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D Felsenberg

Publications and source records attributed to D Felsenberg.

97 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

[Material-selective imaging and density measurement using the dual-energy method. I. Principles and methodology].

The principles of the Dual Energy method are discussed from two perspectives: a clear illustration of the method and an exact presentation of the principles involved. The principles apply to both radiography and computed tomography. The method was implemented on a CT scanner (SOMATOM DR, Siemens AG). Dual Energy images enable highly selective imaging based on the determination of density values for calcified and soft tissue. Images may also be reconstructed that are based on other parameters such as electron density and effective atomic number. The degree to which selective imaging is possible is discussed. Examples of Dual Energy clinical applications for radiography and computed tomography are presented. More detailed information will be available in future contributions.

Humans↗

Varicoceles: combined sonography and thermography in diagnosis and posttherapeutic evaluation.

One hundred eighteen patients with clinically suspected varicocele were examined with thermography and sonography before phlebography of the internal spermatic vein (ISV). The combination of sonography and thermography led to an exact differentiation among eight patients with normal findings (6.8%), 103 with left-sided varicoceles (87.3%), six with bilateral varicoceles (5.1%), and one with a right-sided varicocele (0.85%). The accuracy of thermography was 98.4% and of sonography, 92.7%. With sonography, venous dilatation was detected when the patients were upright and the Valsalva maneuver was being performed. Thermography was more sensitive than sonography in detecting persistent varicocele in 63 patients reexamined after sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy within the inguinal segment of the ISV gave better results (82.9%) than that within the proximal segment (77.3%).

Adolescent↗

Bone architecture assessment with measures of complexity.

Architectural changes in trabecular bone by osteoporosis were utilized as a model for the changes which probably occur in human bone while exposed to microgravity conditions. Although there are many concerns about microgravity-induced bone loss, little is known about the impact of microgravity on the three-dimensional architecture of the skeleton. 50 (level L3) and 57 (level L4) vertebral bones harvested from human cadavers were investigated by computed tomography (CT) and quantified in terms of bone mineral density (BMD). Based on the symbol-encoded transformed CT-images, five measures of complexity were developed which quantify the structural composition of the trabecular bone. This quantification determines the bone architecture as a whole. Depending on the specific measure of complexity and its relation to BMD, a 5-10% change of BMD is related to a 5-90% change in structural composition. The method requires a non-invasive CT-procedure of the lumbar spine resulting in a radiation exposure of about 30 microSv effective dose. The technique is useful for the evaluation of the bone status of space-flying, personnel as well as for patients on ground. Grant numbers: BMH1-CT92-0296.

Aerospace Medicine↗

Discriminability of fracture and nonfracture cases based on the spatial distribution of spinal bone mineral.

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study is to demonstrate that spinal mineral distribution measured with CT can distinguish normal from osteoporotic individuals. METHOD: CT studies of lumbar vertebrae (L1-L3) from 121 clinically normal women without fractures and 57 women with one or more atraumatic fractures somewhere in the skeleton were evaluated with discriminant analysis based on indices of the spatial distribution and noise properties of spinal bone mineral density (BMD). RESULTS: The use of discriminant analysis for all of the normal and osteoporotic women (L1-L3) resulted in a classification accuracy of 87.1% for fracture cases and 83.2% for nonfracture cases. In contrast, using the conventional method in the same patient population, 62.5% of BMD values of osteoporotics overlapped with those of normals whose BMD was below the 90th centile of osteoporotics. CONCLUSIONS: CT-based measures of the spinal mineral distribution can increase the accuracy of discriminating fracture and nonfracture cases almost to 90% accuracy, even in a region below the fracture threshold. This shows that in this region the risk of fracture is not completely random but has a stochastic component as well.

Adult↗

An anthropomorphic phantom study on the effect of midvertebral slice placement and region-of-interest positioning on the reproducibility of single-energy quantitative CT (QCT) of the spine.

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to develop an anthropomorphic phantom with a 3D external reference system capable of geometrically describing the region of interest (ROI) of single-energy quantitative CT (QCT) scans and to study the reproducibility of ROI placement (volume) and bone mineral density (BMD) after operator-defined and algorithm-supported midvertebral slice (MVS) placement. METHOD: In three vertebrae (L1-3) of 10 human cadaveric spines placed in a water phantom, MVSs were defined by an operator and an algorithm-supported technique on lateral digital CT radiographs, and QCT scans were performed accordingly. The measurements were repeated once after repositioning the phantom on the CT table. ROIs of the trabecular bone were determined with a standard technique. The percentage of bone volume was calculated for one ROI not covered by the repetition (volume mismatch percent). RESULTS: Reproducibility with algorithm-supported MVS placement was superior to that of operator-defined positioning with regard to volume mismatch (mean +/- SD): 10.6+/-8.4 vs. 7.9+/-5.3%; and mean of paired BMDs (mean of three vertebral bodies): 2.7 vs. 1.5% (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The ROI volume mismatch of repeated QCT scans, which is approximately 10% of ROI volume, can be quantified with an external reference system. Automated placement is superior to the manual technique and should be used in clinical practice.

Adult↗