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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

7d Cardiac Flow Mri: Techniques & Automation Of Reconstruction, Michael G. Ambrosia Jan 2012

7d Cardiac Flow Mri: Techniques & Automation Of Reconstruction, Michael G. Ambrosia

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Advances in magnetic resonance imaging to quantify the blood flow in the heart and major vessels stemming from the heart has recently allowed for advanced clinical applications for patients suffering from cardiac valve problems and aortic abnormalities. 7D cardiac flow quantification is relatively new, but has already shown potential in several clinical applications, including bicuspid valve and aortic coarctation characterization. In addition radiologists diagnosing valvular regurgitation may benefit from insight provided by the 7D cardiac flow quantification protocol. 7D cardiac flow quantification using magnetic resonance imaging will provide direction flow quantification in the anterior / posterior, head / foot, and …


Characterization Of Elastic-Like Polypeptide Micelles Using Capillary Viscometry, Sumit H. Kambow Jan 2012

Characterization Of Elastic-Like Polypeptide Micelles Using Capillary Viscometry, Sumit H. Kambow

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Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are a part of the family of responsive polymers. These polymers can be made to respond to a wide variety of stimuli, including temperature, pH, salt, concentration, light, and solvent. Elastin-like polypeptides are soluble in water at low temperatures but they become hydrophobic and insoluble above their transition temperature. Elastin-like polypeptides, (GVGVP)40-foldon and (GVGVP)60-foldon, were expressed in bacterial system. These ELPs above their transition temperature, Tt, at low salt (< 45mM) and high pH (> pH 10) assemble into micelles where the hydrophobic tails phase separate in the interior of the micelle as an immiscible coacervate phase. The oligomerization domain termed as …


Controlled Delivery Of Tgf-Ss1 From Plga Nanoparticles, Pratik K. Vaidya Jan 2012

Controlled Delivery Of Tgf-Ss1 From Plga Nanoparticles, Pratik K. Vaidya

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Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) typically manifest as localized wall weakening and dilation of the infrarenal aorta, which grows gradually, and ultimately leads to fatal rupture. It is caused due to overexpression of proteolytic enzymes (matrix metalloproteases or MMPs) resulting into disruption of tissue structure, especially elastic matrix, which cannot be regenerated by adult vascular cells. On account of post-operative complications associated with their surgical repair, there is a critical need for developing non-surgical strategies for slowing and even regressing AAA growth. Recent studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that 1 ng/mL of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) enhances regenerative repair by …


Elastogenic Characterization Of Rat Bm-Msc-Derived Smcs Towards Use In Soft Tissue Engineering, Sahithya Wintrich Jan 2012

Elastogenic Characterization Of Rat Bm-Msc-Derived Smcs Towards Use In Soft Tissue Engineering, Sahithya Wintrich

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No abstract provided.


Analysis Of Microstructure And Macrosegregation For Directional Solidification Of Al-7 Wt Si Alloy With A Cross-Section Change At Growth Speeds Of 10 And 29.1 [Mu]M/S, Luke Johnson Jan 2012

Analysis Of Microstructure And Macrosegregation For Directional Solidification Of Al-7 Wt Si Alloy With A Cross-Section Change At Growth Speeds Of 10 And 29.1 [Mu]M/S, Luke Johnson

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No abstract provided.


Design Of An Implant For First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Hemiarthroplasty, Atul Kumar Jan 2011

Design Of An Implant For First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Hemiarthroplasty, Atul Kumar

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and it affects 27 million US adults. OA disease involves all of the tissues of the diarthrodial joint and ultimately, may lead to softening, ulceration, loss of articular cartilage, sclerosis and polished appearance of the subchondral bone, osteophytes, and subchondral cysts. The first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ1) is affected in up to 42 cases of OA. Besides osteoarthritis, other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout also affect the MTPJ1. Involvement of MTPJ1 with these conditions invariably leads to deformed toe such as hallux valgus and hallux rigidus. Over 150 surgical techniques …


Development Of A Muscle Force Optimization Algorithm To Improve Center Of Pressure During Simulated Walking, Lawrence Dean Noble Jan 2011

Development Of A Muscle Force Optimization Algorithm To Improve Center Of Pressure During Simulated Walking, Lawrence Dean Noble

