Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and nonsensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm 3 and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and nonsensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm 3 and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and nonsensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm 3 and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and nonsensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm 3 and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and nonsensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm 3 and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish optimal imaging acquisition conditions for the GE Advance(TM) PET imaging system by performing the acceptance tests designed by National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) protocol and General Electric Medical Systems (GEMS) test procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Performance tests were carried out with 18FDG radioactivity source and phantoms by using a standard acquisition mode. Transaxial resolution and scatter fraction tests were performed with a line source and axial resolution with a point source, respectively. A cylindrical phantom made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was used to measure sensitivity, count rate losses and randoms, uniformity correction, and attenuation inserts were added to measure remaining tests. The test results were acquired in a diagnostic acquisition mode and analyzed mainly on high sensitivity mode. RESULTS: Transaxial resolution and axial resolution were measured as average of 4.65 mm and 3.98 mm at 0 cm, and 6.02 mm and 6.71 mm at 20 cm on high sensitivity mode, respectively. Average scatter fraction was 9.87%, and sensitivity was 225.8 kcps/micronCi/cc of trues. Activity at 50% deadtime was 4.6 Ci/cc, and the error of count rate correction at that activity was from 1.49% to 3.83%. Average nonuniformity for total slice was 8.37%. The accuracy of scatter correction was -0.95%. The accuracies of attenuation correction were 5.68% for air, 0.04% for water and -6.51% for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). CONCLUSION: The results satisfied most acceptance criteria, indicating that the GE AdvanceTM PET system can be optimally used for clinical applications.
Electrons* ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Radioactivity ; Water

A 42-year-old male was hospitalized with abdominal pain, dyspnea, and turbid peritoneal fluid. He was diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes and started continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) 11 months ago. He was treated with intraperitoneal cefazolin and ceftazidime, and then white blood cell counts of dialysate decreased. Incidentally, liver abscess was found in chest CT performed for the evaluation of dyspnea, and patient was febrile persistently. So percutaneous abscess drainage was done by pigtail catheter. We changed the antibiotics to ceftriaxone and metronidazole, and hemodialysis was started. Klebsiella pneumoniae was cultured from peritoneal fluid and blood simultaneously. We concluded that liver abscess is a primary cause of CAPD peritonitis.
Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ascitic Fluid ; Catheters ; Cefazolin ; Ceftazidime ; Ceftriaxone ; Drainage ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Klebsiella ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Leukocyte Count ; Liver ; Liver Abscess ; Male ; Metronidazole ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis ; Renal Dialysis ; Thorax

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical results of 6 mm iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens (Artisan(R) lens) implantation in myopic patients. METHODS: Forty eyes of 23 myopic patients underwent 6-mm Artisan(R) phakic IOL implantation and were followed-up for over 6 months. We prospectively analyzed the efficacy, stability, predictability, change of astigmatism, endothelial cell count, pupil diameter, degree of decentration, subjective satisfaction and complications. RESULTS: The preoperative mean spherical equivalent was -9.46 D, and postoperative spherical equivalent was -0.70D at 1 month, -0.55D at 3 months, -0.54D at 6 months, -0.78D at 12 months and remained stable during the follow-up period. The preoperative mean astigmatism was -1.88D and postoperative astigmatism was -0.87D at 6 months. Postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was more than 0.8 in 85% of the eyes at 1 month, 91% at 3 months, 95% at 6 months, and 89% at 12 months. The spherical equivalent refraction after surgery was within 1.0D of emmetropia in 78% of eyes at 1 month, 80% at 3 months, 88% at 6 months, and 64% at 12 months. There was no significant decrease in the endothelial cell count during the follow-up period. Preoperative scotopic pupil diameters were significantly decreased at 1 month and the mean decentration of the lens was 0.38 mm. Patient satisfaction was generally high. Complications included the transient elevation of intraocular pressure in 1 eye, corneal edema in 4 eyes, iritis in 1 eye, traumatic dislocation in 1 eye and iris atrophy in 2 eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The 6-mm Artisan(R)phakic IOL implantation may be an effective surgical procedure for myopic patients who cannot undergo corneal refractive surgery, as it provided good visual results, predictability, patient satisfaction, and short-term safety.
Astigmatism ; Atrophy ; Corneal Edema ; Dislocations ; Emmetropia ; Endothelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iris ; Iritis ; Patient Satisfaction ; Phakic Intraocular Lenses ; Prospective Studies ; Pupil ; Refractive Surgical Procedures ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: Abutted scatter energy windows used for a triple energy window (TEW) method may provide wrong estimation of scatter. This study is to propose an extended TEW (ETEW) method, which doesn't require abutted scatter energy windows and overcomes the shortcomings of TEW method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ETEW is a modification of the TEW which corrects for scatter by using abutted scatter rejection windows, which can overestimate or underestimate scatter. The ETEW is compared to the TEW using Monte Carlo simulated data for point sources as well as hot and cold spheres in a cylindrical water phantom. Various main energy window widths (10 %, 15 % and 20 %) were simulated. Both TEW and ETEW improved image contrast, % recovery coefficients and normalized standard deviation. RESULTS: Both of TEW and ETEW improved image contrast and % recovery coefficients. Estimated scatter components by the TEW were not proportional to the true scatter components over the main energy windows when ones of 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % were simulated. The ETEW linearly estimated scatter components over the width of the main energy windows. CONCLUSION: We extended the TEW method into the method which could linearly estimate scatter components over the main energy windows.
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Water

Various symptoms, such as bradycardia, hypotension, fatigue, constipation, myalgia, muscle weakness, delayed tendon reflex, and so forth, presented in hypothyroidism. Of these symptoms, muscle weakness, myalgia, and delayed tendon reflex are common features of hypothyroid myopathy. Acute rhabdomyolysis, a very severe form of myopathy, but is a rare manifestation of primary hypothyrodism. A 29-year-old man developed acute rhabdomyolysis, associated with primary hypothyroidism as a first manifestation. After thyroxine replacement therapy, he exhibited some improvement in muscle weakness and in non-pitting edema. We report a case of primary hypothyroidism presenting with spontaneous rhabdomyolysis as a first manifestation.
Adult ; Bradycardia ; Constipation ; Edema ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Hypothyroidism* ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscular Diseases ; Myalgia ; Reflex, Stretch ; Rhabdomyolysis* ; Thyroxine