X-ray Imaging Tests Research Articles

Development and performance evaluation of a thin GAGG:Ce scintillator plate for high resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging

Scintillator-based X-ray imaging detectors are pivotal in numerous scientific and practical domains, including medical imaging, food and device inspection, and security monitoring. Recent advancements have spurred interest in 4D X-ray imaging using synchrotron radiation, necessitating higher temporal resolutions. Consequently, this places stringent demands on X-ray detector technology, especially when X-ray energy exceeds 20 keV. The selection of a suitable scintillator material is crucial for achieving optimal timing resolution, yet it poses a significant challenge in dynamic X-ray imaging. This study delves into the optimization of scintillator properties and their impact on spatial resolution and light output, elucidating the performance of Ce-doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 (GAGG:Ce) scintillators for X-ray imaging applications. We developed a micro X-ray imaging detector using a 100 μm-thick GAGG:Ce scintillator plate and conducted X-ray imaging tests at the Aichi SR facility. The results demonstrated that the resolution, quantified as the chart slit width at a contrast transfer function (CTF) value of 10%, reached 2 ∼ 3 μm with a 4× lens, 0.52 μm± 0.03 μm with a 20× lens, and 0.42 μm± 0.01 μm with a 40× lens. Although the results of this study did not achieve a spatial resolution nearing the effective pixel size of the 40× lens, the text also elucidates the underlying reasons for this limitation. Furthermore, we compared the X-ray sensitivity of our GAGG:Ce scintillator plate with that of a commercial LuAG:Ce scintillator, revealing an approximately 1.5-fold increase in light output. As a demonstration, transmission images of dried small fish were captured using the GAGG:Ce scintillator plate and the developed X-ray imaging system. These findings highlight the potential of the X-ray imaging detector devised in this study for future generations of X-ray imaging applications.

TinyCheXReport: Compressed deep neural network for Chest X-ray report generation

Increase in chest x-ray (CXR) imaging tests has burdened radiologists, thereby posing significant challenges in writing radiological reports on time. Although several deep learning-based automatic report generation methods have been developed till date, most are over-parameterized. For deployment on edge devices with constrained processing power or limited resources, over-parameterized models are often too large. This paper presents a compressed deep learning-based model that is 30% space efficient as compared to the non-compressed base model while both have comparable performance. The model comprising of VGG19 and hierarchical long short-term memory (LSTM) equipped with contextual word embedding layer is used as the base model. The redundant weight parameters are removed from the base model using unstructured one-shot pruning. To overcome the performance degradation, the lightweight pruned model is fine-tuned over publically available OpenI dataset. The quantitative evaluation metric scores demonstrate that proposed model surpasses the performance of state-of-the-art models. Additionally, the proposed model, being 30% space efficient, is easily deployable in resource-limited settings. Thus, this study serves as baseline for development of compressed models to generate radiologicalreports from CXR images.

Conceptual study on CROUP in children w.r.t. its management in Ayurvedic and Contemporary Sciences

Background: Croup is a common respiratory condition in children, typically caused by a viral infection, most commonly the parainfluenza virus. It leads to inflammation and narrowing of the upper airway, primarily the trachea and larynx, which can result in distinctive symptoms like Barking cough, Stridor, hoarseness, labored breathing, Fever. Laryngotracheitis, laryngotracheobronchitis, and laryngo-tracheo-broncho-pneumonitis are all included in the spectrum of croup. Aims and Objectives: To study the etiology, progression of Croup, to study the signs & symptoms of Croup, to study the investigations and management by Ayurvedic and contemporary sciences. Materials & Methods: Authentic books and Samhitas along with the articles published is referred for the detailed information related to topic. Discussion: Diagnosis of Croup is typically diagnosed based on the child's symptoms and physical examination. In some cases, X-ray or other imaging tests is recommended. Ayurveda treats Croup in multiaspect corelating with Kasa and Shwasa Roga. Snehan by Lavangadi Taila, Swedan. Use of Kasa- Shwashara Kalpa like, Talisadi Churna, Shwaskuthar Rasa, Kanakasava. Panchakarma procedures such as Dashmool Niruha Basti, Mrudu Vaman, Virechan. Contemporary science treats it by humidified Air, corticosteroids, nebulized epinephrine, rest and Fluids. Conclusion: Croup in children is a common and usually mild respiratory condition caused by viral infections. While it can be distressing, most cases can be managed effectively at home with humidified air and, in some cases, corticosteroids. Knowing the symptoms and when to seek medical attention is crucial for parents and caregivers to ensure the well-being of their children.