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The Universal Musculoskeletal Simulator (UMS) was developed at the Cleveland Clinic to facilitate general purpose orthopaedic research that allows investigators to study the in vitro forces applied to bones, tendons and ligaments during simulated exercise of cadaver joint systems. In its original state, the UMS hardware consisted of a rotopod (a specialized hexapod robot), a single rotary tendon actuator and custom LabVIEW software for coordinated control and operation of the system. The focus of this work was to 1) enhance the UMS with a multi-tendon actuator system, 2) develop a muscle force optimization algorithm and evaluate it with a static …


3d Imaging For Planning Of Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures, Uma Numburi Jan 2011

3d Imaging For Planning Of Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures, Uma Numburi

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Novel minimally invasive surgeries are used for treating cardiovascular diseases and are performed under 2D fluoroscopic guidance with a C-arm system. 3D multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) images are routinely used for preprocedural planning and postprocedural follow-up. For preprocedural planning, the ability to integrate the MDCT with fluoroscopic images for intraprocedural guidance is of clinical interest. Registration may be facilitated by rotating the C-arm to acquire 3D C-arm CT images. This dissertation describes the development of optimal scan and contrast parameters for C-arm CT in 6 swine. A 5-s ungated C-arm CT acquisition during rapid ventricular pacing with aortic root …


Quantification Of Scenedesmus Dimorphus Growth And Substrate Kinetics For Continuous Photobioreactor Design, Daniela Ribita Jan 2011

Quantification Of Scenedesmus Dimorphus Growth And Substrate Kinetics For Continuous Photobioreactor Design, Daniela Ribita

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Increasing gas prices, limited fossil fuel resources and U.S. dependence on foreign oil make research in alternative fuels a priority. The feasibility of producing fuels from microalgae is economically dependent on improvements in lipid productivity by the algae. The research presented here focuses on the development of a mathematical model to describe the biomass and lipid productivity in a continuously-operated photobioreactor (PBR) system. Five different cell lysing methods were evaluated for the purpose of improving the methods of analysis of lipid synthesis. The two most promising methods were found to be mortar and pestle and organic solvent cell fractionation methods. …


Algea Suspension Dewatering With An Inclined Gravity Settler, Jing Hou Jan 2011

Algea Suspension Dewatering With An Inclined Gravity Settler, Jing Hou

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Biofuel has been studied for several decades as a feasible substitute for petroleum, which may solve the energy crisis. Having a high oil content and growth rate, algae biofuels have received lots of attention recently, and have been considered as one of the most promising technologies to reduce the dependence of fossil fuels. In the process of producing algae biofuel, the dewatering process constitutes a significant part of the cost of the algae biofuel, impeding progress towards large-scale commercial use. An inclined settler utilizes gravity to separate algae cells from the fluid, with little energy consumption. The separation ability of …


One-Dimensional Radial Diffusion Of Small Molecules (376 Da) In Bone Tissue, Kurt W. Farrell Jan 2011

One-Dimensional Radial Diffusion Of Small Molecules (376 Da) In Bone Tissue, Kurt W. Farrell

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The flow of nutrients through any biological tissue is important to maintain homeostasis. If the transport process is understood, medical research teams can better design medications, prosthetic implants, and tissue scaffolds. Additionally, transport rates help physicians to better understand disease states and wound healing, including minor injuries such as breaks and sprains, which will aid in better diagnoses. We developed a novel method that measures the rate of diffusion in vitro, of fluorescein sodium salt. Samples were incubated at 37°C in a 5 CO2 atmosphere for various periods of time. Samples were sliced and analyzed using Image-Pro Plus and MATLAB …


An Assessment Of The Accuracy Of Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping In Turbulent Flow Through Orifices, Sahitya Pidaparthi Jan 2011

An Assessment Of The Accuracy Of Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping In Turbulent Flow Through Orifices, Sahitya Pidaparthi

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Magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (MRPVM) is an established clinical technique to measure blood flow. The acquired information can be used to diagnose a variety of cardiovascular disease. One of the main limitations of MRPVM is that it cannot quantify the flow under turbulent flow conditions. Such conditions develop in certain cases such as in heart valve stenosis and arterial stenosis. Specifically, heart valve stenosis is a serious disease in which the valve does not open as much as necessary for blood to pass through. As a result, the heart has to overwork to overcome the increased resistance. If untreated, …


Modification, Expression, And Purification Of Hyperactive Antifreeze Proteins From Insect Tenebrio Molitor, Sen Bu Jan 2011

Modification, Expression, And Purification Of Hyperactive Antifreeze Proteins From Insect Tenebrio Molitor, Sen Bu

