) as full or partial concentric rings superimposed on the scanned structures. Due to the data corruption by those ring artifacts in CT images, qualitative and quantitative analysis of these images are compromised. In this paper, we propose to correct the ring artifacts on the reconstructed synchrotron radiation (SR) CT image slices. The proposed correction procedure includes the following steps: (1). transform the reconstructed CT images into polar coordinates; (2) apply discrete two-dimensional (2D) wavelet transform to the polar image to decompose it into four image components: low pass band image component, as well as the components from horizontal, vertical and diagonal details bands; (3). apply 2D Fourier transform to the vertical details band image component only, since the ring artifacts become vertical lines in the polar coordinates; (4). apply Gaussian filtering in Fourier domain along the abscissa direction to suppress the vertical lines, since the information of the vertical lines in Fourier domain is completely condensed to that direction; (5). perform inverse Fourier transform to get the corrected vertical details band image component; (6). perform inverse wavelet transform to get the corrected polar image; (7). transform the corrected polar image back to Cartesian coordinates to get the CT image slice with reduced ring artifacts. This approach has been successfully used on CT data acquired from the Biomedical Imaging and Therapy (BMIT) beamline in Canadian Light Source (CLS), and the results show that the ring artifacts in original SR CT images have been effectively suppressed with all the structure information in the image preserved.

  9. The role of multi modality imaging in selecting patients and guiding lead placement for the delivery of cardiac resynchronization therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behar, Jonathan M; Claridge, Simon; Jackson, Tom; Sieniewicz, Ben; Porter, Bradley; Webb, Jessica; Rajani, Ronak; Kapetanakis, Stamatis; Carr-White, Gerald; Rinaldi, Christopher A

    2017-02-01

    Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective pacemaker delivered treatment for selected patients with heart failure with the target of restoring electro-mechanical synchrony. Imaging techniques using echocardiography have as yet failed to find a metric of dyssynchrony to predict CRT response. Current guidelines are thus unchanged in recommending prolonged QRS duration, severe systolic function and refractory heart failure symptoms as criteria for CRT implantation. Evolving strain imaging techniques in 3D echocardiography, cardiac MRI and CT may however, overcome limitations of older methods and yield more powerful CRT response predictors. Areas covered: In this review, we firstly discuss the use of multi modality cardiac imaging in the selection of patients for CRT implantation and predicting the response to CRT. Secondly we examine the clinical evidence on avoiding areas of myocardial scar, targeting areas of dyssynchrony and in doing so, achieving the optimal positioning of the left ventricular lead to deliver CRT. Finally, we present the latest clinical studies which are integrating both clinical and imaging data with X-rays during the implantation in order to improve the accuracy of LV lead placement. Expert commentary: Image integration and fusion of datasets with live X-Ray angiography to guide procedures in real time is now a reality for some implanting centers. Such hybrid facilities will enable users to interact with images, allowing measurement, annotation and manipulation with instantaneous visualization on the catheter laboratory monitor. Such advances will serve as an invaluable adjunct for implanting physicians to accurately deliver pacemaker leads into the optimal position to deliver CRT.

  10. Methods to induce primary and secondary traumatic damage in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamchik, Y; Frantseva, M V; Weisspapir, M; Carlen, P L; Perez Velazquez, J L

    2000-04-01

    Organotypic brain slice cultures have been used in a variety of studies on neurodegenerative processes [K.M. Abdel-Hamid, M. Tymianski, Mechanisms and effects of intracellular calcium buffering on neuronal survival in organotypic hippocampal cultures exposed to anoxia/aglycemia or to excitotoxins, J. Neurosci. 17, 1997, pp. 3538-3553; D.W. Newell, A. Barth, V. Papermaster, A.T. Malouf, Glutamate and non-glutamate receptor mediated toxicity caused by oxygen and glucose deprivation in organotypic hippocampal cultures, J. Neurosci. 15, 1995, pp. 7702-7711; J.L. Perez Velazquez, M.V. Frantseva, P.L. Carlen, In vitro ischemia promotes glutamate mediated free radical generation and intracellular calcium accumulation in pyramidal neurons of cultured hippocampal slices, J. Neurosci. 23, 1997, pp. 9085-9094; L. Stoppini, L.A. Buchs, D. Muller, A simple method for organotypic cultures of nervous tissue, J. Neurosci. Methods 37, 1991, pp. 173-182; R.C. Tasker, J.T. Coyle, J.J. Vornov, The regional vulnerability to hypoglycemia induced neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal culture: protection by early tetrodotoxin or delayed MK 801, J. Neurosci. 12, 1992, pp. 4298-4308.]. We describe two methods to induce traumatic cell damage in hippocampal organotypic cultures. Primary trauma injury was achieved by rolling a stainless steel cylinder (0.9 g) on the organotypic slices. Secondary injury was followed after dropping a weight (0.137 g) on a localised area of the organotypic slice, from a height of 2 mm. The time course and extent of cell death were determined by measuring the fluorescence of the viability indicator propidium iodide (PI) at several time points after the injury. The initial localised impact damage spread 24 and 67 h after injury, cell death being 25% and 54%, respectively, when slices were kept at 37 degrees C. To validate these methods as models to assess neuroprotective strategies, similar insults were applied to slices at relatively low temperatures (30

  11. SU-E-J-52: Validation of 3D Structure Projection Onto 2D DRR in Commercial Treatment Planning Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, L; Court, L; Balter, P; Dong, L