Preserving Intangible Heritage through Tangible Finds: The “Skull with Ears”—St. Luciella ai Librai’s Church (Naples, Italy)

The present study reports the conservative first aid concerning the human cranium known as the “Skull with Ears”, which is conserved in the crypt of Santa Luciella ai Librai’s church in Naples, Italy. These remains have historically been worshipped by devotees within the cult of the “abandoned souls”. The skulls were “adopted” by the Neapolitan population and treated with particular care in exchange for divine favors. The critical preservation status of the “Skull with ears” required a multidisciplinary approach aimed at defining the taphonomy and anthropological features of the cranium, while determining the state of its conservation by using a multi-analytical approach. Multispectral imaging, 3D modeling, X-ray imaging, microscopical observations, and microbiological tests enabled the documentation of the cranium while assessing this state of conservation. Electron scanning microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode, and radiocarbon dating allowed for essential data to be obtained on the cranium’s history and constituent components. The results that were obtained from both the analysis of the cranium and the environmental monitoring of the crypt showed the advanced degradation of the bones due to a significant bacterial attack, which was facilitated by the inadequate environmental conditions at the site of conservation. The acquired data enabled the definition of the most suitable conservation strategy and the securing of the cranium.

Lanthanide(III)-Cu4 I4 Organic Framework Scintillators Sensitized by Cluster-Based Antenna for High-Resolution X-ray Imaging.

Scintillator-based X-ray imaging has attracted great attention from industrial quality inspection and security to medical diagnostics. Herein, a series of lanthanide(III)-Cu4 I4 heterometallic organic frameworks (Ln-Cu4 I4 MOFs)-based X-ray scintillators are developed by rationally assembling X-ray absorption centers ([Cu4 I4 ] clusters) and luminescent chromophores (Ln(III) ions) in a specific manner. Under X-ray irradiation, the heavy inorganic units ([Cu4 I4 ] clusters) absorb the X-ray energy to populate triplet excitons via halide-to-ligand charge transfer (XLCT) combined with the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) state (defined as the X/MLCT state), and then the 3 X/MLCT excited state sensitizes Tb3+ for intense X-ray-excited luminescence via excitation energy transfer. The obtained Tb-Cu4 I4 MOF scintillators exhibit high resistance to humidity and radiation, excellent linear response to X-ray dose rate, and high X-ray relative light yield of 29 379±3000 photons MeV-1 . The relative light yield of Tb-Cu4 I4 MOFs is ≈3 times higher than that of the control Tb(III) complex. X-ray imaging tests show that the Tb-Cu4 I4 MOFs-based flexible scintillator film exhibits a high spatial resolution of 12.6lpmm-1 . These findings not only provide a promising design strategy to develop lanthanide-MOF-based scintillators with excellent scintillation performance, but also exhibit high-resolution X-ray imaging for biological specimens and electronic chips.

Radiation Response Properties of Tb-Doped MgGa2O4 Single Crystals

Tb-doped MgGa2O4 single crystals (0.3, 1, 3, and 5%) were synthesized by the floating zone method. The synthesized crystals had a single phase of MgGa2O4 confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high transparency in the visible wavelength. Tb3+ acted as a luminescence center in both photoluminescence (PL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) processes. In the TSL dose response functions, the minimum detectable dose of the crystals was 0.01 mGy, which was comparable with some commercial dosimetric materials. In the X-ray imaging test taken based on TSL, the spatial resolution of the 1% Tb-doped crystal was estimated to be 8.90 LP/mm (56.2 μm).

Effect of Tm doping on photoluminescence, scintillation, and thermally stimulated luminescence properties of MgAl2O4 single crystals

The Tm-doped MgAl2O4 single crystals were synthesized by using Xe arc lamps-equipped floating zone furnace. The synthesized crystals exhibited luminescence due to the 4f-4f transitions of Tm3+ in photoluminescence (PL), scintillation, and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL). In all of PL, scintillation, and TSL, the 0.5% Tm-doped crystal showed the highest luminescence intensity. In TSL dose response functions, the 0.5% Tm-doped crystal showed sensitivity from X-ray irradiation with 0.1 mGy. In addition, we measured linear energy transfer (LET) dependence on TSL glow curve of the crystal and X-ray imaging test taken by TSL. We revealed the spatial resolution of the crystal was 100 μm.

Recent Trends in Advanced Radiation Shielding Concrete for Construction of Facilities: Materials and Properties.