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Antifreeze proteins (AFPs), also known as thermal hysteresis proteins, can protect organisms from damage caused by freezing by lowering the freezing point of fluids. AFPs can bind to small ice crystals, inhibit ice growth, and change the morphology of ice crystals. The difference between the freezing temperature and the melting temperature is termed thermal hysteresis (TH). There are different types of AFPs, such as fish AFPs (type I, II, III, and IV) and insect AFPs. These AFPs can also be classified by their thermal hysteresis activity: moderately active AFPs and hyperactive AFPs. Previous research groups successfully constructed AFP (type I, …


Characterization Of Elastin-Like Polypeptides Using Viscometry, Hamdan Noman Alanazi Jan 2011

Characterization Of Elastin-Like Polypeptides Using Viscometry, Hamdan Noman Alanazi

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Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are a class of polypeptide polymers that are gaining interest in various potential applications. These polymers are responsive to the changes in their environment by exhibiting conformational changes and aggregation. Monodisperse elastin-like polypeptides, (GVGVP)40, (GVGVP)40-foldon, and (GVGVP)60-foldon are made in bacterial expression system. An Ubbelohde capillary viscometer was set up to characterize the structural changes of these ELPs in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution. For the ELP-foldon, the relative viscosity measurements were utilized to calculate the intrinsic viscosities using Kraemer and Huggins equations. The known molecular weights of the ELPs and the experimentally determined intrinsic viscosities facilitated …


Investigations Of Anatomical Connectivity In The Internal Capsule Of Macaques With Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Kyle Andrew Ignatius Taljan Jan 2011

Investigations Of Anatomical Connectivity In The Internal Capsule Of Macaques With Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Kyle Andrew Ignatius Taljan

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Understanding anatomical connectivity is crucial for improving outcomes of deep brain stimulation surgery. Tractography is a promising method for noninvasively investigating anatomical connectivity, but connections between subcortical regions have not been closely examined by this method. As many connections to subcortical regions converge at the internal capsule (IC), we investigate the connectivity through the IC to three subcortical nuclei (caudate, lentiform nucleus, and thalamus) in 6 macaques. We show that a statistical correction for a known distance-related artifact in tractography results in large changes in connectivity patterns. Our results suggest that care should be taken in using tractography to assess …


A Left Ventricular Motion Phantom For Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mehmet Ersoy Jan 2011

A Left Ventricular Motion Phantom For Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mehmet Ersoy

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The mammalian left ventricle (LV) has two distinct motion patterns: wall thickening and rotation. The purpose of this study was to design and build a low-cost, non-ferromagnetic LV motion phantom, for use with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that is able to produce physiologically realistic LV wall thickening and rotation. Cardiac MRI is continuously expanding its range of techniques with new pulse sequences, including new tissue tagging techniques which allow intra-myocardial deformation to be visualized. An essential step in the development of new cardiac MRI techniques is validating their performance in the presence of motion. MRI-compatible dynamic motion phantoms are …


Assessment Of Circumferential Myocardial Function Using Radial Tagged Mri, Yujaung Kim Jan 2011

Assessment Of Circumferential Myocardial Function Using Radial Tagged Mri, Yujaung Kim

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The extent of myocardial abnormalities is related to cardiac disease. The assessment of myocardial function of the left ventricular (LV) described by the LV myocardial deformation plays an important role to understand the effects of cardiovascular disease and therapeutic interventions on LV motion. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is widely agreed as the most accurate noninvasive imaging modality for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function. In addition, myocardial-tagging technique can track the myocardial deformation by labeling specific regions. Although the grid tagging is popular in cardiac research use, it has not been adopted into routine clinical examination with unreliable …


A Concept For Direct Control Of Rotary Blood Pump Speed By Inlet Pressure, Ibrahim Seven Jan 2011

A Concept For Direct Control Of Rotary Blood Pump Speed By Inlet Pressure, Ibrahim Seven

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Heart failure remains a major health problem for the world. Heart transplantation is the most effective treatment for end stage heart failure. A major problem with heart transplantation is finding adequate numbers of appropriate donors. The lack of donor numbers in the world creates a significant clinical need for blood pumping devices. The ability of ventricular assist devices to relieve the consequences of less than terminal heart failure further creates a need for assist therapy. Current new ventricular assist devices are built around continuous flow technology. These nonpulsatile assist devices have had major clinical success in relieving symptoms and increasing …


Effect Of Step Change In Growth Speed During Directional Solidification On Array Morphology Of Al-7 Wt Si Alloy, Swapna Pakiru Jan 2011

Effect Of Step Change In Growth Speed During Directional Solidification On Array Morphology Of Al-7 Wt Si Alloy, Swapna Pakiru

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No abstract provided.