    2012-06-01

    The use of structure overlay on setup DRRs can aid the image alignment procedure for daily image-guided setup procedures. However, the accuracy of a 3D region-of-interest (ROI) projected on a 2D digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) has rarely been evaluated quantitatively. The goal of this study is to test the accuracy of two commercial treatment planning systems (TPS) in producing overlay structures on setup DRRs. We designed a novel method to identify landmarks which were on the boundary of the projected ROI on a DRR. The 3D ROIvolume is composed of a stack of 2D curves. We first mathematically project each 2D curve onto a beams-eye-view (BEV) plane. Next, we detectthe boundary points of the projected curves. Those boundary points serve aslandmarks. Finally, we project the binary mask of the 3D ROI volume using ray tracing method onto the BEV plane. This projected binary mask is used to exclude the false landmarks. Once those landmarks are detected, wecompute the distance between the landmarks and ROI outlines from the TPS. We applied our validation method to 13 ROIs from a lung patient and 4 simulated ROIs on 2 BEV DRRs for two different TPS (Eclipse and Pinnacle). Average distance between the landmarks and ROIoutlines was 0.5mm for both Eclipse and Pinnacle approaches, which is close to the pixel resolution of the DRR. The maximum distance andaverage maximum distance was 2mm and 1 mm, respectively, for both TPS.The maximum distance occurred at points where the ROI curve has a sharpchange between slices. The accuracy of Eclipse and Pinnacle ROI projection method seems to be acceptable to within 1mm althoughprojection error can be as large as 2mm when structure shape has a sharp variation from one slice to the next. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  12. 3D slicing of radiogenic heat production in Bahariya Formation, Tut oil field, North-Western Desert, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Alfy, I.M.; Nabih, M.A.

    2013-01-01

    A 3D block of radiogenic heat production was constructed from the subsurface total gamma ray logs of Bahariya Formation, Western Desert, Egypt. The studied rocks possess a range of radiogenic heat production varying from 0.21 μWm −3 to 2.2 μWm −3 . Sandstone rocks of Bahariya Formation have higher radiogenic heat production than the average for crustal sedimentary rocks. The high values of density log of Bahariya Formation indicate the presence of iron oxides which contribute the uranium radioactive ores that increase the radiogenic heat production of these rocks. The average radiogenic heat production produced from the study area is calculated as 6.3 kW. The histogram and cumulative frequency analyses illustrate that the range from 0.8 to 1.2 μWm −3 is about 45.3% of radiogenic heat production values. The 3D slicing of the reservoir shows that the southeastern and northeastern parts of the study area have higher radiogenic heat production than other parts. - Highlights: ► Radiogenic heat production ranging from 0.21 to 2.25 μWm −3 averaging about 0.95 μWm −3 . ► High Stdev. 0.3 μWm −3 indicates a heterogenic distribution of (RHP) values. ► Statistically, the range from 0.8 to 1.2 μWm −3 is about 45.3 % of the values. ► A renew RHP which can be produced from the study area are calculated as 6.3 kW

  13. Satisfactory rate of postprocessing visualization of standard fetal cardiac views from 4-dimensional cardiac volumes acquired during routine ultrasound practice by experienced sonographers in peripheral centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, Giuseppe; Capponi, Alessandra; Pietrolucci, Maria Elena; Capece, Giuseppe; Cimmino, Ernesto; Colosi, Enrico; Ferrentino, Salvatore; Sica, Carmine; Di Meglio, Aniello; Arduini, Domenico

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of visualizing standard cardiac views from 4-dimensional (4D) cardiac volumes obtained at ultrasound facilities with no specific experience in fetal echocardiography. Five sonographers prospectively recorded 4D cardiac volumes starting from the 4-chamber view on 500 consecutive pregnancies at 19 to 24 weeks' gestation undergoing routine ultrasound examinations (100 pregnancies for each sonographer). Volumes were sent to the referral center, and 2 independent reviewers with experience in 4D fetal echocardiography assessed their quality in the display of the abdominal view, 4-chamber view, left and right ventricular outflow tracts, and 3-vessel and trachea view. Cardiac volumes were acquired in 474 of 500 pregnancies (94.8%). The 2 reviewers respectively acknowledged the presence of satisfactory images in 92.4% and 93.6% of abdominal views, 91.5% and 93.0% of 4-chamber views, in 85.0% and 86.2% of left ventricular outflow tracts, 83.9% and 84.5% of right ventricular outflow tracts, and 85.2% and 84.5% of 3-vessel and trachea views. The presence of a maternal body mass index of greater than 30 altered the probability of achieving satisfactory cardiac views, whereas previous maternal lower abdominal surgery did not affect the quality of reconstructed cardiac views. In conclusion, cardiac volumes acquired by 4D sonography in peripheral centers showed high enough quality to allow satisfactory diagnostic cardiac views.

  14. Application of low dose multi-slice helical CT in orbital trauma patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Rui; Dai Limei; Li Jianying; Wang Fengyan; Du Guoquan

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the most appropriate low radiation dose in multi-slice CT (MSCT) scans for orbital trauma patients. Methods: Thirty trauma patients with suspected orbital fractures who underwent helical CT scans with a 64-MSCT using regular dose were selected. Noise was artificially introduced to the axial images using an image space noise addition tool to simulate 6 sets of lower dose scans with tube current of 30, 70, 100, 140, 170 and 200 mA, respectively. The lowest tube current with adequate image quality for confident diagnosis was determined based on the evaluation of the overall image quality and fracture detection on images at different dose levels. The determined lowest tube current was then validated using clinical scans. Radiation dose related parameters CTDIvol, DLP, ED were also recorded. Image quality was evaluated according to its low-density resolution, noise and structure clarity and characterized into 5-grades of excellent, good, fair, worse and worst. Rank sum test and χ 2 test were used for statistics. Results: In 30 trauma patients with regular dose of 300 mA, there were 30 cases of orbital fracture, 19 cases of intraorbital emphysema, 12 cases of ocular muscle injury and 1 case of intraorbital foreign body. These changes could still be clearly observed and correctly diagnosed when the tube current was reduced to as low as 70 mA. However, the overall image quality was mostly fair. At the simulated dose of 100 mA, the majority of images were characterized as excellent or good, and there was no statistical difference compared with that of regular dose scans (P>0.05). In the clinical evaluation for 20 orbital trauma patients with the reduced tube current of 100 m A , the majority of images were judged to be excellent (9 cases) or good (17 cases) and fair (4 cases). The radiation dose (0.29 mSv) was reduced by 70% compared with that of regular tube current of 300 mA (0.86 mSv). Conclusion: The tube current of MSCT may be used as low as

