Quality control testing of CT scanners in our region includes a measurement of CT numbers in the American College of Radiology (ACR) CT phantom using a standardized protocol. CT number values are clinically relevant in determining the composition of various tissues in the body. Accuracy is important in the characterization of tumors, assessment of coronary calcium, and identification of urinary...

In treatment planning of brachytherapy, absorbed dose is calculated by superposing predetermined distributions of absorbed dose to water in water for the single source according to the irradiation pattern ͓i.e., placement of the source͑s͒ or dwelling position͑s͔͒. Single-source reference water data are derived from Monte Carlo ͑MC͒ simulations and/or experiments. For reasons of positional accuracy, exp...

PURPOSE To overcome conflicting methods of local RF heating measurements by proposing a simple technique for predicting in vivo temperature rise by using a gel phantom experiment. MATERIALS AND METHODS In vivo temperature measurements are difficult to conduct reproducibly; fluid phantoms introduce convection, and gel phantom lacks perfusion. In the proposed method the local temperature rise i...

Most amputees experience phantom limb, whereby they feel that the amputated limb is still present. In some cases, these experiences include pain that can be alleviated by "mirror therapy." Mirror therapy consists of superimposing a mirrored image of the moving intact limb onto the phantom limb. This therapy provides a closed loop between the motor command to the amputated limb and its predicted...

In a previous work, we confirmed the existing effects of “Out of the Body” tactile illusion for virtual and augmented objects through funneling and saltation. However, it required a virtual imagery to be attached to the user for directly extending one’s body. This paper aims at investigating similar phantom tactile sensations exist when the virtual object is visually detached from the user’s bo...

Most amputees experience phantom limbs, or the sensation that their amputated limb is still attached to the body. Phantom limbs can be perceived in the location previously occupied by the intact limb, or they can gradually retract inside the stump, a phenomenon referred to as "telescoping".  Telescoping is relevant from a clinical point of view, as it tends to be related to increased levels of ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate our initial experience with a cone-beam breast computed tomography (BCT)-guided breast biopsy system for lesion retrieval in phantom studies for use with a cone-beam BCT imaging system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Under the Institutional Review Board approval, a phantom biopsy study was performed using a dedicated BCT-guided biopsy system. Fifteen biopsies were performed on ea...

PURPOSE Phantom sensations are somatic phenomena arising from denervated parts of the body. There is very little research, and much diagnostic confusion, regarding such experiences in people with spinal cord injuries. In the case of 'complete' spinal cord lesions, phantom experiences may challenge, and indeed, contradict, the understanding that both clinicians and patients have of such injuries...

A method of evaluating the performance of computed tomography (CT) with equivalent resolution images was investigated. Generally, in performance evaluations of CT, the resolution property is measured by the wire method, and the noise property is measured from noise images of a cylindrical water phantom. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is then calculated for the integrated evaluation. Our propos...

INTRODUCTION The calibration of whole-body counter (WBC), that means the determination of the body burden of radionuclides, is generally carried out by comparing the measurements between the human body and the standard calibration phantom. The measured counting efficiency is affected by the deference of size, shape and distribution of radioactivity between them. Therefore, if the standard phant...