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Students

Class of 2006

Hobbies( Cycling, Teletubbies (1 yr old))

Homogeneity of Radiation Therapy Imaging in I.M.R.T

Class of 2005 Years

Hobbies( Skiing, Video/Computers)

Hobbies( Reading, Scrapbooking)

1) Plegio (stereotaxy)- We are looking into patients with plagiocephaly to determine the effects of the asymmetry of their skull. Using 3D images from CT scans we have used four landmarks and drawn lines to aide in determining the percent of asymmetry. We have also found within the images that the midline of these patient's brain deviates from the norm after the temporal lobes.

2) Gamma Knife - Perfusion imaging allows for the physicians to observe how the tumor reacts to the injection of the contrast agent. This technique gives insight into the personality of the tumor and how it should react to the various types of treatment available.

Hobbies(Fishing, Chinese Food)

I am interested in the evaluation of tumor morphometrics and functional response using MRI and CT

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Graduated Students

Hobbies( Mount Climbing, Skateboarding)

Hobbies (Traveling, Hockey)

Benton Pahlka

The number of nuclear cardiac imaging studies has been steadily rising. However, apart from improvements in processing, little has changed in conventional gamma camera imaging. While conventional gamma cameras are valuable tools in nuclear medicine, they possess some inherent limitations. Within the last several years, the use of semiconductor devices in the detection of ionizing radiation has had a positive impact on the field of nuclear medicine. Specifically, the incorporation of scintillator crystals coupled to photodiodes is a promising alternative that circumvents the use of photomultiplier tubes found in conventional Anger cameras and SPECT imaging systems. The design of a system based on photodiodes would result in significant reduction in the size of the working camera system and eliminate the need for a bulky gantry. The problem of high patient-to-camera distances in Anger cameras can be greatly reduced leading to improved resolution. We propose the development of a prototype of a novel flexible cardiac imaging system that incorporates the use of scintillation crystals coupled to a matrix of photodiodes. The approach of such a radiation detection system with the appropriate electronics allows for a device that could be placed directly on the patient to image the heart. The main advantage of such a system is a dramatic increase in the resolution and detection efficiency of internally deposited radiopharmaceuticals which leads to increased patient comfort, minimization of motion effects, and reduced imaging time. This system would be composed of a contiguous array of 2 inch wide by 6 inch high scintillator-photodiode detector panels which would go around the heart and mid-section of a patient. These panels would be less than 2 inches thick and thus could be easily placed in an appropriate housing made of a heavy flexible material that could be wrapped around the patient and secured with Velcro support from the shoulders.

To design an effective imaging system, several electrical, physical, and ergonomic parameters must be addressed. The choice of radiation detector, based on performance and cost, is the most crucial because it will determine how well the system is capable of imaging the heart. We wish to test the applicability of a specific detector and associated components for a cardiac imaging system that attempts to address some of the shortcomings with existing systems while maintaining a reasonable cost.

Hobbies( Martial Arts, Skateboarding, Weightlifting, Boxing)

Michael Hall

My research is focused on developing an accurate method to assess the radiation dose to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and meninges due to the intrathecal administration of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies. The project requires the creation of a phantom using high resolution photographs of the spine shown in tranverse cross-section. These images are processed and will be convolved with a dose distribution modeled using MCNP. The radioimmunoconjugate will likely be Y-90, because it is a beta-emitter. Choosing a beta-emitter vs. a gamma source will reduce dose to non-CSF structures. The covolution of phantom with isotope will take place pixel by pixel using an off-the-shelf analysis package such as IDL. This convolution will provide the dose distribution to the CSF, meninges, vertebral bone and marrow, lungs at a minimum. Dose to other anatomical structures may be included. This research has application in the clinical treatment of lepto-meningeal cancers such as metastases that arise in children who suffer from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Hobbies( Indian Food, Yardwork, Blue's Clues (2year old))

George Thomas

The GafChromic XR Type R film is a relatively new product for recording high radiation dose in interventional radiological procedures. Means of measuring the film response were studied in this investigation. Two handheld reflective-type densitometers of different models were compared in the range of 0 - 8 Gy. They were found to be in excellent agreement. Five reflective flatbed scanners of different models were compared by a simple preliminary test. Their widely differed performances suggest the need of testing a scanner before using it for dosimetry measurement. A selected scanner was further tested for its ability to measure radiation in the range of 0 - 8 Gy and for the development of a scanning protocol. This experiment suggested the inclusion of a calibration pattern with known exposures and a black reference step in the scanning of a film in RGB mode. Then the red component of this image should be used for dosimetry computation. This method was compared to the use of a red acetate filter. The latter was demonstrated to be a possible alternative for measurement below 5 Gy and when there is no software ability to split an image into color components.

Hobbies (Asst. Youth Director)

Recent Former Students (Visitors)

Pravin Chaubey, M.S. - Now in Prosthetics Design in Oklahoma City.