  15. Evaluation of cleft lip and palate by computed tomography with 2 mm thin slice scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Hiroshi

    1988-01-01

    Computed tomography was carried out in 65 patients of cleft lip and palate with continuous 2 mm slice scanning. The cleft lip and palate was classified by shape of the hard palate as normal, hypoplasia, and aplasia, depending on its developmental degree. The shape of alveolus was also grouped as circular, triangular, and asymmetric forms for the evaluation of maxillar development. The hard palatal development well correlated with the shape of the alveolus. Frequency of sinusitis and mastoiditis increased with the severity of hard palatal malformation. Evaluation of the hard palate by thin slice scanning is usefull standpoint of presumption of future maxillary development. (author)

  16. Evaluation of cleft lip and palate by computed tomography with 2 mm thin slice scanning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, Hiroshi

    1988-07-01

    Computed tomography was carried out in 65 patients of cleft lip and palate with continuous 2 mm slice scanning. The cleft lip and palate was classified by shape of the hard palate as normal, hypoplasia, and aplasia, depending on its developmental degree. The shape of alveolus was also grouped as circular, triangular, and asymmetric forms for the evaluation of maxillar development. The hard palatal development well correlated with the shape of the alveolus. Frequency of sinusitis and mastoiditis increased with the severity of hard palatal malformation. Evaluation of the hard palate by thin slice scanning is usefull standpoint of presumption of future maxillary development.

  17. Type D personality and cardiac mortality in patients with chronic heart failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schiffer, Angélique A; Smith, Otto R F; Pedersen, Susanne S.

    2010-01-01

    Clinical predictors of cardiac mortality in chronic heart failure (CHF) are established, but less is known about chronic psychological predictors. Therefore, we examined the prognostic value of Type D personality (tendency to experience negative feelings and inhibit self-expression) in CHF patients....

  18. A 1 MHz BW 34.2 fJ/step Continuous Time Delta Sigma Modulator With an Integrated Mixer for Cardiac Ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaald, Rune; Eggen, Trym; Ytterdal, Trond

    2017-02-01

    Fully digitized 2D ultrasound transducer arrays require one ADC per channel with a beamforming architecture consuming low power. We give design considerations for per-channel digitization and beamforming, and present the design and measurements of a continuous time delta-sigma modulator (CTDSM) for cardiac ultrasound applications. By integrating a mixer into the modulator frontend, the phase and frequency of the input signal can be shifted, thereby enabling both improved conversion efficiency and narrowband beamforming. To minimize the power consumption, we propose an optimization methodology using a simulated annealing framework combined with a C++ simulator solving linear electrical networks. The 3rd order single-bit feedback type modulator, implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process, achieves an SNR/SNDR of 67.8/67.4 dB across 1 MHz bandwidth consuming 131 [Formula: see text] of power. The achieved figure of merit of 34.2 fJ/step is comparable with state-of-the-art feedforward type multi-bit designs. We further demonstrate the influence to the dynamic range when performing dynamic receive beamforming on recorded delta-sigma modulated bit-stream sequences.

  19. Development of 4D mathematical observer models for the task-based evaluation of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Taek-Soo; Frey, Eric C.; Tsui, Benjamin M. W.

    2015-04-01

    This paper presents two 4D mathematical observer models for the detection of motion defects in 4D gated medical images. Their performance was compared with results from human observers in detecting a regional motion abnormality in simulated 4D gated myocardial perfusion (MP) SPECT images. The first 4D mathematical observer model extends the conventional channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) based on a set of 2D spatial channels and the second is a proposed model that uses a set of 4D space-time channels. Simulated projection data were generated using the 4D NURBS-based cardiac-torso (NCAT) phantom with 16 gates/cardiac cycle. The activity distribution modelled uptake of 99mTc MIBI with normal perfusion and a regional wall motion defect. An analytical projector was used in the simulation and the filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm was used in image reconstruction followed by spatial and temporal low-pass filtering with various cut-off frequencies. Then, we extracted 2D image slices from each time frame and reorganized them into a set of cine images. For the first model, we applied 2D spatial channels to the cine images and generated a set of feature vectors that were stacked for the images from different slices of the heart. The process was repeated for each of the 1,024 noise realizations, and CHO and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis methodologies were applied to the ensemble of the feature vectors to compute areas under the ROC curves (AUCs). For the second model, a set of 4D space-time channels was developed and applied to the sets of cine images to produce space-time feature vectors to which the CHO methodology was applied. The AUC values of the second model showed better agreement (Spearman’s rank correlation (SRC) coefficient = 0.8) to human observer results than those from the first model (SRC coefficient = 0.4). The agreement with human observers indicates the proposed 4D mathematical observer model provides a good predictor of the

  20. Development of 4D mathematical observer models for the task-based evaluation of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Taek-Soo; Frey, Eric C; Tsui, Benjamin M W

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents two 4D mathematical observer models for the detection of motion defects in 4D gated medical images. Their performance was compared with results from human observers in detecting a regional motion abnormality in simulated 4D gated myocardial perfusion (MP) SPECT images. The first 4D mathematical observer model extends the conventional channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) based on a set of 2D spatial channels and the second is a proposed model that uses a set of 4D space-time channels. Simulated projection data were generated using the 4D NURBS-based cardiac-torso (NCAT) phantom with 16 gates/cardiac cycle. The activity distribution modelled uptake of 99m Tc MIBI with normal perfusion and a regional wall motion defect. An analytical projector was used in the simulation and the filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm was used in image reconstruction followed by spatial and temporal low-pass filtering with various cut-off frequencies. Then, we extracted 2D image slices from each time frame and reorganized them into a set of cine images. For the first model, we applied 2D spatial channels to the cine images and generated a set of feature vectors that were stacked for the images from different slices of the heart. The process was repeated for each of the 1,024 noise realizations, and CHO and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis methodologies were applied to the ensemble of the feature vectors to compute areas under the ROC curves (AUCs). For the second model, a set of 4D space-time channels was developed and applied to the sets of cine images to produce space-time feature vectors to which the CHO methodology was applied. The AUC values of the second model showed better agreement (Spearman’s rank correlation (SRC) coefficient = 0.8) to human observer results than those from the first model (SRC coefficient = 0.4). The agreement with human observers indicates the proposed 4D mathematical observer model provides a good predictor of the