Measurement Of White Matter Structure Changes In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using Fractal Analysis, Zao Liu Jan 2011

Measurement Of White Matter Structure Changes In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using Fractal Analysis, Zao Liu

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is recognized as a motor neuron disorder affecting the structure and function of the brain and neuromuscular system. Very little is known, however, that the nervous system degeneration is dependent on disease phenotypes of ALS. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of brain white matter (WM) structure degeneration in four ALS patient groups characterized by their clinical signs and neuroimaging measurements. Fractal dimension (FD) of three-dimensional (3D) brain WM images was quantitatively analyzed to evaluate the WM structural complexity, including complexity levels of the WM skeleton, surface and general structures in ALS …


Design, Development And Biomechanical Analysis Of Scaffolds For Augmentation Of Rotator Cuff Repairs, Amit Aurora Jan 2010

Design, Development And Biomechanical Analysis Of Scaffolds For Augmentation Of Rotator Cuff Repairs, Amit Aurora

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Rotator cuff tears are a source of debilitating pain that commonly affects more than 40 of our aging population. Despite advances in surgical treatment, the failure rate of rotator cuff repairs is as high as 20-90 . Extracellular matrix (ECM) derived scaffolds have recently been investigated as augmentation devices for rotator cuff repairs, but none has yet demonstrated both the appropriate biological and mechanical properties for mitigating re-tears and enhancing healing. This dissertation proposes to engineer the mechanical properties of allograft fascia lata in a manner that will allow its use as an augmentation device for rotator cuff repairs. This …


Surface Microtopography Modulation Of Biomaterials For Bone Tissue Engineering Applications, Eun Jung Kim Jan 2010

Surface Microtopography Modulation Of Biomaterials For Bone Tissue Engineering Applications, Eun Jung Kim

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The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a biodegradable and implantable scaffold with precise surface topographies that can provide osteoconductive stimuli to connective tissue progenitor cells (CTPs), and subsequently, enhance bone regeneration applications without the complications of autogenous cancellous bone grafts. This dissertation presents the modification of surface microtextures to provide osteoconductive stimuli to CTPs for bone regeneration applications. First, the effect of surface topography on cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation was validated through experiments using surface post microtextures and CTPs. Post microtextures accelerated CTP growth behaviors compared to smooth polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and standard cell culture dishes. Second, …


Evaluation Of Upper Motor Neuron Pathology In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis By Mri;Towards Identifying Noninvasive Biomarkers Of The Disease, Venkateswaran Rajagopalan Jan 2010

Evaluation Of Upper Motor Neuron Pathology In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis By Mri;Towards Identifying Noninvasive Biomarkers Of The Disease, Venkateswaran Rajagopalan

ETD Archive

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the commonest adult motor neuron disease (MND) which causes progressive muscle paralysis and death usually within 5 years of symptom onset. As a result, only ╠â30,000 individuals in the United States are afflicted at any one time even though 5,000 or more individuals are diagnosed yearly. The diagnosis of ALS requires evidence of degeneration in upper motor neurons (UMNs) in the brain and in lower motor neurons (LMNs) that exit the brainstem and spinal cord to innervate skeletal muscles. Diagnosis can be incorrect or delayed when disease is early or atypical because non-invasive objective tests …


Finite Element Modeling Of Stress Urinary Incontinence Mechanics, Thomas A. Spirka Jan 2010

Finite Element Modeling Of Stress Urinary Incontinence Mechanics, Thomas A. Spirka

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Stress urinary incontinence is characterized by the involuntary transurethral loss of urine caused by an increase in abdominal pressure in the absence of a bladder contraction that raises the vesical pressure to a level that exceeds urethral pressure. Adult women are most commonly affected by SUI which is believed to be caused in part by injuries to the pelvic floor sustained during childbirth. In spite of the large number of women affected by SUI, little is known about the mechanics associated with the maintenance of continence in women. In theory the mechanics underlying the mechanics of female continence can be …


Cell-Taught Gene Therapy For The Preservation And Regeneration Of Cardiac Tissue Following Chronic Heart Failure, Srividya Sundararaman Jan 2010

