| 1. |
- af Klinteberg, C, et al.
(author)
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Laser-induced fluorescence diagnostics of basal cell carcinomas of the skin following topical ALA application
- 1996
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In: Optical Biopsies and Microscopic Techniques, Proceedings of. - : SPIE. - 0819423289 ; 2926, s. 32-40
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fourteen patients with superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and fifteen patients with nodular BCCs were investigated by means of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in connection with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Topical application of delta-amino levulinic acid (ALA) was performed six hours prior to the treatment session. Fluorescence spectra were recorded, using a point-monitoring system with an excitation wavelength of 405 nm. The measurements were performed in scans over the lesion and the surrounding normal skin before application of ALA, and immediately before and after the laser treatment. The selective uptake of the photosensitiser resulted in a fluorescence intensity ratio of 2.4:1 for superficial BCCs and 2.5:1 for nodular BCCs. If the fluorescence intensity was divided by the autofluorescence, this resulted in a contrast enhancement of about a factor 6 for tumour tissue. In seven patients (five with nodular BCC and two with superficial BCC), additional fluorescence measurements were performed two and four hours following the ALA application, and two hours after the PDT procedure. Thus, the kinetics of the transformation of ACA to protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) could be followed, which indicated that the synthesis of PpIX was more rapid in the tumour than in the normal tissue. After four hours, the PpIX level inside the tumour was saturated, while there still was an accumulation in the surrounding skin. The highest contrast between tumour and normal skin was reached within two hours after the ALA application.
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| 2. |
- Nordström, Tomas, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Using and designing massively parallel computers for artificial neural networks
- 1992
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In: Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing. - Orlando : Academic Press. - 0743-7315 .- 1096-0848. ; 14:3, s. 260-285
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During the past 10 years the fields of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and massively parallel computing have been evolving rapidly. The authors study the attempts to make ANN algorithms run on massively parallel computers as well as designs of new parallel systems tuned for ANN computing. Following a brief survey of the most commonly used models, the different dimensions of parallelism in ANN computing are identified, and the possibilities for mapping onto the structures of different parallel architectures are analyzed. Different classes of parallel architectures used or designed for ANN are identified. Reported implementations are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that the regularity of ANN computations suits SIMD architectures perfectly and that broadcast or ring communication can be very efficiently utilized. Bit-serial processing is very interesting for ANN, but hardware support for multiplication should be included. Future artificial neural systems for real-time applications will require flexible processing modules that can be put together to form MIMSIMD systems
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| 3. |
- Eklund, Anders, 1965-, et al.
(author)
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A catheter tactile sensor for measuring hardness of soft tissue : measurement in a silicone model and in an in vitro human prostate model
- 1999
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In: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing. - 0140-0118 .- 1741-0444. ; 37:5, s. 618-624
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tissue hardness is related to tissue composition, and this is often changed by disease. It is therefore of interest to measure the hardness in an objective and non-invasive way. A tactile sensor based on a vibrating piezoelectric ceramic element in a feedback loop is described. When the sensor touches an object it produces a frequency shift related to the hardness of the object. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro hardness measurement method using a catheter type version of the sensor. The method was evaluated in an established silicone tissue model and on human prostate tissue in vitro. A linear relationship was found with a high degree of explanation (R2 = 0.98) between a cone penetration hardness standard (DIN ISO 2137) applied to the silicone model and the corresponding frequency shift. The results from measurements on a human prostate tissue sample, fixed with formalin, showed that the relative hardness measured with the tactile sensor correlated (R = -0.96, p < 0.001, N = 60) with the proposed hardness related to the histological composition of the prostate tissue. The results indicated that hardness of prostate tissue, and maybe hardness of human tissue in general, can be expressed according to the cone penetration standard and that the hardness can be measured with this tactile sensory system. These findings hold the promise of further development of a non-invasive tool for hardness measurement in a clinical situation
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| 4. |
- Brandberg, Joakim, et al.