  1. Influence of high magnetic field strengths and parallel acquisition strategies on image quality in cardiac 2D CINE magnetic resonance imaging: comparison of 1.5 T vs. 3.0 T

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutberlet, Matthias; Schwinge, Kerstin; Freyhardt, Patrick; Spors, Birgit; Grothoff, Matthias; Denecke, Timm; Luedemann, Lutz; Felix, Roland; Noeske, Ralph; Niendorf, Thoralf

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to examine signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image quality of cardiac CINE imaging at 1.5 T and 3.0 T. Twenty volunteers underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations using a 1.5-T and a 3.0-T scanner. Three different sets of breath-held, electrocardiogram-gated (ECG) CINE imaging techniques were employed, including: (1) unaccelerated SSFP (steady state free precession), (2) accelerated SSFP imaging and (3) gradient-echo-based myocardial tagging. Two-dimensional CINE SSFP at 3.0 T revealed an SNR improvement of 103% and a CNR increase of 19% as compared to the results obtained at 1.5 T. The SNR reduction in accelerated 2D CINE SSFP imaging was larger at 1.5 T (37%) compared to 3.0 T (26%). The mean SNR and CNR increase at 3.0 T obtained for the tagging sequence was 88% and 187%, respectively. At 3.0 T, the duration of the saturation bands persisted throughout the entire cardiac cycle. For comparison, the saturation bands were significantly diminished at 1.5 T during end-diastole. For 2D CINE SSFP imaging, no significant difference in the left ventricular volumetry and in the overall image quality was obtained. For myocardial tagging, image quality was significantly improved at 3.0 T. The SNR reduction in accelerated SSFP imaging was overcompensated by the increase in the baseline SNR at 3.0 T and did not result in any image quality degradation. For cardiac tagging techniques, 3.0 T was highly beneficial, which holds the promise to improve its diagnostic value. (orig.)

  2. Thermoluminescence results on slices from a Hiroshima tile UHFSFT03

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoneham, Doreen

    1987-01-01

    As was reported at the May 1984 Utah thermoluminescence (TL) workshop, high fired tiles and porcelain fragments can be sliced into 200 μm sections with constant surface area. When conventional pre-dose measurements were carried out on these slices the doses evaluated were in good agreement with results obtained by other workers using conventional quartz separation techniques. There are several advantages in using slices. First, less sample is needed as about 50 consecutive slices can be cut from a block measuring typically 1 cm 2 cross section and 2 cm in length. There are no problems with securing grains to the plate or loss of grains during measurement. Hypothetically there is less damage to the grains when they are cut slowly under cold water than when they are crushed. The disadvantage is that other minerals besides quartz are present in the slice and the signal is weaker than that obtained using quartz inclusions

  3. Target recognition of ladar range images using slice image: comparison of four improved algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Wenze; Han, Shaokun; Cao, Jingya; Wang, Liang; Zhai, Yu; Cheng, Yang

    2017-07-01

    Compared with traditional 3-D shape data, ladar range images possess properties of strong noise, shape degeneracy, and sparsity, which make feature extraction and representation difficult. The slice image is an effective feature descriptor to resolve this problem. We propose four improved algorithms on target recognition of ladar range images using slice image. In order to improve resolution invariance of the slice image, mean value detection instead of maximum value detection is applied in these four improved algorithms. In order to improve rotation invariance of the slice image, three new improved feature descriptors-which are feature slice image, slice-Zernike moments, and slice-Fourier moments-are applied to the last three improved algorithms, respectively. Backpropagation neural networks are used as feature classifiers in the last two improved algorithms. The performance of these four improved recognition systems is analyzed comprehensively in the aspects of the three invariances, recognition rate, and execution time. The final experiment results show that the improvements for these four algorithms reach the desired effect, the three invariances of feature descriptors are not directly related to the final recognition performance of recognition systems, and these four improved recognition systems have different performances under different conditions.

  4. Drying characteristics of pumpkin ( Cucurbita moschata) slices in convective and freeze dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caliskan, Gulsah; Dirim, Safiye Nur

    2017-06-01

    This study was intended to determine the drying and rehydration kinetics of convective and freeze dried pumpkin slices (0.5 × 3.5 × 0.5 cm). A pilot scale tray drier (at 80 ± 2 °C inlet temperature, 1 m s-1 air velocity) and freeze drier (13.33 kPa absolute pressure, condenser temperature of -48 ± 2 °C) were used for the drying experiments. Drying curves were fitted to six well-known thin layer drying models. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to evaluate the parameters of the selected models by using statistical software SPSS 16.0 (SPSS Inc., USA). For the convective and freeze drying processes of pumpkin slices, the highest R2 values, and the lowest RMSE as well as χ2 values were obtained from Page model. The effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) of the convective and freeze dried pumpkin slices were obtained from the Fick's diffusion model, and they were found to be 2.233 × 10-7 and 3.040 × 10-9 m2s-1, respectively. Specific moisture extraction rate, moisture extraction rate, and specific energy consumption values were almost twice in freeze drying process. Depending on the results, moisture contents and water activity values of pumpkin slices were in acceptable limits for safe storage of products. The rehydration behaviour of [at 18 ± 2 and 100 ± 2 °C for 1:25, 1:50, 1:75, 1:100, and 1:125 solid:liquid ratios (w:w)] dried pumpkin slices was determined by Peleg's model with the highest R2. The highest total soluble solid loss of pumpkin slices was observed for the rehydration experiment which performed at 1:25 solid: liquid ratio (w:w). Rehydration ratio of freeze dried slices was found 2-3 times higher than convective dried slices.

