In order to meet the requirements of ultrasound bone density measurement, we designed a sofware based on Visual Studio C+ + 2008. The software includes interface design, acquisition and control, data processing and parameter extraction, data storage and printing. Excellent human-computer interface (HCI) will give users a convenient experience. Auto gain control (AGC) and digital filter can improve the precision effectively. In addition, we can observe waveform clearly in real time. By using USB communication, we can send control commands to the acquisition and get data effectively, which can shorten the measuring time. Then we calculated the speed of sound (SOS) and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA). Patients' information can be accessed by using XML document. Finally, the software offers printing function.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; instrumentation ; Bone Density ; Humans ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Software ; Sound ; Ultrasonics ; methods ; User-Computer Interface

Manifold methods for bone mineral density analyses are introduced in this paper, and the characteristics of precision, accuracy, position, convenience, sensitivity and the radiation hazards of these methods are also discussed here.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; methods ; Bone Density ; Humans ; Osteoporosis ; diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; instrumentation

This paper describes a calibration phantom system for QCT bone mineral density determination, which consists of 4-standard-solid-sample calibration phantom, a quality assurance (QA) phantom and the bone mineral density analysis software. The system adds to the new applications of CT systems, and provides a new method with a good accuracy and reliability for the examination, diagnosis, prevention, treatment of osteoporosis diseases and the observation of curative effect of drugs.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; instrumentation ; methods ; Algorithms ; Animals ; Bone Density ; Calibration ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Osteoporosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Software ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; instrumentation ; methods

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical feasibility of dual energy subtraction (DES) imaging to improve the delineation of the vocal cord and diagnostic accuracy of vocal cord paralysis as compared with the anterior-posterior view of flat panel detector (FPD) neck radiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 122 consecutive patients who underwent both a flexible laryngoscopy and conventional/DES FPD radiography, three blinded readers retrospectively graded the radiographs during phonation and inspiration on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for the delineation of the vocal cord, and in consensus, reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of vocal cord paralysis employing the laryngoscopy as the reference. We compared vocal cord delineation scores and accuracy of vocal cord paralysis diagnosis by both conventional and DES techniques using kappa statistics and assessing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: Vocal cord delineation scores by DES (mean, 4.2 +/- 0.4) were significantly higher than those by conventional imaging (mean, 3.3 +/- 0.5) (p < 0.0001). Sensitivity for diagnosing vocal cord paralysis by the conventional technique was 25%, whereas the specificity was 94%. Sensitivity by DES was 75%, whereas the specificity was 96%. The diagnostic accuracy by DES was significantly superior (kappa = 0.60, AUC = 0.909) to that by conventional technique (kappa = 0.18, AUC = 0.852) (p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Dual energy subtraction is a superior method compared to the conventional FPD radiography for delineating the vocal cord and accurately diagnosing vocal cord paralysis.
Absorptiometry, Photon/*instrumentation/*methods ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Observer Variation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Subtraction Technique ; Vocal Cord Paralysis/*radiography ; Vocal Cords/radiography ; *X-Ray Intensifying Screens ; Young Adult