(author)
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Increased accuracy of echocardiographic measurement of flow using automated spherical integration of multiple plane velocity vectors
- 1999
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In: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. - 0301-5629 .- 1879-291X. ; 25:2, s. 249-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The calculation of blood flow in the heart by surface integration of velocity vectors (SIVV) using Doppler ultrasound is independent of the angle. Flow is normally calculated from velocity in a spherical thick shell with its center located at the ultrasound transducer. In a numerical simulation, we have shown that the ratio between minor and major axes of an elliptic flow area substantially influences the accuracy of the estimation of flow in a single scan plane. The accuracy of flow measurements by SIVV can be improved by calculating the mean of the values from more than one scan plane. We have produced an automated computer program that includes an antialiasing procedure. We confirmed an improvement of flow measurements in a pulsatile hydraulic flow model, the 95% confidence interval for single estimations being reduced from 20% to 10% (p < 0.05) using the newly developed software. We think that the SIVV method has important implications for clinical transthoracic echocardiography.
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| 9. |
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| 11. |
- Berbyuk, Viktor, 1953
(author)
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Multibody dynamics and optimization problems of an above-knee prostheses
- 1996
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- New prosthetic materials and designs have resulted in many prostheses of lower limbs which are presently available for the amputee to use. As a result, it is becoming more difficult for the prosthetists and the physicians to choose which prosthesis is the best for the individual amputee. Presently, there is limited information about how the prosthesis performs dynamically in achieving optimal symmetrical gait for amputee. To provide insight into the interaction between dynamics and control in biotechnical systems and for optimizing the prosthesis's structure the energy-optimal control problem of the human locomotor system (HLS) wearing an above-knee prosthesis has been considered. The algorithm based on multibody dynamics approach and special conversion of the optimal control problem for nonlinear dynamic system model of the HLS into a standard nonlinear programming problem has been proposed. A number of the energy-optimal control problems of human locomotion with an artificial leg and the optimization problems of the constructive parameters of an above-knee prostheses under different boundary conditions and constraints have been solved.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Caidahl, Kenneth, 1949, et al.
(author)
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New concept in echocardiography: harmonic imaging of tissue without use of contrast agent.
- 1998
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In: Lancet (London, England). - : Elsevier BV. - 0140-6736. ; 352:9136, s. 1264-70
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endocardial border detection is important for echocardiographic assessment of left-ventricular function. Second harmonic imaging of contrast agents enhances this border detection. We discovered that harmonic imaging improves tissue visualisation even before contrast injection. We therefore sought objectively to demonstrate the degree of enhancement of endocardial and myocardial visualisation.An ATL HDI-3000 scanner with software for contrast harmonic imaging was used to record short-axis images of the left ventricle in 27 patients with possible myocardial disease and 22 controls, in the fundamental mode and with harmonic imaging. A computer program measured the relative grey-scale values within six segments of the endocardium and myocardium. An Acuson Sequoia scanner equipped with software for tissue harmonic imaging was used to investigate the reproducibility of ejection-fraction calculations in 22 patients with ischaemic heart disease.Harmonic imaging produced brighter endocardium within each segment. Relative to the mean grey value of the total imaging sector, the values for harmonic and fundamental imaging were 171.5 vs 85.6% (p<0.0001) in end diastole and 194.1 vs 106.7% (p<0.0001) in end systole. Results for the myocardial segments were also significantly better for harmonic imaging. Structure enhancement of similar magnitude was seen among patients and healthy controls. Use of harmonic imaging reduced the proportion of unacceptable images by 14-46% in different views and improved the reproducibility of biplane ejection-fraction measurements.In comparison with fundamental imaging, the relative endocardial and myocardial brightness is enhanced by harmonic imaging.
