In dieser Arbeit werden die Zeitpunkte der Kontrastmittelphasen der Leber bei Hunden verschiedener Größe und Rasse untersucht. Diese werden mit klinischen Parametern wie der Körpermasse, dem Alter und der Herzfrequenz zum Zeitpunkt der Untersuchung korreliert. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird diskutiert, ob anhand dieser einfach erfassbarer Patientenparametern eine zielführende Planung einer Multiphasen-CT möglich ist. Es werden folgenden Zielstellungen bearbeitet: 1. Wann ist der Beginn der früharteriellen, arteriellen und der portalvenösen Phase erreicht? 2. Wann ist der Zeitpunkt des Kontrastmittelpeaks in der Aorta abdominalis und der V. portae erreicht? 3. Erstellen von Korrelationen dieser Zeitpunkte mit dem Alter, dem Gewicht und der Herzfrequenz der Tiere. 4. Erstellen von klinisch anwendbaren Regressionsgleichungen. An insgesamt 145 Tieren wurde das Anflutungsverhalten des jodhaltigen Kontrastmittels Imeron® 300 Bracco in der Leber und den zuführenden Gefäßen (Aorta abdominalis und V. portae) untersucht. Dabei wurden die Programme Bolus Tracking (BT) und das Perfusion Protokoll (dynamisches CT/ DU) mit dem CT Philips Brilliance CT 6 MX 8000 IDT genutzt. Die hierfür verwandten Hunde stammten aus dem Patientengut der Klinik für Kleintiere der Universität Leipzig. Alle Tiere erhielten 2 ml/kg Imeron® 300 Bracco mit 3 ml/s in die rechte oder linke V. cephalica antebrachii mit einem automatischen Injektor durch eine 20 Gauge Flexüle appliziert. Dies entspricht einer Jodmenge von 600 mg/kg. Aufgrund der Einteilung der Tiere in ASA-Gruppen und der weiteren Diagnostik und Therapie wurden vier verschiedene Narkoseprotokolle angewandt. Alle Tiere wurden intubiert und die Narkose mit Isofluran aufrechterhalten. Das Narkoseregime führte bei keinem der untersuchten Parameter zu einem signifikanten Unterschied. Der Beginn der früharteriellen und der portalvenösen Phase wurde mit Bolus Tracking bei 106 Hunden untersucht. Als Beginn wurde ein absoluter Schwellenwert von 100 HE im Aortenlumen auf Höhe des kranialen Leberpols bzw. im Lumen der Vena portae definiert. Mit dieser Methode wurde eine Überschreitung des Schwellenwertes im Aortenlumen im Mittelwert nach 13,12 ± 3,6 Sekunden (64 Tiere) und im Lumen der V. portae nach 31,60 ± 8,6 Sekunden (42 Tiere) gemessen. Eine signifikante Korrelation mit dem Gewicht auf einem zweiseitigen Signifikanzniveau von 0,01 konnte festgestellt werden. Mit der dynamischen CT (DU) wurden 39 Tiere untersucht. Der Beginn der früharteriellen Phase (Schwellenwert von 100 HE im Lumen der Aorta abdominalis) wurde nach 9,77 ± 4,3 Sekunden und der portalvenösen Phase (Schwellenwert von 100 HE im Lumen der Vena portae) nach 27,6 ± 8,7 Sekunden erreicht. Die Korrelationskoeffizienten der mit der DU gemessenen Parameter und der Patientenparametern sind höher als die mit dem BT erstellten und werden deshalb hier aufgeführt. Mit der vorwärtsgerichteten Regression konnten die folgenden Modelle erstellt werden. Früharterielle Phase (s) 0,35 + 0,21 x Körpermasse R = 0,61 Portalvenöse Phase (s) 13,9 + 0,7 x Körpermasse R = 0,67 An denselben Tieren wurde auch der Zeitpunkt des arteriellen und portalvenösen Peaks im Gefäßlumen der Aorta abdominalis und der Vena portae gemessen. Dieser wurde im Mittelwert nach 24,5 ± 8,6 Sekunden und nach 43,6 ± 13,4 Sekunden erreicht. Der Zeitpunkt des arteriellen Peaks weist den höchsten Korrelationskoeffizienten mit dem Gewicht in der vorliegenden Arbeit auf. Anhand einer vorwärtsgerichteten Regression konnten die folgenden Modelle erstellt werden. Arterieller Peak1 (s) 6,13 + 0,63 x Körpermasse R = 0,9 Arterieller Peak2 (s) 12,23 + 0,61 x Körpermasse – 0,07 Herzfrq. R = 0,92 Portalvenöser Peak1 (s) 24,5 + 0,65 x Körpermasse R = 0,6 Portalvenöser Peak2 (s) 17,5 + 0,71 x Körpermasse – 0,07 Alter R = 0,66 Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass anhand einfach erfassbarer Patientenparametern bedingt eine zielführende Planung einer Multiphasen-CT möglich ist. Aufgrund der sehr hohen Korrelationskoeffizienten zwischen dem arteriellen Peak und den klinischen Parametern ist die Anwendung dieser Gleichungen zum Errechnen des arteriellen Peaks sehr sinnvoll klinisch anzuwenden. Da diese Arbeit den Nachweis erbracht hat, dass zum Zeitpunkt des arteriellen Peaks noch eine auswertbare arterielle Phase im Leberparenchym besteht, kann diese Gleichung sowohl bei der Detektion von Leberherden als auch bei Gefäßanomalien genutzt werden.