  5. SU-E-J-157: Improving the Quality of T2-Weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Clinical Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du, D; Mutic, S; Hu, Y; Caruthers, S; Glide-Hurst, C; Low, D

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To develop an imaging technique that enables us to acquire T2- weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4DMRI) with sufficient spatial coverage, temporal resolution and spatial resolution for clinical evaluation. Methods: T2-weighed 4DMRI images were acquired from a healthy volunteer using a respiratory amplitude triggered T2-weighted Turbo Spin Echo sequence. 10 respiratory states were used to equally sample the respiratory range based on amplitude (0%, 20%i, 40%i, 60%i, 80%i, 100%, 80%e, 60%e, 40%e and 20%e). To avoid frequent scanning halts, a methodology was devised that split 10 respiratory states into two packages in an interleaved manner and packages were acquired separately. Sixty 3mm sagittal slices at 1.5mm in-plane spatial resolution were acquired to offer good spatial coverage and reasonable spatial resolution. The in-plane field of view was 375mm × 260mm with nominal scan time of 3 minutes 42 seconds. Acquired 2D images at the same respiratory state were combined to form the 3D image set corresponding to that respiratory state and reconstructed in the coronal view to evaluate whether all slices were at the same respiratory state. 3D image sets of 10 respiratory states represented a complete 4D MRI image set. Results: T2-weighted 4DMRI image were acquired in 10 minutes which was within clinical acceptable range. Qualitatively, the acquired MRI images had good image quality for delineation purposes. There were no abrupt position changes in reconstructed coronal images which confirmed that all sagittal slices were in the same respiratory state. Conclusion: We demonstrated it was feasible to acquire T2-weighted 4DMRI image set within a practical amount of time (10 minutes) that had good temporal resolution (10 respiratory states), spatial resolution (1.5mm × 1.5mm × 3.0mm) and spatial coverage (60 slices) for future clinical evaluation

  6. Quantitative contrast-enhanced first-pass cardiac perfusion MRI at 3 tesla with accurate arterial input function and myocardial wall enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, Elodie; Kim, Daniel; Chung, Sohae; Axel, Leon

    2011-09-01

    To develop, and validate in vivo, a robust quantitative first-pass perfusion cardiovascular MR (CMR) method with accurate arterial input function (AIF) and myocardial wall enhancement. A saturation-recovery (SR) pulse sequence was modified to sequentially acquire multiple slices after a single nonselective saturation pulse at 3 Tesla. In each heartbeat, an AIF image is acquired in the aortic root with a short time delay (TD) (50 ms), followed by the acquisition of myocardial images with longer TD values (∼150-400 ms). Longitudinal relaxation rates (R(1) = 1/T(1)) were calculated using an ideal saturation recovery equation based on the Bloch equation, and corresponding gadolinium contrast concentrations were calculated assuming fast water exchange condition. The proposed method was validated against a reference multi-point SR method by comparing their respective R(1) measurements in the blood and left ventricular myocardium, before and at multiple time-points following contrast injections, in 7 volunteers. R(1) measurements with the proposed method and reference multi-point method were strongly correlated (r > 0.88, P < 10(-5)) and in good agreement (mean difference ±1.96 standard deviation 0.131 ± 0.317/0.018 ± 0.140 s(-1) for blood/myocardium, respectively). The proposed quantitative first-pass perfusion CMR method measured accurate R(1) values for quantification of AIF and myocardial wall contrast agent concentrations in 3 cardiac short-axis slices, in a total acquisition time of 523 ms per heartbeat. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Image based cardiac acceleration map using statistical shape and 3D+t myocardial tracking models; in-vitro study on heart phantom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pashaei, Ali; Piella, Gemma; Planes, Xavier; Duchateau, Nicolas; de Caralt, Teresa M.; Sitges, Marta; Frangi, Alejandro F.

    2013-03-01

    It has been demonstrated that the acceleration signal has potential to monitor heart function and adaptively optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) systems. In this paper, we propose a non-invasive method for computing myocardial acceleration from 3D echocardiographic sequences. Displacement of the myocardium was estimated using a two-step approach: (1) 3D automatic segmentation of the myocardium at end-diastole using 3D Active Shape Models (ASM); (2) propagation of this segmentation along the sequence using non-rigid 3D+t image registration (temporal di eomorphic free-form-deformation, TDFFD). Acceleration was obtained locally at each point of the myocardium from local displacement. The framework has been tested on images from a realistic physical heart phantom (DHP-01, Shelley Medical Imaging Technologies, London, ON, CA) in which the displacement of some control regions was known. Good correlation has been demonstrated between the estimated displacement function from the algorithms and the phantom setup. Due to the limited temporal resolution, the acceleration signals are sparse and highly noisy. The study suggests a non-invasive technique to measure the cardiac acceleration that may be used to improve the monitoring of cardiac mechanics and optimization of CRT.

  8. Multi-slice CT urography after diuretic injection: initial results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nolte-Ernsting, C.C.A.; Wildberger, J.E.; Schmitz-Rode, T.; Guenther, R.W. [Technische Univ. Aachen (Germany). Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology; Borchers, H. [Technische Univ. Aachen (Germany). Dept. of Urology