Nuclear energy offers a wide range of applications, which include power generation, X-ray imaging, and non-destructive tests, in many economic sectors. However, such applications come with the risk of harmful radiation, thereby requiring shielding to prevent harmful effects on the surrounding environment and users. Concrete has long been used as part of structures in nuclear power plants, X-ray imaging rooms, and radioactive storage. The direction of recent research is headed toward concrete’s ability in attenuating harmful energy radiated from nuclear sources through various alterations to its composition. Radiation shielding concrete (RSC) is a composite-based concrete that was developed in the last few years with heavy natural aggregates such as magnetite or barites. RSC is deemed a superior alternative to many types of traditional normal concrete in terms of shielding against the harmful radiation, and being economical and moldable. Given the merits of RSCs, this article presents a comprehensive review on the subject, considering the classifications, alternative materials, design additives, and type of heavy aggregates used. This literature review also provides critical reviews on RSC performance in terms of radiation shielding characteristics, mechanical strength, and durability. In addition, this work extensively reviews the trends of development research toward a broad understanding of the application possibilities of RSC as an advanced concrete product for producing a robust and green concrete composite for the construction of radiation shielding facilities as a better solution for protection from sources of radiation. Furthermore, this critical review provides a view of the progress made on RSCs and proposes avenues for future research on this hotspot research topic.

A behavioural study of hydrothermally derived novel alumina/magnesia/hydroxyapatite (Al2O3/MgO/HA) bioceramic nanocomposite

Regeneration and regrowth of human bones is a gradual and time-consuming process. Therefore scaffolds are required to hold the bones in position and give them time to heal well. Though hydroxyapatite (HA) is a potential candidate, its weak mechanical nature has made it undesirable. To overcome this hurdle, a novel nanocomposite of HA with alumina (Al2O3) and magnesia (MgO) was prepared by hydrothermal method in this study. The constitution, composition and conformation of the Al2O3/MgO/HA nanocomposite were affirmed via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) and imaging tests. Vicker's hardness test evinces the mechanical calibre of the nanocomposite. A perspective load-displacement analysis was done by means of Onitsch and Kick's power laws. The nanocomposite excelled above par with a hardness of 5.19 GPa and fracture toughness of 1.27 MPam1/2. This holistic progress makes this nanocomposite a very desirable bone implant material.

A methodology to develop part acceptance criteria model using non-destructive inspection technique for FDM printed part

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has transit over the years from simple prototyping to high-mix-low-volume production. Sectors such as Aerospace or Biomedical that have adopted Additive Manufacturing for parts production have stringent requirement for strength and minimal tolerance for sub-surface defects. The presence of embedded defects usually leads to premature failure and additional cost for reinstallation. The current gold standard for Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) technique is the use of 3D micro-CT scan. 3D micro-CT scan although provide the best resolution for defect detection, it is expensive, time consuming and laborious. The defects found in polymer 3D printed component, e.g., Fused Deposition Modeling, may not require high resolution imaging for defect detection due to the nature of printing process. Therefore, 2D X-ray imaging known for its short imaging and processing time has been used in this study with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) as the model material. Defects of various void sizes were introduced to tensile test coupons to determine the effect of void sizes on tensile properties. Good linear agreement (R2 = 0.998) has been observed between the void sizes and tensile strength which was then used to develop the part acceptance criteria model. The part acceptance criteria model developed from 2D X-ray imaging and mechanical test data suggest the feasibility of using such methodology to perform quality checks on 3D printed part which obviates the need for time consuming 3D micro-CT scans and unsustainable destructive testing.

Bimodal Ultrasound and X-ray Bioimaging Properties of Particulate Calcium Fluoride Biomaterial.

Ultrasound (US) and X-ray imaging are diagnostic methods that are commonly used to image internal body structures. Several organic and inorganic imaging contrast agents are commercially available. However, their synthesis and purification remain challenging, in addition to posing safety issues. Here, we report on the promise of widespread, safe, and easy-to-produce particulate calcium fluoride (part-CaF2) as a bimodal US and X-ray contrast agent. Pure and highly crystalline part-CaF2 is obtained using a cheap commercial product. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) depicts the morphology of these particles, while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirms their chemical composition. Diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy highlights their insulating behavior. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals that part-CaF2 crystallizes in the face-centered cubic cell lattice. Further analyses regarding peak broadening are performed using the Scherrer and Williamson–Hall (W-H) methods, which pinpoint the small crystallite size and the presence of lattice strain. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) solely exhibits specific peaks related to CaF2, confirming the absence of any contamination. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo maximum tolerated dose (MTD) tests prove the biocompatibility of part-CaF2. Finally, the results of the US and X-ray imaging tests strongly signal that part-CaF2 could be exploited in bimodal bioimaging applications. These findings may shed a new light on calcium fluoride and the opportunities it offers in biomedical engineering.