The field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) focuses on understanding the evolution of ontogeny and mechanisms of evolutionary change. Recently, taxonomic comparisons of the sequence of skeletal ossification have become prominent in evo-devo. However, most of these studies fail to consider two major issues: how the technique used to assay ossification and ontogenetic variation and variability may affect comparisons among taxa. This study focuses on the onset of ossification in the skeleton of Monodelphis domestica and quantifies the affects of variation, variability, and technique bias on reconstructions of ontogeny. Previous comparisons among mammalian taxa have used both computed tomography (CT) and clearing-and-staining (CS) to assess the presence or absence of skeletal elements (i.e., skeletal maturity). In this study, CT and CS were used on the same specimen to compare how these methods assess skeletal maturity. The comparisons of the same individual under reveal significant differences in how skeletal maturity is assessed by CT and CS techniques. Further, significant biases were recovered between techniques. CT is more likely to reveal cranial elements that CS does not, whereas CS is more likely to reveal appendicular elements that CT does not. To assess levels of variation and variability, Ontogenetic Sequence Analysis (OSA) was used to characterize the ontogeny of Monodelphis domestica. This revealed significant levels of variation with over 800 different ontogenetic pathways recovered for the onset of ossification of all skeletal elements studied. Additionally, high levels of variability were also reconstructed because the majority of specimens were found to exhibit non-modal ontogenetic sequences. This variability is more highly concentrated in the sequence of cranial ossification, suggesting potential modularity in ontogenetic variation and variability. Finally, OSA revealed that technique bias could importantly affect reconstructions of skeletal ossification sequences because no identical sequences were recovered by the CT and CS datasets. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of considering the primary nature of developmental studies, the specimen. Only by recognizing and quantifying the complexities of evo-devo research, especially natural variation and methodological biases, can more complete understandings of the evolution of ontogeny be had. / text

Computer assisted surgery uses a collection of different techniques including but not limited to: CT-guided, fluoroscopy-guided, and ultrasound-guided imaging which allows medical staff to view bony anatomy of a patient in relation to surgical tools on a computer screen. By providing this visual data to surgeons less invasive surgeries can be performed on a patient's fractured scaphoid. The data required for a surgeon to perform a minimally invasive surgery while looking only at a computer screen, and not directly at a patient's anatomy, will be provided by CT and ultrasound data. We will discuss how ultrasound and CT data can be used together to allow a minimally invasive surgery of the scaphoid to be performed. In this thesis we will explore two techniques of registering segmented ultrasound images to CT data; an Iterative Closest Point (ICP) approach, and an Unscented Kalman Filter-based Registration (UKF). We use two different ultrasound segmentation methods; a semi-automatic segmentation, and a Bayesian segmentation technique. The segmented ultrasound data is then registered to a CT volume. The success or failure of the registrations is measured by the error calculated in mapping the corresponding land- marks to one another and calculating the target registration error. The results show that the Unscented Kalman Filter-based registration using the Bayesian segmentation of ultrasound images has the least registration error, and has the most robustness to error in initial alignment of the two data sets. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2010-05-28 11:17:31.934

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No description available.

