Radiographic technique and anatomy of the equine sacroiliac region

Radiography is part of evaluating horses with poor performance and pelvic limb lameness; however, the radiographic appearance of the sacroiliac region is poorly described. The goal of the present study was to describe the use of a simple technique to obtain radiographs of the sacroiliac region in the anesthetized horse and to describe the radiographic appearance of this region. Seventy-nine horses underwent radiography of the pelvis under general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency. During a 5s exposure time the horse was actively ventilated to blur the abdominal viscera, which allowed assessment of individual bone structures in 77 horses. A large variation in the shape of the sacral wings, their articulation with the transverse processes of L6, and the relation of the sacrum to the ilium were observed. Females had significantly narrower width of the sacral wings. Broad sacral wings and bony proliferations at the caudal aspect were commonly observed features and their size was highly correlated with gender. In males, caudal osteophytes were significantly larger than in females. Five horses had transitional or hemitransitional vertebrae. Radiography with the ventilation-induced blurring technique is a simple approach that results in diagnostic quality radiographs and delineation of the highly variable bone structures of the sacroiliac region.

Development of phantom for radiographic image optimization of standard patient in the lateral view of chest and skull examination

We present the construction of a homogeneous phantom to be used in simulating the scattering and absorption of X-rays by a standard patient chest and skull when irradiated laterally. This phantom consisted of Incite and aluminium plates with their thickness determined by a tomographic exploratory method applied to the anthropomorphic phantom. Using this phantom, an optimized radiographic technique was established for chest and skull of standard sized patient in lateral view. Images generated with this optimized technique demonstrated improved image quality and reduced radiation doses. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of biological tissues in infant chest for the development of an equivalent radiographic phantom

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Phantom development for radiographic image optimization of chest, skull and pelvis examination for nonstandard patient

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Radiographic study of dental anomalies in brazilian patients with neuropsychomotor disorders

The purposes of this study were to investigate radiographically the dental and maxillomandibular in patients with neuropsychomotor disorders and determine the role of panoramic radiographs for quantitative and qualitative analyses of dental alterations. A total of 322 panoramic radiographs from 190 males and 132 females aged 4 to 57 years were obtained from the files of the Center for Care to Patients with Special Needs (CAPE; Dental School, University of São Paulo) and subdivided into syndromes, special needs, neurological, neuromuscular or cerebral disorders, and sequels of diseases. 32% of dental alterations were in tooth position, with 69% of this group associated with tooth rotation. The mandible accounted for 54.62% of alterations. The male gender (55.85%) and the permanent dentition (78.7%) were most affected. Panoramic radiographs were proved to be well suited for quantitative evaluation of dental anomalies of epidemiological nature. Panoramic radiographs are important diagnostic resources when applied to patients with special needs because of the difficulty to place intraoral films and held them correctly positioned during the radiographic technique.

Impacted Lower Third Molar Fused with a Supernumerary Tooth - Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Osny Ferreira-Junior, Luciana Dorigatti de Avila, Marcelo Bonifacio da Silva Sampieri, Eduardo Dias-Ribeiro, Weiliang Chen, Song Fan. Impacted Lower Third Molar Fused with a Supernumerary Tooth-Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography. International Journal of Oral Science, 1(4): 224-228, 2009 This paper reported a case of fusion between an impacted third molar and a supernumerary tooth, in which a surgical intervention was carried out, with the objective of removing the dental elements. The panoramic radiography was complemented by the Donovan`s radiographic technique; but because of the proximity of the dental element to the mandibular ramus, it was not possible to have a final fusion diagnosis. Hence, the Cone-Beam Computed Tomography-which provides precise three-dimensional information-was used to determinate the fusion diagnosis and also to help in the surgical planning. In this case report we observed that the periapical, occlusal and panoramic were not able to show details which could only be examined through the cone-beam computed tomography.

Failure on clinical image quality criteria in digital mammography: how can radiographers do better?

Purpose: To assess image quality using PGMI (perfect, good, moderate, inadequate) scale in digital mammography examinations acquired in DR systems. Identify the main failures and propose corrective actions. Evaluate the most typical breast density. Methods and Materials: Clinical image quality criteria were evaluated considering mammograms acquired in 13 DR systems and classified according to PGMI scale using the criteria described in European Commission guidelines for radiographers. The breast density was assessed according to ACR recommendations. The data were collected on the acquisition system monitor to reproduce the daily practice of the radiographer. Results: The image quality criteria were evaluated in 3044 images. The criteria were fully achieved in 41% of the images that were classified as P (perfect), 31 % of the images were classified as M (moderate), 20% G (good) and 9% I (inadequate). The main cause of inadequate image quality was absence of all breast tissue in the image, skin folders in the pectoral muscle and in the infra-mammary angle. The higher number of failures occurred in MLO projections (809 out of 1022). The most represented (36%) breast type was type 2 (25-50% glandular tissue). Conclusion: Incorrect radiographic technique was frequently detected suggesting potential training needs and poor communication between the team members (radiographer and radiologists). Further correlations are necessary to identify the main causes for the failures, namely specific education and training in digital mammography and workload.