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| 14. |
- Gustafsson, Agnetha, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of attenuation corrections using Monte Carlo simulated lung SPECT
- 1998
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In: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 43:8, s. 2325-2336
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) images are distorted by photon attenuation. The effect is complex in the thoracic region due to different tissue densities. This study compares the effect on the image homogeneity of two different methods of attenuation correction in lung SPECT; one pre-processing and one post-processing method. This study also investigates the impact of attenuation correction parameters such as lung contour, body contour, density of the lung tissue and effective attenuation coefficient. The Monte Carlo technique was used to simulate SPECT studies of a digital thorax phantom containing a homogeneous activity distribution in the lung. Homogeneity in reconstructed images was calculated as the coefficient of variation (CV). The isolated effect of the attenuation correction was assessed by normalizing pixel values from the attenuation corrected lung by pixel values from the lung with no attenuation effects. Results show that the CV decreased from 12.8% with no attenuation correction to 4.4% using the post-processing method and true densities in the thoracic region. The impact of variations in the definition of the body contour was found to be marginal while the corresponding effect of variations in the lung contour was substantial
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| 15. |
- Anderson, C., et al.
(author)
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Changes in skin circulation after microdialysis probe insertion visualized by laser Doppler perfusion imaging
- 1994
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In: Journal of Investigative Dermatology. - 0022-202X .- 1523-1747. ; 102:5, s. 807-811
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Microdialysis makes possible in vivo estimation of endogenous and exogenous substances in the dermal extracellular space. Insertion of the microdialysis probe and its subsequent presence in the skin may affect both the reactivity of the skin test site and the measurement of target substances. Laser Doppler flowmetry is a non-invasive method for estimating cutaneous blood flow. A further development of this technique, laser Doppler perfusion imaging, has been used to study the time course of the circulatory changes caused in the area of microdialysis probe insertion. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging was performed prior to, during, and after microdialysis probe insertion in the skin of the ventral forearm in three subjects. Probe insertion caused an increase in skin blood perfusion in the whole test area. About 15 min after probe insertion, the flare, which is presumed to be of chiefly axon reflex origin, began to subside and the circulatory response could be seen to center around the site of insertion and the tip of the probe. Skin perfusion levels had returned to near normal levels within 60 min. Local anesthesia of the point of guide insertion inhibited the flare, but did not affect circulatory reactivity in the skin nearby. Both microdialysis and laser Doppler perfusion imaging seem to be promising new methods in dermatologic research.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Andersson, Mats, et al.
(author)
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Velocity Adaptive Filtered Angiography
- 1999
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Patent (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- A method of imaging a blood vessel in a body using X-rays and an injectable contrast medium is described. The contrast medium is injected into the body, and signals constituted by an X-ray image sequence depicting X-ray attenuation values is recorded. The X-ray attenuated values in each spaced-time neighborhood are combined in a way that is dependent on the processed image sequence and separately established for each neighborhood, and separating, from background and vessel signals, flow signals having energy contributions mainly in an area of frequency domain bounded by surfaces corresponding to threshold velocities separately established for each neighborhood, which surfaces are shifted a specified amount along a temporal frequency axis.
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| 18. |
- Andersson, T., et al.
(author)
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Human in vivo cutaneous microdialysis: Estimation of histamine release in cold urticaria.
- 1995
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In: Acta Dermato-Venereologica. - 0001-5555 .- 1651-2057. ; :75, s. 343-347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel bioanalytical in vivo sampling technique, cutaneous microdialysis, was used to follow the chronology of skin histamine release in 3 patients with cold urticaria and in 2 healthy volunteers. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging was used simultaneously to monitor the skin circulatory response. Microdialysis samples were collected at 10-min intervals and analysed by radioimmunoassay technique. Fifty minutes after probe insertion, the ventral forearm skin in the area of the dialysis membrane was provoked for 5-15 min with a 25 x 40 mm ice cube covered with plastic foil. In the cold urticaria patients, an up to 80-fold increase of histamine was observed, with peak levels 20-30 min after challenge. Histamine levels then fell to reach "baseline" levels within 50 min. In the healthy subjects, the histamine increase was earlier, less pronounced and of shorter duration. Cutaneous microdialysis and laser Doppler imaging offer new possibilities for the chronological multiparameter assessment of inflammatory skin disorders in vivo.