Bone is a 3D dynamic and unique tissue that structurally adapts in response to mechanical stimuli. Comparative skeletal morphology is commonly utilized to infer ancient hominins' modes of locomotion; however, instances of remarkable gross similarity despite different modes of locomotion do occur. A common cited example is the similarity between the skeletal elements of bipedal human (Homo sapiens) hands/feet and quadrupedal black bear (Ursus americanus) front/hind paws. Through novel 3D Micro-CT and 2D histomorphology analysis, this thesis tests the hypothesis that a 3D microscopic analysis of biomechanically regulated cortical bone structures provides a more representative and accurate means to infer a species' mode of locomotion. Micro-CT data were collected at the mid-diaphysis of human (n=5) and bear (n=5) third metacarpal/metatarsal pairs and compared with independent and paired t-tests, Pearson correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots. Bone microarchitecture is quantifiable in 3D and accessible through non-destructive Micro-CT. Interspecies variation was present, however no significant cortical differences between elements of humans and bears was found. Histological inspection revealed further variation between and within species and element. A key limitation was sample size and further investigation of the relationship between mechanical loading and mode of locomotion is warranted.

Introduction: Salivary gland obstructive conditions are common and may necessitate imaging of the glands for diagnosis and management purposes. Many imaging options are available but all have limitations. Sialography is considered the gold standard for examining obstructive conditions of the parotid and submandibular glands but it is largely influenced by the imaging technique to which it is coupled. Cone beam computed tomography (cbCT) is a relatively new and very promising imaging modality that has overcome many of the inherent limitations of other imaging modalities used in the past for sialography. Materials and methods: A RANDO®Man imaging phantom was used to determine the effective radiation doses from the series of plain film images that represent the current standard of practice for sialography. Similar experiments were then undertaken to determine the effective radiation doses from cbCT when varying the field-of-view (FOV) size and center, x-ray tube peak kilovoltage (kVp) and milliamperage (mA). Next, cbCT image quality, measured using the signal-difference-to-noise-ratio (SDNR) was used to determine those technical factors that optimized image quality. Finally, using the optimized image acquisition parameters, a prospective clinical study was conducted to test the diagnostic efficacy of cbCT sialography compared to plain film sialography. Results: Effective radiation doses were comparable between the plain film image series and cbCT examinations of the parotid and submandibular glands when a 6” FOV was chosen, and when the x-ray tube was operating at 80 kVp and 10 mA. We also found that these exposure settings optimized the image SDNR. Finally, we demonstrated that the diagnostic capabilities of cbCT sialography were superior to plain film sialography with regards to detecting sialoliths and strictures, and when differentiating normal salivary glands from those with changes secondary to inflammation. Conclusion: We have successfully developed a three dimensional (3D) sialography technique for imaging the parotid and submandibular salivary glands using cbCT that balances radiation effective dose with image quality. We also demonstrated the superior diagnostic capabilities of the new technique in a clinical setting.