    2001-03-01

    Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of CT urography (CTU) using a multi-slice (MS) scanner and to find out whether a low-dose diuretic injection is advantageous for the opacification of the urinary tract. Methods: MS-CTU was performed in 21 patients with urologic diseases. In 5/21 patients, 250 ml of physiologic saline solution were injected. In 16/21 patients, 10 mg of furosemide were injected 3-5 min before contrast material administration. A 4x2.5 mm collimation with a pitch of 1.25 and a tube curent of 100-150 mA were used. Scan time was 12-16 sec. 3 mm thin axial images with an overlap of 67% were reconstructed. Multiplanar maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were postprocessed to obtain urographic views. Bone structures were eliminated using the volume-of-interest method. Results: Furosemide-enhanced MS-CTU achieved either near complete or complete opacification in 30/32 (94%) ureters and in 32/32 (100%) pelvicaliceal systems up to a serum creatinine of 150 {mu}mol/l. In our series, only one CTU scan per patient was needed to obtain a diagnostic urogram after 10 min of contrast material injection. Ureteral compression was not necessary. When physiologic saline solution was used instead of furosemide, the radiopacity inside the enhanced pelvicalices was 4-5 times higher and more inhomogeneous. Diuretic-enhanced MS-CTU was more accurate in the depiction of pelvicaliceal details. In combination with furosemide, calculi were well identified inside the opacified urine and were safely differentiated from phleboliths. Postprocessing times of up to 20 minutes were problematic as were contrast-enhanced superimposing bowel loops on MIP images. Conclusion: Preliminary results demonstrate a good feasibility of furosemide-enhanced MS-CTU for obtaining detailed visualization of the entire upper urinary tract. (orig.) [German] Ziel: Untersuchung zur Durchfuehrbarkeit der CT Urographie (CTU) mit einem Multidetektor(MD)-Computertomographen und ob eine

  9. The use of 3D contrast-enhanced CT reconstructions to project images of vascular rings and coarctation of the aorta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Sessa, Thomas G; Di Sessa, Peter; Gregory, Bill; Vranicar, Mark

    2009-01-01

    Aortic arch and pulmonary artery anomalies make up a group of vascular structures that have complex three-dimensional (3D) shapes. Tortuosity as well as hypoplasia or atresia of segments of the aortic arch or pulmonary artery makes the conventional two-dimensional (2D) imaging difficult. Nine patients with native coarctation or recoarctation and 4 patients with a vascular ring had a CT scan as a part of their clinical evaluation. There were 7 males. The mean age was 11.7 years. (range 19 days to 29 years) The mean weight was 22.7 kg (range 3.3-139.0 kg). The dicom data from contrast CT scans were converted by the Amira software package into a 3D image. The areas of interest were selected. The images were then projected in 3D on a standard video monitor and could be rotated 360 degrees in any dimension. Adequate CT scans and 3D reconstructions were obtained in 12 of 13 patients. There were 85-1,044 slices obtained in the adequate studies. We could not reconstruct a 3D image from a patient's CT scan that had only 22 slices. The anatomy defined by 3D was compared to 2D CT imaging and confirmed by cardiac catheterization or direct visualization in the operating room in the 12 patients with adequate 3D reconstructions. In 5 of 12 patients, 3D reconstructions provided valuable spatial information not observed in the conventional 2D scans. We believe that 3D reconstruction of contrast-enhanced CT scans of these complex structures provides additional valuable information that is helpful in the decision-making process.

  10. DC slice ion imaging study of atomic orbital orientation and alignment in photodissociation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Suk Kyoung

    A complete study of atomic photofragment polarization has been achieved by using DC slice imaging, a recently developed approach directly providing the central slice of the full 3D product distribution without any mathematical transformation. In this dissertation, the quantum mechanical treatment adapted for the sliced images has been derived to extract the angular momentum polarization anisotropy parameters for any recoil speeds. The important photodissociation dynamics of small polyatomic molecules has been presented based on the thorough interpretation of the observed orientation and alignment. The first demonstration of DC slice imaging of orbital polarization was a study of the 193 nm photodissociation of ethylene sulfide, followed by detailed investigation in ozone and OCS. In ozone, the speed-dependent orientation was measured for O(1D2) atom produced from photodissociation in the 248--285 nm region. The results show negligible orbital orientation following dissociation by circularly polarized light but strong recoil speed-dependent orientation following photolysis by linearly polarized light at all wavelengths studied. The origin of this polarization is ascribed to nonadiabatic transitions at avoided crossings and at long range. The atomic orbital alignment and orientation, including the higher order moments (K = 3, 4), has been carried out for the photodissociation of OCS at 193 nm. The observed speed-dependent beta and polarization parameters of S(1D2) atom support the interpretation that there are two main dissociation processes: a simultaneous two-surface excitation and the initial single-surface excitation followed by the nonadiabatic crossing to the ground state. The angle- and speed-dependent density matrix can be constructed containing the higher order contributions for circularly-polarized dissociation light. It was shown in one case that the higher order contributions should not be overlooked for an accurate picture of the dissociation dynamics in

  11. Design and Development of a tomato Slicing Machine

    OpenAIRE

    Kamaldeen Oladimeji Salaudeen; Awagu E. F.

    2012-01-01

    Principle of slicing was reviewed and tomato slicing machine was developed based on appropriate technology. Locally available materials like wood, stainless steel and mild steel were used in the fabrication. The machine was made to cut tomatoes in 2cm thickness. The capacity of the machine is 540.09g per minute and its performance efficiency is 70%.

  12. Time-space modal logic for verification of bit-slice circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraishi, Hiromi

    1996-03-01

    The major goal of this paper is to propose a new modal logic aiming at formal verification of bit-slice circuits. The new logic is called as time-space modal logic and its major feature is that it can handle two transition relations: one for time transition and the other for space transition. As for a verification algorithm, a symbolic model checking algorithm of the new logic is shown. This could be applicable to verification of bit-slice microprocessor of infinite bit width and 1D systolic array of infinite length. A simple benchmark result shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  13. Comparing Methods for Cardiac Output: Intraoperatively Doppler-Derived Cardiac Output Measured With 3-Dimensional Echocardiography Is Not Interchangeable With Cardiac Output by Pulmonary Catheter Thermodilution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graeser, Karin; Zemtsovski, Mikhail; Kofoed, Klaus F; Winther-Jensen, Matilde; Nilsson, Jens C; Kjaergaard, Jesper; Møller-Sørensen, Hasse

