A. Mrowiec, Antoni Świątkowski, Kamila Wolnica, Armand Cholewka, Iwona Niedzielska, D. Wziątek-Kuczmik
{"title":"The use of thermovision in the detection of asymptomatic facial inflammation – Pilot study","authors":"A. Mrowiec, Antoni Świątkowski, Kamila Wolnica, Armand Cholewka, Iwona Niedzielska, D. Wziątek-Kuczmik","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0003","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: Asymptomatic inflammatory foci resulting from chronic dental infections or the presence of foreign bodies, e.g., in the sinuses, leading to serious local and systemic complications. These conditions, despite the absence of symptoms, are a source of bacterial, toxic, allergic, and neurogenic effects. Despite the developed radiological diagnostics in the form of pantomographic images and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), thermal imaging is increasingly mentioned as an auxiliary tool in detecting and treating inflammatory foci of the craniofacial region. It is due that thermal imaging can bring indirectly metabolic information about studied tissues and thus allow the detection of early inflammatory lesions yet not invisible on X-ray diagnostics. The purpose of the study was to apply and validate a protocol for identifying asymptomatic inflammatory foci in the maxillofacial area using thermal imaging.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: Patients referred to the institute were examined for the presence of inflammatory foci. Analysis of radiographs revealed asymptomatic foci in the maxillary sinus, which were associated with the presence of a displaced foreign body. Thermographic examinations were performed using a FLIR T540 thermal imaging camera.\u0000 \u0000 Results: The obtained results showed a significant temperature difference between the suspected and opposite sinus. It was also confirmed that after the foreign body was removed from the sinus the temperature showed a dynamic decrease in time.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: According to the study, thermography has the potential to become an essential diagnostic tool for inflammation of odontogenic origin. It offers non-invasiveness, safety, real-time imaging, painless and completely safe.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"95 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140406912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tino Romeo Soglo, S. Inkoom, Francis Hasford, E. Sosu, Olivier Biaou
{"title":"First implementation of quality control procedures on selected X-ray machines in South of Benin","authors":"Tino Romeo Soglo, S. Inkoom, Francis Hasford, E. Sosu, Olivier Biaou","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: The use of X-ray equipment for medical diagnostic radiography procedures has increased due to advances and complexity of radiological procedures. Achieving good image quality while keeping exposure of workers, public and patient exposure to an acceptable level has become a prerequisite for the radiology department in order to comply with best international practices. The aim of this study was to undertake quality control measurement of seven (7) diagnostic radiography equipment in the south of Benin, the first of its kind.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: Multifunction detector (Piranha) and beam alignment test tool were used to perform quality control tests on seven (7) X-ray units. The method used as well as the interpretation of the results was based on the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Healing Arts Radiation Protection (HARP), Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Canadian Safety code 35 (S.C 35) recommendations.\u0000 \u0000 Results: The quality control results showed that all X-ray equipment investigated were within standard limits for accuracy of exposure time below 10 ms; reproducibility of kVp, exposure time and dose output; specific dose-kVp2 linearity; and specific dose-mAs linearity. Five (5) out of seven (7) diagnostic X-ray machines passed quality control tests such as X-ray beam alignment, exposure time above 10 ms and kVp accuracy. One (1) X-ray machine failed the quality control test of beam filtration at 70 kVp and above.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: The findings of this study have provided baseline data for other radiology departments to embark on similar QA/QC activities, and also explore options for optimization of patient dose. However, there is a need to extend the study to cover more diagnostic X-ray machines throughout the country. It is anticipated that this would ultimately assist in improving radiation protection and safety during medical diagnostic radiological procedures.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"313 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140402525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modified ResNet152v2: Binary Classification and Hybrid Segmentation of Brain Stroke Using Transfer Learning-Based Approach","authors":"Nallamotu Parimala, G. Muneeswari","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: The brain is harmed by a medical condition known as a stroke when the blood vessels in the brain burst. Symptoms may appear when the brain’s flow of blood and other nutrients is disrupted. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that stroke is the leading cause of disability and death worldwide. A stroke can be made less severe by detecting its different warning symptoms early. A brain stroke can be quickly diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) images. Time is passing quickly, although experts are studying every brain CT scan. This situation can cause therapy to be delayed and mistakes to be made. As a result, we focused on using an effective transfer learning approach for stroke detection.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: To improve the detection accuracy, the stroke-affected region of the brain is segmented using the Red Fox optimization algorithm (RFOA). The processed area is then further processed using the Advanced Dragonfly Algorithm. The segmented image extracts include morphological, wavelet features, and grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). Modified ResNet152V2 is then used to classify the images of Normal and Stroke. We use the Brain Stroke CT Image Dataset to conduct tests using Python for implementation.\u0000 \u0000 Results: Per the performance analysis, the proposed approach outperformed the other deep learning algorithms, achieving the best accuracy of 99.25%, sensitivity of 99.65%, F1-score of 99.06%, precision of 99.63%, and specificity of 99.56%.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: The proposed deep learning-based classification system returns the best possible solution among all input predictive models considering performance criteria and improves the system’s efficacy; hence, it can assist doctors and radiologists in a better way to diagnose Brain Stroke patients.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"67 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140406442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of the frequency and type of CT examinations performed in Poland in 2022","authors":"Piotr Pankowski, Małgorzata Wrzesień","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most widely used diagnostic procedures in modern medicine. Despite many technical improvements, CT still exposes patients to significantly higher doses of radiation than other methods of diagnostic imaging. The presented analysis of the number of CT scans performed in Poland in 2022 aims to designate priorities in the process of optimising radiation protection and makes it possible to identify those examinations and patient groups for which action is particularly justified.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: The data presented is based on an analysis of the National Health Fund (NHF) database of medical services reimbursed in 2022. According to the NHF data, approximately 5.1 million CT examinations were performed. The coding of reimbursed medical procedures used by the NHF in 2022 included 45 different CT procedures.\u0000 \u0000 Results: The highest ratio of the number of examinations performed to the number of patients was found in the age group 59-75 years (average 1.35). This ratio varied according to examination type and was closest to 1 for spine and extremities examinations (between 1.1 and 1.2 on average). Irrespective of patients’ age and type of examination, the proportion of female and male patients fluctuates around 50%. Approximately 82% of head and neck examinations are single-phase CTs. Examinations with two or more phases account for about 17% and less than 1%, respectively.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: Over the past 10 years, both the number of CT scanners and the number of annually performed scans have doubled. Relative to the population size, this is a rate of about 22 scanners per one million people, an average level for European countries, ranging from a maximum of around 37 for Italy and Germany to around 20 for France, Spain, and Romania, according to Eurostat data.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139846358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of the frequency and type of CT examinations performed in Poland in 2022","authors":"Piotr Pankowski, Małgorzata Wrzesień","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most widely used diagnostic procedures in modern medicine. Despite many technical improvements, CT still exposes patients to significantly higher doses of radiation than other methods of diagnostic imaging. The presented analysis of the number of CT scans performed in Poland in 2022 aims to designate priorities in the process of optimising radiation protection and makes it possible to identify those examinations and patient groups for which action is particularly justified.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: The data presented is based on an analysis of the National Health Fund (NHF) database of medical services reimbursed in 2022. According to the NHF data, approximately 5.1 million CT examinations were performed. The coding of reimbursed medical procedures used by the NHF in 2022 included 45 different CT procedures.\u0000 \u0000 Results: The highest ratio of the number of examinations performed to the number of patients was found in the age group 59-75 years (average 1.35). This ratio varied according to examination type and was closest to 1 for spine and extremities examinations (between 1.1 and 1.2 on average). Irrespective of patients’ age and type of examination, the proportion of female and male patients fluctuates around 50%. Approximately 82% of head and neck examinations are single-phase CTs. Examinations with two or more phases account for about 17% and less than 1%, respectively.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: Over the past 10 years, both the number of CT scanners and the number of annually performed scans have doubled. Relative to the population size, this is a rate of about 22 scanners per one million people, an average level for European countries, ranging from a maximum of around 37 for Italy and Germany to around 20 for France, Spain, and Romania, according to Eurostat data.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"5 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139786584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna Pastusiak, Honorata Hafke-Dys, J. Kocinski, Krzysztof Szarzynski, Kamil Janeczek