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| 19. |
- Borga, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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An Adaptive Stereo Algorithm Based on Canonial Correlation Analysis
- 1998
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In: Proceedings of the Second IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Processing Systems. ; , s. 177-182
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents a novel algorithm that uses CCA and phase analysis to detect the disparity in stereo images. The algorithm adapts filters in each local neighbourhood of the image in a way which maximizes the correlation between the filtered images. The adapted filters are then analysed to find the disparity. This is done by a simple phase analysis of the scalar product of the filters. The algorithm can even handle cases where the images have different scales. The algorithm can also handle depth discontinuities and give multiple depth estimates for semitransparent images.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Hemmendorff, M., et al.
(author)
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Motion compensated digital subtraction angiography
- 1999
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In: Proceedings of SPIE's International Symposium on Medical Imaging, vol 3661, 1999.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Digital subtraction angiography, whether based on traditional X-ray or MR, suers from patient motion artifacts. Until now, the usual remedy is to pixel shift by hand, or in some cases performing a global pixel shift semi-automatically. This is time consuming, and cannot handle rotations or local varying deformations over the image. We have developed a fully automatic algorithm that provides for motion compensation in the presence of large local deformations. Our motion compensation is very accurate for ordinary motions, including large rotations and deformations. It does not matter if the motions are irregular over time. For most images, it takes about a second per image to get adequate accuracy. The method is based on using the phase from lter banks of quadrature lters tuned in dierent directions and frequencies. Unlike traditional methods for optical ow and correlation, our method is more accurate and less susceptible to disturbing changes in the image, e.g. a moving contrast bolus. The implications for common practice are that radiologists' time can be significantly reduced in ordinary peripheral angiographies and that the number of retakes due to large or local motion artifacts will be much reduced.
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| 22. |
- Janerot-Sjöberg, Birgitta, et al.
(author)
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Quantitative digital evaluation of myocardial exercise thallium-201 single-photon emission tomography in post-menopausal women
- 1998
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In: Clinical Physiology. - : Wiley. - 0144-5979 .- 1365-2281. ; 18:3, s. 169-177
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantitative computerized analysis of data from myocardial thallium-201 (201Tl) single-photon emission tomography (SPET) may improve the diagnostic accuracy of coronary heart disease. The reference ranges for post-menopausal women are, however, limited and obtained mainly from patients. To compare reference values from healthy post-menopausal women and to improve the quantitative analysis, 20 women (10 patients with coronary heart disease and previous infarction and 10 age-matched healthy volunteers) were examined immediately post exercise and after a delay. A nine-segment 'bull's-eye' model was used for analysis. At visual evaluation, reproducibility was high (93%), no false-positive results were obtained and in 70% of the patients the SPET was interpreted as abnormal. Using reported reference values for quantitative analysis, all the healthy women had an abnormal result. New reference values based on three different methods of 'normalization' were calculated: the relative activity of segment 3 set to 100%, the segment with the highest activity set to 100% and a least-squares method. They all differed significantly from those that had previously been reported. The frequencies of agreement between visual and quantitative analysis were 84-92% and were highest when segment 3 was used as a reference, but in this case only 40% of the patients with coronary heart disease had an abnormal SPET. Using the least-squares method for handling digital information, the SD of the normal values decreased and 90% of the patients with coronary heart disease were accurately diagnosed. These results provide quantitative digital reference values for healthy post-menopausal women. They verify that quantitative analysis is in diagnostic agreement with visual evaluation, stress the need for local verification of reference ranges and suggest a least-square normalization method for the analysis.