    2018-01-09

    Estimation of cardiac output (CO) is essential in the treatment of circulatory unstable patients. CO measured by pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution is considered the gold standard but carries a small risk of severe complications. Stroke volume and CO can be measured by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which is widely used during cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that Doppler-derived CO by 3-dimensional (3D) TEE would agree well with CO measured with pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution as a reference method based on accurate measurements of the cross-sectional area of the left ventricular outflow tract. The primary aim was a systematic comparison of CO with Doppler-derived 3D TEE and CO by thermodilution in a broad population of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. A subanalysis was performed comparing cross-sectional area by TEE with cardiac computed tomography (CT) angiography. Sixty-two patients, scheduled for elective heart surgery, were included; 1 was subsequently excluded for logistic reasons. Inclusion criteria were coronary artery bypass surgery (N = 42) and aortic valve replacement (N = 19). Exclusion criteria were chronic atrial fibrillation, left ventricular ejection fraction below 0.40 and intracardiac shunts. Nineteen randomly selected patients had a cardiac CT the day before surgery. All images were stored for blinded post hoc analyses, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between measurement methods, defined as the bias (mean difference between methods), limits of agreement (equal to bias ± 2 standard deviations of the bias), and percentage error (limits of agreement divided by the mean of the 2 methods). Precision was determined for the individual methods (equal to 2 standard deviations of the bias between replicate measurements) to determine the acceptable limits of agreement. We found a good precision for Doppler-derived CO measured by 3D TEE, but although the bias for Doppler-derived CO by 3D compared to

  14. Integrated cardio-thoracic imaging with ECG-Gated 64-slice multidetector-row CT: initial findings in 133 patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salem, Randa; Remy-Jardin, Martine; Delhaye, Damien; Khalil, Chadi; Teisseire, Antoine; Remy, Jacques; Delannoy-Deken, Valerie; Duhamel, Alain

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of assessing the underlying respiratory disease as well as cardiac function during ECG-gated CT angiography of the chest with 64-slice multidetector-row CT (MDCT). One hundred thirty-three consecutive patients in sinus rhythm with known or suspected ventricular dysfunction underwent an ECG-gated CT angiographic examination of the chest without β-blockers using the following parameters: (1) collimation: 32 x 0.6 mm with z-flying focal spot for the acquisition of 64 overlapping 0.6-mm slices (Sensation 64; Siemens); rotation time: 0.33 s; pitch: 0.3; 120 kV; 200 mAs; ECG-controlled dose modulation (ECG-pulsing) and (2) 120 ml of a 35% contrast agent. Data were reconstructed: (1) to evaluate the underlying respiratory disease (1-mm thick lung and mediastinal scans reconstructed at 55% of the R-R interval; i.e., ''morphologic scans'') and (2) to determine right (RVEF) and left (LVEF) ventricular ejection fractions (short-axis systolic and diastolic images; Argus software; i.e., ''functional scans''). The mean heart rate was 73 bpm (range: 42-120) and the mean scan time was 18.11±2.67 s (range: 10-27). A total of 123 examinations (92%) had both lung and mediastinal images rated as diagnostic scans, whereas 10 examinations (8%) had non-diagnostic images altered by the presence of respiratory-motion artifacts (n=4) or cyclic artifacts related to the use of a pitch value of 0.3 in patients with a very low heart rate during data acquisition (n=6). Assessment of right and left ventricular function was achievable in 124 patients (93%, 95% CI: 88-97%). For these 124 examinations, the mean RVEF was 46.10% (±9.5; range: 20-72) and the mean LVEF was 58.23% (±10.88; range: 20-83). In the remaining nine patients, an imprecise segmentation of the right and left ventricular cavities was considered as a limiting factor for precise calculation of end-systolic and end-diastolic ventricular volumes. The mean (±SD) DLP

  15. Compressed sensing reconstruction of cardiac cine MRI using golden angle spiral trajectories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolouee, Azar; Alirezaie, Javad; Babyn, Paul

    2015-11-01

    In dynamic cardiac cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the spatiotemporal resolution is limited by the low imaging speed. Compressed sensing (CS) theory has been applied to improve the imaging speed and thus the spatiotemporal resolution. The purpose of this paper is to improve CS reconstruction of under sampled data by exploiting spatiotemporal sparsity and efficient spiral trajectories. We extend k-t sparse algorithm to spiral trajectories to achieve high spatio temporal resolutions in cardiac cine imaging. We have exploited spatiotemporal sparsity of cardiac cine MRI by applying a 2D+time wavelet-Fourier transform. For efficient coverage of k-space, we have used a modified version of multi shot (interleaved) spirals trajectories. In order to reduce incoherent aliasing artifact, we use different random undersampling pattern for each temporal frame. Finally, we have used nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) algorithm to reconstruct the image from the non-uniformly acquired samples. The proposed approach was tested in simulated and cardiac cine MRI data. Results show that higher acceleration factors with improved image quality can be obtained with the proposed approach in comparison to the existing state-of-the-art method. The flexibility of the introduced method should allow it to be used not only for the challenging case of cardiac imaging, but also for other patient motion where the patient moves or breathes during acquisition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Cardiac troponin T predicts occult coronary artery stenosis in patients with chronic kidney disease at the start of renal replacement therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Terumasa; Obi, Yoshitsugu; Kimura, Tomonori; Iio, Ken-Ichiro; Sumitsuji, Satoru; Takeda, Yoshihiro; Nagai, Yoshiyuki; Imai, Enyu

    2008-09-01

    The high prevalence of asymptomatic coronary artery stenosis (CAS) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as an important predictor of outcome. However, diagnostic tools that can identify asymptomatic CAS have not yet been established. We investigated whether asymptomatic patients at the initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) could be screened using cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and atherosclerotic surrogate markers such as ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABPI) and intima-media thickness (IMT). Among 142 patients who were about to start RRT, 60 who were asymptomatic underwent coronary evaluation by multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and/or coronary angiography (CAG). CAG diagnosed 35 patients (43.8%) as CAS positive and 27 of them had multi-vessel disease. Factors associated with CAS were smoking, elevated cTnT, low ABPI and high IMT. Moreover, the severity of CAS was associated with smoking, cTnT and ABPI. Stepwise logistic regression analyses revealed that cTnT was a powerful predictor of asymptomatic multi-vessel CAS. Receiver operating characteristic analysis documented the usefulness of cTnT as a screening tool with a cut-off point 0.05 ng/ml. The optimal screening tool for multi-vessel CAS was cTnT (sensitivity, 92.6%; 95% CI, 82.7-99.9; specificity, 63.6%; 95% CI, 47.2-80.0). We concluded that cTnT should be measured as part of a strategy for detecting asymptomatic CAS, especially multi-vessel disease in patients with CKD at the start of RRT.