Cell-Taught Gene Therapy For The Preservation And Regeneration Of Cardiac Tissue Following Chronic Heart Failure, Srividya Sundararaman

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Heart failure is the primary cause of mortality and morbidity in the Western world. Although cell therapy has demonstrated improvement in cardiac function, these benefits are being attributed to the activation of paracrine factors, rather than the differentiation and integration of the transplanted cells into the host tissue. Based on this knowledge the focus of this thesis work was to deliver paracrine factors, and evaluate its effect on cardiac function. Gene therapy has evolved as a promising option to deliver pro-angiogenic proteins to infarct zones, thus providing cardiac benefit. This study has identified a gene design without the use of …


A Theoretical Model Of The Effect Of Bone Defects On Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Finite Element Approach, Piyush Walia Jan 2010

A Theoretical Model Of The Effect Of Bone Defects On Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Finite Element Approach, Piyush Walia

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Presence of either a Hill Sachs or a Bony Bankart lesion has been indicated as a possible cause of subluxation and anterior shoulder dislocation. Previous studies have investigated only effects of these isolated lesions on the glenohumeral instability of the shoulder. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effect of both Bony Bankart lesion and Hill-Sachs lesion in the glenohumeral joint on the stability of the shoulder. We hypothesize that as the size of the lesion increases, the glenohumeral joint's stability will decrease. We further hypothesize that the presence of both defects together will reduce the glenohumeral joint's …


Application Of Differential Scanning Calorimetry To Characterize Thin Film Deposition Processes, Andrew John Roger Snell Jan 2010

Application Of Differential Scanning Calorimetry To Characterize Thin Film Deposition Processes, Andrew John Roger Snell

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With the recent increase in awareness on the environmental impact of industrial coating processes, chromate-based coating processes have been elevated to the rank of the technologies targeted by the EPA for rapid replacement by environmentally friendly processes. Therefore, there is a clear need for advances in coating technologies to identify alternative industrial practices. This thesis characterizes a process developed at Cleveland State University as an alternative deposition technique to generate uniform coatings onto solid substrates. A kinetic analysis to extract scale up parameters involved in the reaction kinetics leading to high-performance coatings is demonstrated in this research. The work consists …


The Thermodynamics Of Fluid-Phase Benzene Via Molecular Simulation, John L. Tatarko Jan 2010

The Thermodynamics Of Fluid-Phase Benzene Via Molecular Simulation, John L. Tatarko

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Accurate values for thermodynamic properties throughout the fluid phase are a requirement for the design of separation processes. To date, very few pure substances have been completely characterized because of time and monetary constraints. Low cost computing power now permits complete determination of the thermodynamic properties of pure substances via molecular simulation. Molecular simulation is computational statistical mechanics. Benzene is an important industrial chemical and pharmaceutical precursor. It is the prototypical, symmetric, hexagonal molecule and is an ideal candidate for molecular simulation. The molecular models of three researchers in the field are submitted for Monte Carlo simulation in the virtual …


Directional Solidification Of Al - 7 Wt Si Alloy, Ravi Shanker Rajamure Jan 2010

Directional Solidification Of Al - 7 Wt Si Alloy, Ravi Shanker Rajamure

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Al - 7 wt Si alloy has been directionally solidified from an aluminum single crystal seed with its [100] orientation parallel to the growth direction with a positive thermal gradient of 40 K/cm and over the range of growth speeds. Growth speed dependence of primary Dendrite Spacing and Primary Dendrite trunk Diameter has been analyzed during the step increase and step decrease in the growth speeds. Frequency distribution of Nearest Neighbor dendrites obtained from the statistical analysis shows the hexagonal distribution of dendrites. The interdendritic convection was present in the form of transverse macrosegregation and non uniform distribution of dendrites …


Application Of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography To The Evalution Of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque, Mitya M. Barreto Jan 2009

Application Of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography To The Evalution Of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque, Mitya M. Barreto

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Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is responsible for around 50 of cardiovascular deaths in USA. Early detection and characterization of coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque could help prevent cardiac events. Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent modality for imaging calcifications and has higher spatial resolution than other common non-invasive modalities (e.g MRI), making it more suitable for coronary plaque detection. However, attenuation-based classification of non-calcified plaques as fibrous or lipid is difficult with conventional CT, which relies on a single x-ray energy. Dual-energy CT (DECT) may provide additional attenuation data for the identification and discrimination of plaque components. The purpose of this …