Introduction: Salivary gland obstructive conditions are common and may necessitate imaging of the glands for diagnosis and management purposes. Many imaging options are available but all have limitations. Sialography is considered the gold standard for examining obstructive conditions of the parotid and submandibular glands but it is largely influenced by the imaging technique to which it is coupled. Cone beam computed tomography (cbCT) is a relatively new and very promising imaging modality that has overcome many of the inherent limitations of other imaging modalities used in the past for sialography. Materials and methods: A RANDO®Man imaging phantom was used to determine the effective radiation doses from the series of plain film images that represent the current standard of practice for sialography. Similar experiments were then undertaken to determine the effective radiation doses from cbCT when varying the field-of-view (FOV) size and center, x-ray tube peak kilovoltage (kVp) and milliamperage (mA). Next, cbCT image quality, measured using the signal-difference-to-noise-ratio (SDNR) was used to determine those technical factors that optimized image quality. Finally, using the optimized image acquisition parameters, a prospective clinical study was conducted to test the diagnostic efficacy of cbCT sialography compared to plain film sialography. Results: Effective radiation doses were comparable between the plain film image series and cbCT examinations of the parotid and submandibular glands when a 6” FOV was chosen, and when the x-ray tube was operating at 80 kVp and 10 mA. We also found that these exposure settings optimized the image SDNR. Finally, we demonstrated that the diagnostic capabilities of cbCT sialography were superior to plain film sialography with regards to detecting sialoliths and strictures, and when differentiating normal salivary glands from those with changes secondary to inflammation. Conclusion: We have successfully developed a three dimensional (3D) sialography technique for imaging the parotid and submandibular salivary glands using cbCT that balances radiation effective dose with image quality. We also demonstrated the superior diagnostic capabilities of the new technique in a clinical setting.

The goal of this research was to demonstrate the potential of spectral CT for the discrimination of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. It was proposed that spectral CT has the potential to identify the presence of specific markers for vulnerable plaques: iron deposits and lipid core. A spectral micro-CT system incorporating the latest Medipix spectroscopic photon- counting detectors was commissioned for this purpose. Using spectroscopic methods developed with this system, it was possible to distinguish the presence of iron deposits and lipid core within ex vivo atherosclerotic plaques. Atherosclerosis or hardening of arteries is a systemic disease of the vessel wall that occurs in the aorta, carotid, coronary and peripheral arteries. It is characterised by the deposition of calcified plaques on the innermost layer of the artery wall. Vulnerable plaques are unstable, prone to rupture and put the person at risk of cardiovascular events and strokes. Factors that may lead to plaque instability are lipid content and iron deposits. This preclinical study is a precursor to the development of a clinical technique that will enable vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques to be identified in vivo prior to treatment or removal. Following a preliminary study on atherosclerotic plaques with a prototype system, the MARS-CT3 spectral micro-CT system incorporating Medipix3 was developed and commissioned for further plaque studies. The spectral CT data sets acquired by this system were assessed visually for morphology and analysed for material composition using a linear algebra method. The results were correlated with photography and histology (the histology is the current gold standard). The presence of iron and lipid can be differentiated from the background soft-tissue using a linear algebra method. However the quantification of iron in the presence of calcium is not currently possible without additional data or constraints. Nevertheless the presence of iron deposits within the plaques can be distinguished in the high resolution MARS-CT images and has been correlated with photographic and histological evidence. Thus, using the high spatial resolution spectral data from MARS-CT, the discrimination of lipid core and iron deposits within ex vivo advanced human atherosclerotic plaques is feasible. This may provide the basis for the development of a clinical technique that will identify vulnerable plaques in vivo by high resolution spectral CT.

The research in this thesis was undertaken because information on the relationship between scan parameters and image quality for the MARS spectral CT was lacking. However, the MARS spectral CT is expected to extend into clinical use in the future, so it is absolutely crucial that we know how the quality of the images that it produces is effected by different can parameters. This will allow us to make further improvements to the machine, and ultimately help clinicians to visualise important information in patients which are not revealed by other imaging modalities. This thesis provides information on how the image quality is affected by different scan parameters on the MARS spectral CT using a Medipix3 silicon quad detector. In particular, it explores how different numbers of projections, exposure time products (mAs), and peak tube voltages (kVp) with different threshold energies (kV) effect the image noise, image resolution and image uniformity, respectively. This provides a set of guidelines for future work using the MARS scanner to obtain images of optimal quality. This thesis also determines that the new image reconstruction software mART developed by Niels de Ruiter, is a suitable replacement for the reconstruction software OctopusCT that is currently being used by the MARS team. Using mART reduces the scan times and dose delivered by the MARS spectral CT.