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| 23. |
- Rovai, Daniele, et al.
(author)
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Myocardial perfusion abnormalities by intravenous administration of the contrast agent NC100100 in an experimental model of coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion
- 1998
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In: Echocardiography. - : Wiley. - 0742-2822 .- 1540-8175. ; 15:8, s. 731-740
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to evaluate a second-generation echo contrast agent (NC100100) for the study of myocardial perfusion. In eight anesthetized open-chest dogs, this agent was injected intravenously under baseline conditions, during acute coronary thrombosis, and after reperfusion, using both fundamental (FI) and harmonic (HI) imaging, both continuous and intermittent imaging, and both ultrasound (US) and integrated backscatter (IBS) imaging. Contrast injections did not modify the hemodynamic parameters. With all imaging modalities, myocardial contrast enhancement (MCE) was higher with intermittent than with continuous imaging (134 vs 82 gray level/pixel using FI, P = 0.02; 62 vs 32 acoustic units using US HI, P = 0.02; and 52 vs 12 dB using IBS, P = 0.05). MCE equally increased using either US or IBS imaging. The accuracy of MCE in detecting perfusion defects during coronary occlusion and myocardial reperfusion after thrombolysis was very good (sensitivity and specificity = 93% and 95% and 89% and 93%, respectively). The extent of myocardial perfusion defects by echo contrast showed a closer correlation with microspheres using HI (r = 0.82) than FI (r = 0.53). Thus, the intravenous administration of NC100100 during intermittent HI allows myocardial perfusion abnormalities to be accurately detected during acute myocardial infarction.
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| 24. |
- Troilius, A., et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of Portwine Stain Perfusion by Laser Doppler Imaging and Thermography Before and After Argon Laser Treatment
- 1992
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In: Acta Dermato-Venereologica. - 0001-5555. ; 72:1, s. 6-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thirteen patients with port wine stains (PWS) were treated with argon laser therapy. Before and at different points in time following treatment, skin blood perfusion and temperature were mapped with laser Doppler imaging and thermography. In nine patients no elevation in blood perfusion was observed in the PWS in comparison with the surrounding normal skin before treatment. In the remaining four patients a significantly (p less than 0.01) higher blood flow was recorded within the PWS. Immediately after treatment nine patients showed elevated perfusion within the PWS. During the first two days following treatment, all patients showed a gradually decreasing hyperperfusion in the borderline between the PWS lesion and surrounding skin. Immediately after treatment 10 patients had a significantly (p less than 0.01) higher temperature in the PWS than in normal skin. During the first 24 h following treatment, an elevated perfusion was in general accompanied by a tissue temperature increase. Three and a half months after argon laser treatment, three patients showed excellent clinical results with no remaining PWS spots or scarring. Two of these patients had had both elevated perfusion and temperature in the PWS prior to treatment.
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| 25. |
- Wang, L., et al.
(author)
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Superficial Blood flow Following Photodynamic Therapy of Malignant Skin Tumours Measured by Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging
- 1997
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In: British Journal of Dermatology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0007-0963 .- 1365-2133. ; 136:2, s. 184-189
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Laser Doppler perfusion imaging offers a new modality for in vivo monitoring of the superficial blood perfusion in biological tissue. In this study, the superficial blood perfusion of malignant nonmelanoma skin tumours and the surrounding normal skin was measured in conjunction with photodynamic therapy (PDT) using topical ò–aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)–induced protoporphyrin IX as a photosensitizer. The results clearly show that, in contradiction to PDT with the intravenously administered photosensitizer photofrin. no direct vascular damage can be seen. With the topical sensitization the blood perfusion is increased immediately after the treatment irradiation. The increased blood flow is seen up to a week after treatment, in a similiar way as for an inflammatory reaction. Despite this, all basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in situ lesions in this study healed without any sign of residual tumour after the treatment, suggesting an efficient direct tumour cell destruction induced by PDT.
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