  17. The Seismic Analyzer: Interpreting and Illustrating 2D Seismic Data

    OpenAIRE

    Patel, Daniel; Giertsen, Christopher; Thurmond, John; Gjelberg, John; Gröller, Eduard

    2008-01-01

    We present a toolbox for quickly interpreting and illustrating 2D slices of seismic volumetric reflection data. Searching for oil and gas involves creating a structural overview of seismic reflection data to identify hydrocarbon reservoirs. We improve the search of seismic structures by precalculating the horizon structures of the seismic data prior to interpretation. We improve the annotation of seismic structures by applying novel illustrative rendering algorithms tailored to seism...

  18. Value of multi-slice spiral CT in diagnosis the detection of fish bone impaction in the esophagus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Min; Hu Daoyu; Wang Qiuxia; Pei Yigang

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the detection rate and diagnostic value of multi-slice spiral CT scan in detecting fish bone impaction in the esophagus. Methods: Experimental group: 30 fresh water fish bones from three variety classes were divided into three groups with length of (23.36±0.15), (28.51± 0.07) and (30.89±0.10) mm, and diameter of (4.49±0.31), (1.78±0.09) and (0.49±0.07) mm. The fish bones were put into esophagus models in three different types including parallel, perpendicular and oblique. MSCT with axial scan combined with three dimensional reconstruction technique and plain X-ray film ( CR and DR) were used to examine the model. The relations of the number and rate of fish bones were compared between MSCT and X-ray film. Clinical group: MSCT imaging were performed in 20 cases proved by esophageal endoscope or clinical operation, among which 11 cases received plain X-ray film (CR and DR), 15 cases received Barium-soaked cotton and 17 cases received endoscope. Paired Chi-square test was used to compare the differences of detection of fishbone by the different ways. Results: In experimental group: All the 90 cases (100%) fish bones of three different species were clearly revealed on MSCT image; only 60 cases (66.7%) fish bones were revealed by plain X-ray film (CR and DR). The number and rate of fish bones detected by MSCT was higher than that of plain X-ray film (CR and DR) (χ 2 =28.03, P 2 =7.11, P 2 =4.17, P<0.05). Conclusions: The sensitivity and detection rate of fish bone with MSCT was high and could evaluate the surrounding and complications of the esophagus. MSCT could be used as the first examination of impacted fish bones in the esophagus. (authors)

  19. Description of patellar movement by 3D parameters obtained from dynamic CT acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Sá Rebelo, Marina; Moreno, Ramon Alfredo; Gobbi, Riccardo Gomes; Camanho, Gilberto Luis; de Ávila, Luiz Francisco Rodrigues; Demange, Marco Kawamura; Pecora, Jose Ricardo; Gutierrez, Marco Antonio

    2014-03-01

    The patellofemoral joint is critical in the biomechanics of the knee. The patellofemoral instability is one condition that generates pain, functional impairment and often requires surgery as part of orthopedic treatment. The analysis of the patellofemoral dynamics has been performed by several medical image modalities. The clinical parameters assessed are mainly based on 2D measurements, such as the patellar tilt angle and the lateral shift among others. Besides, the acquisition protocols are mostly performed with the leg laid static at fixed angles. The use of helical multi slice CT scanner can allow the capture and display of the joint's movement performed actively by the patient. However, the orthopedic applications of this scanner have not yet been standardized or widespread. In this work we present a method to evaluate the biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint during active contraction using multi slice CT images. This approach can greatly improve the analysis of patellar instability by displaying the physiology during muscle contraction. The movement was evaluated by computing its 3D displacements and rotations from different knee angles. The first processing step registered the images in both angles based on the femuŕs position. The transformation matrix of the patella from the images was then calculated, which provided the rotations and translations performed by the patella from its position in the first image to its position in the second image. Analysis of these parameters for all frames provided real 3D information about the patellar displacement.

  20. Inferring dynamic gene regulatory networks in cardiac differentiation through the integration of multi-dimensional data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Wuming; Koyano-Nakagawa, Naoko; Li, Tongbin; Garry, Daniel J

    2015-03-07

    Decoding the temporal control of gene expression patterns is key to the understanding of the complex mechanisms that govern developmental decisions during heart development. High-throughput methods have been employed to systematically study the dynamic and coordinated nature of cardiac differentiation at the global level with multiple dimensions. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop a systems approach to integrate these data from individual studies and infer the dynamic regulatory networks in an unbiased fashion. We developed a two-step strategy to integrate data from (1) temporal RNA-seq, (2) temporal histone modification ChIP-seq, (3) transcription factor (TF) ChIP-seq and (4) gene perturbation experiments to reconstruct the dynamic network during heart development. First, we trained a logistic regression model to predict the probability (LR score) of any base being bound by 543 TFs with known positional weight matrices. Second, four dimensions of data were combined using a time-varying dynamic Bayesian network model to infer the dynamic networks at four developmental stages in the mouse [mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), mesoderm (MES), cardiac progenitors (CP) and cardiomyocytes (CM)]. Our method not only infers the time-varying networks between different stages of heart development, but it also identifies the TF binding sites associated with promoter or enhancers of downstream genes. The LR scores of experimentally verified ESCs and heart enhancers were significantly higher than random regions (p network inference model identified a region with an elevated LR score approximately -9400 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site of Nkx2-5, which overlapped with a previously reported enhancer region (-9435 to -8922 bp). TFs such as Tead1, Gata4, Msx2, and Tgif1 were predicted to bind to this region and participate in the regulation of Nkx2-5 gene expression. Our model also predicted the key regulatory networks for the ESC-MES, MES-CP and CP