{"title":"Advancing Auscultation Education: Signals Visualization as a Novel Tool for Enhancing Pathological Respiratory Sounds Detection","authors":"Anna Pastusiak, Honorata Hafke-Dys, J. Kocinski, Krzysztof Szarzynski, Kamil Janeczek","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: Auscultation remains a pivotal diagnostic modality for various respiratory pathologies. To augment its clinical relevance, the continuous expansion of our understanding of pulmonary acoustics, coupled with the advancement of auscultation recording and analysis methodologies, is imperative.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: We investigated how the bimodal presentation of auscultatory signals (sound and visual cue perception) influences the subjective efficacy of pathological respiratory sound detection, which is a critical step in the development of a new auscultation tool.\u0000 Recordings of pediatric breath sounds were presented in three different forms - audio only, visual representation only (spectrogram) or audiovisual (both together). The F1-score, sensitivity and specificity parameters were calculated and compared to the gold standard (GS). Subsequent to the detection experiment, participants completed a survey to subjectively assess the usability of spectrograms in the procedure.\u0000 \u0000 Results: Over 60% of all responders ranked the spectrogram as important (40.8%) or very important (21.1%). Moreover, 11.3% of all participants found this new form of presentation of auscultation results to be more useful than the evaluation of sound only. The addition of visual information did not statistically significantly change the evaluation of the sounds themselves, an observable trend implies that enhancing audio recordings with visualizations can enhance detection performance. This is evident in the 4 p.p. and 2 p.p. sensitivity increments for physicians and students, respectively, even without specialized visual training.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: Our research findings indicate that the integration of spectrograms with conventional auditory assessment, albeit based on observed trends and survey responses, presents a promising avenue for improving the precision and quality of medical education, as well as enhancing diagnosis and monitoring processes.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":" 1018","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139787134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna Pastusiak, Honorata Hafke-Dys, J. Kocinski, Krzysztof Szarzynski, Kamil Janeczek
{"title":"Advancing Auscultation Education: Signals Visualization as a Novel Tool for Enhancing Pathological Respiratory Sounds Detection","authors":"Anna Pastusiak, Honorata Hafke-Dys, J. Kocinski, Krzysztof Szarzynski, Kamil Janeczek","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2024-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Introduction: Auscultation remains a pivotal diagnostic modality for various respiratory pathologies. To augment its clinical relevance, the continuous expansion of our understanding of pulmonary acoustics, coupled with the advancement of auscultation recording and analysis methodologies, is imperative.\u0000 \u0000 Material and methods: We investigated how the bimodal presentation of auscultatory signals (sound and visual cue perception) influences the subjective efficacy of pathological respiratory sound detection, which is a critical step in the development of a new auscultation tool.\u0000 Recordings of pediatric breath sounds were presented in three different forms - audio only, visual representation only (spectrogram) or audiovisual (both together). The F1-score, sensitivity and specificity parameters were calculated and compared to the gold standard (GS). Subsequent to the detection experiment, participants completed a survey to subjectively assess the usability of spectrograms in the procedure.\u0000 \u0000 Results: Over 60% of all responders ranked the spectrogram as important (40.8%) or very important (21.1%). Moreover, 11.3% of all participants found this new form of presentation of auscultation results to be more useful than the evaluation of sound only. The addition of visual information did not statistically significantly change the evaluation of the sounds themselves, an observable trend implies that enhancing audio recordings with visualizations can enhance detection performance. This is evident in the 4 p.p. and 2 p.p. sensitivity increments for physicians and students, respectively, even without specialized visual training.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusions: Our research findings indicate that the integration of spectrograms with conventional auditory assessment, albeit based on observed trends and survey responses, presents a promising avenue for improving the precision and quality of medical education, as well as enhancing diagnosis and monitoring processes.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139847077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paweł Kukołowicz, Dariusz Szałkowski, Beata Jackowska-Zduniak, Mikołaj Tarchalski