Optimization of breast tomosynthesis image reconstruction using parallel computing

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, being a major public health problem. Worldwide, X-ray mammography is the current gold-standard for medical imaging of breast cancer. However, it has associated some well-known limitations. The false-negative rates, up to 66% in symptomatic women, and the false-positive rates, up to 60%, are a continued source of concern and debate. These drawbacks prompt the development of other imaging techniques for breast cancer detection, in which Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is included. DBT is a 3D radiographic technique that reduces the obscuring effect of tissue overlap and appears to address both issues of false-negative and false-positive rates. The 3D images in DBT are only achieved through image reconstruction methods. These methods play an important role in a clinical setting since there is a need to implement a reconstruction process that is both accurate and fast. This dissertation deals with the optimization of iterative algorithms, with parallel computing through an implementation on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to make the 3D reconstruction faster using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). Iterative algorithms have shown to produce the highest quality DBT images, but since they are computationally intensive, their clinical use is currently rejected. These algorithms have the potential to reduce patient dose in DBT scans. A method of integrating CUDA in Interactive Data Language (IDL) is proposed in order to accelerate the DBT image reconstructions. This method has never been attempted before for DBT. In this work the system matrix calculation, the most computationally expensive part of iterative algorithms, is accelerated. A speedup of 1.6 is achieved proving the fact that GPUs can accelerate the IDL implementation.

Radiografia digital para inspeção de soldas de dutos - melhor sensibilidade

The conventional radiographic technique using industrial radiographic films is with the days finishing. The Digital Radiography is taking place in several sectors, e.g., the medical, aerospace, security, automotive, etc. In addition to representing a technological trend, it has been demonstrated that digital radiography offers a series of benefits in terms of productivity, sensitivity, environmental aspects, image treatment tools, cost reduction, etc. If one weld seam to be inspected is from a serried product, as example a pipe, the best option to be implemented is the Flat Panel Detector with this equipment is possible to reduce the obtaining digital radiographic images in place of films and reducing the inspection cycle time due to its high degree of automation. In the experiments described in this paper this new technique was tested and the results were compared with those obtained by the conventional radiography. The welded specimens were prepared using the submerged-arc welding process and small artificial cracks of the most varied dimensions, present in the specimens, were used to establish a comparison of the sensitivities presented by the techniques employed After conducting several experiments, the digital method presented the highest sensitivity to the wire-type Image Quality Indicator (IQI) and in the detection of small defects, leading to the conclusion that the use of digital radiography using the flat-panel detector offers advantages over the conventional technique [1, 2]. This work was carried out based on the API 5L Edition 2004 [3] and ISO 3183 Edition 2007 [4] specifications.

Contribuição das projeções oblíquas em mielografias de pequenos animais para a localização de lesões medulares causadas por processo degenerativo do disco intervertebral

Mielografia é uma técnica radiográfica na qual se administra meio de contraste no espaço subaracnóideo para avaliar a medula espinhal. Múltiplas projeções radiográficas fornecem uma exploração circunferencial da medula, auxiliando na localização mais precisa de compressões nesta região. Objetivou-se demonstrar a contribuição das projeções oblíquas, pouco exploradas em exames de mielografia, para a localização de lesões medulares extradurais em cães e gatos causadas por processo degenerativo do disco intervertebral. Foram avaliadas 116 mielografias e observou-se que em 36,2% dos casos as projeções oblíquas foram imprescindíveis para a localização exata das lesões. A associação entre as projeções ventrodorsal e oblíquas se mostraram mais úteis para a localização da lesão do que quando avaliadas isoladamente e as projeções oblíquas esquerda e direita foram igualmente importantes.

Efetividade da radiografia digital direta na técnica simplificada - análise da maturação óssea

Pós-graduação em Odontologia - FOAR

Bone densitometry and calcium serum levels in chickens treated with filtered or unfiltered water

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação da dose de radiação absorvida em exames radiológicos durante o planejamento radioterápico

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Estudo da anatomia interna dos incisivos laterais superiores pelos métodos radiográficos digital e convencional

The maxillary lateral incisor has a very peculiar and internal morphology that can be influenced by the its external anatomy such as supernumerary roots and ruts deep root, which often hinders an effective endodontic treatment. Generally, this tooth have a single root with one root canal, but teeth with two to four channels can be found. The main canal can present ramifications such as accessory canals, laterals, collaterals, recorrents and apical deltas. All this factors interfere directally on endodonthics treatment. The objective of this work is a study of the internal anatomy of the maxillary lateral incisors by digital and conventional radiographics methods, comparing the results obteined by each method Six hundred upper lateral incisor were used in this study teeth of the collection of the Department of Anatomy ICT – UNESP. All the teeth were radiographed by vestibular face, using a digital radiographic unit(Dabi Atlante). After this step, all the teeth underwent by conventional radiographic technique(Kodak 2200) so that the results obtained were compared. To classify the channel system, it was adopted the classification of Pucci and Reig. All data obtained by digital technique were compared with those obtained in the conventional technique and were subjected to statistical analysis

Quality and dose optimization in hand computed radiography

The objective of the present study was to optimize a radiographic technique for hand examinations using a computed radiography (CR) system and demonstrate the potential for dose reductions compared with clinically established technique. An exposure index was generated from the optimized technique to guide operators when imaging hands. Homogeneous and anthropomorphic phantoms that simulated a patient's hand were imaged using a CR system at various tube voltages and current settings (40-55 kVp, 1.25-2.8 mAs), including those used in clinical routines (50 kVp, 2.0 mAs) to obtain an optimized chart. The homogeneous phantom was used to assess objective parameters that are associated with image quality, including the signal difference-to-noise ratio (SdNR), which is used to define a figure of merit (FOM) in the optimization process. The anthropomorphic phantom was used to subjectively evaluate image quality using Visual Grading Analysis (VGA) that was performed by three experienced radiologists. The technique that had the best VGA score and highest FOM was considered the gold standard (GS) in the present study. Image quality, dose and the exposure index that are currently used in the clinical routine for hand examinations in our institution were compared with the GS technique. The effective dose reduction was 67.0%. Good image quality was obtained for both techniques, although the exposure indices were 1.60 and 2.39 for the GS and clinical routine, respectively.