{"title":"Optical system for precise isocenter measurement","authors":"Paweł Kukołowicz, Dariusz Szałkowski, Beata Jackowska-Zduniak, Mikołaj Tarchalski","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2023-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2023-0019","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Introduction: The geometrical precision of the machines is essential for effective and safe radiotherapy. Methods currently used for the measurement of the mechanical isocenter have many limitations. In this work, the optical system NaviRation for very precise measurement of mechanical accelerator isocenter is described. The results of the measurement of the isocenter for linear accelerator are also presented. Materials and methods: An optical system for measuring the accelerator isocenter was designed and built. The optical system consists of two cameras recording the target position made according to a patented Zeiss technology. About 1,200 pairs of images are recorded during the rotation of the gantry, collimator and treatment table. Mathematical analysis of these images makes it possible to determine the location of the target center during rotation. In order to verify the accuracy of the measurements, a device simulating rotational motion was designed. The measurement results were also verified at the Central Office of Measures. The system must be calibrated each time before taking measurements. In this article, we present the results of measurements for the Versa HD accelerator. Results: The accuracy of determining the current position of the axis of rotation was 0.15 mm. The time of taking measurements of all rotations does not exceed 20 minutes. Measurement results for the Versa HD accelerator showed that this accelerator met the criteria described by TG142 of the AAPM. The diameter of the gantry, collimator and table isocenter spheres were 1.5 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm, respectively. Conclusions: The system enables precise, fast and simple mechanical isocenter measurement of the gantry, collimator and treatment table. It is also possible to perform all tests related to the measurements of distances, e.g. quality control of distance indicator, and distance of the table movement. The isocenter is measured independently of the accelerator for which measurements are made.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"28 9","pages":"178 - 184"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139264475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Acquah, F. Hasford, S. Tagoe, Adama Diakite, Victor Adjenou, Ernest Osei
{"title":"Dosimetric evaluation of VMAT automated breast treatment plans: Towards the establishment of an institutional plan acceptability criteria","authors":"G. Acquah, F. Hasford, S. Tagoe, Adama Diakite, Victor Adjenou, Ernest Osei","doi":"10.2478/pjmpe-2023-0020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2023-0020","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Introduction: To evaluate the clinical suitability of the current facility-based treatment plan protocol in establishing acceptability criteria. Material and methods: Automated Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatment plans were retrospectively evaluated for intact breast and chest-wall cancer patients from January 2021 to January 2023. Results: A total of 94 patients were planned and treated using automated contouring and VMAT planning technique. The number of patients planned and treated for intact breast and chest-wall were 41 (43.6%) and 53 (56.4%), respectively. The mean intact breast volumes for optimization (Brst_opt) receiving 95% and 105% of the prescribed doses were 92.80% ± 1.11 and 1.54% ± 1.02, respectively. Their corresponding mean chest-wall volumes for optimization (Chst_opt) were 90.65% ± 3.19 and 2.28% ± 2.99, respectively. For left-sided cases, the mean heart dose received was 4.61 Gy ± 1.76 and 5.18 Gy ± 1.55 for intact breast plans and that for chest-wall plans, respectively. The mean ipsilateral lung volume receiving 20 Gy of the prescribed dose was 12.22% ± 3.86 and 13.19% ± 3.74 for intact breast plans and chest-wall plans, respectively. For the Brst_opt and Chst_opt dose metrics were calculated; the mean homogeneity index (HI) was 0.14 ± 0.03 and 0.15 ± 0.04, mean uniformity index (UI) was 1.09 ± 0.03 and 1.11 ± 0.03, and mean conformity index (CI) were 0.92 ± 0.04 and 0.91 ± 0.04, respectively. Conclusions: The dosimetric evaluation shows a good dose distribution in the target volumes with minimal doses to the organs at risk (OAR). Assessment of the current data affirms the clinical usefulness of the facility-adopted protocol in achieving quality treatment plans for intact breast and chest-wall irradiations. The establishment of plan acceptability criteria will help achieve improved overall treatment outcomes.","PeriodicalId":506987,"journal":{"name":"Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering","volume":"20 1","pages":"185 - 194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139264154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}