Deep representation learning for process variation management in laser powder bed fusion

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process where laser power is applied to fuse the spread powder and fabricate industrial parts in a layer by layer fashion. Despite its great promise in fabrication flexibility, print quality has long been a major barrier for its widespread implementation. Traditional offline post-manufacturing inspections to detect the defects in finished products are expensive and time-consuming and thus cannot be applied in real-time monitoring and control. In-situ monitoring methods by relying on the in-process sensor data, on the other hand, can provide viable alternatives to aid with the online detection of anomalies during the process. Given the crucial importance of melt pool characteristics to the quality of final products, this paper provides a framework to process the melt pool images by a configuration of Convolutional Auto-Encoder (CAE) neural networks. The network’s corresponding bottleneck layer learns a deep yet low-dimensional representation from melt pools while preserving the spatial correlation and complex features intrinsic in the images. As opposed to the manual annotation of data by X-ray imaging or destructive tests, an agglomerative clustering algorithm is applied to these representations to automatically extract the anomalies and annotate the data accordingly. A control charting scheme based on Hotelling’s T 2 and S 2 statistics is then developed to monitor the process’s stability by keeping track of the learned representations and residuals obtained from the reconstruction of original images. Testing the proposed methodology on the collected data from an experimental build demonstrates that the method can extract a set of complex features that are inextricable otherwise by using hand-crafted feature engineering methods. Moreover, through extensive numerical studies, it is shown that the proposed feature extraction and statistical process monitoring scheme is capable of detecting the anomalies in real-time with accuracy and F 1 score of about 95% and 82%, respectively.

Open-label phase 3 study of diclofenac conjugated to hyaluronate (diclofenac etalhyaluronate: ONO-5704/SI-613) for treatment of osteoarthritis: 1-year follow-up

BackgroundWe evaluated the 1-year safety and efficacy of diclofenac etalhyaluronate (DF-HA), a diclofenac-conjugated hyaluronate, in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsIn this multi-centre, open-label, noncomparative phase 3 study in Japan, patients with a diagnosis of knee, shoulder, elbow, hip, or ankle OA received an intra-articular (IA) injection of DF-HA 30 mg every 4 weeks for 1 year (13 times in total). The safety outcomes included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and target joint structural changes by X-ray imaging tests. Efficacy outcomes included joint pain scores on an 11-point numerical rating scale. Concomitant use of analgesics was not restricted.ResultsOverall, 166 eligible patients were enrolled, comprising knee OA (n = 126) and other OA (n = 40). All TEAEs were experienced by 126/166 patients (75.9%). The incidence of treatment-related TEAEs was not associated with the treatment period. No significant worsening of joint status was observed in X-ray imaging tests at week 52 or at last assessment. The mean joint pain scores (± standard deviation) were 5.9 ± 1.2, 4.9 ± 1.9, and 3.1 ± 2.3 at baseline, and weeks 2 and 52, respectively. Improvement of pain score was observed after the first injection and was maintained until week 52 regardless of knee OA or other joint OA.ConclusionsRepeated IA injections of DF-HA every 4 weeks for 1 year were well tolerated with no clinically significant adverse events indicating they might lead to the long-term improvement of OA symptoms. DF-HA might be a useful treatment for patients with OA.Trial registration numberJapicCTI-183855 (First registered date: 6th February 2018).

Effects of core-postural stabilisation on fluoroscopy diaphragmatic measurement and dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomized single-blinded clinical trial

BACKGROUND: While respiratory and core-postural stabilisation has recently gained a widespread acceptance to improve pulmonary function and dyspena, the therapeutic effects of and rationale underlying the use of respiratory and core-postural stabilisation in the management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have not been investigated.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the effects of abdominal breathing and respiratory and core-postural stabilisation on diaphragmatic movement and pulmonary function.METHODS: Fourteen patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were randomly assigned to either the respiratory and core-postural stabilisation or abdominal breathing group. All patients underwent fluoroscopy-guided chest X-ray imaging and pulmonary function tests before and after the interventions; the modified Medical Research Council questionnaire was also administered before and after the interventions. Six sessions of either intervention were consistently provided. The obtained data were assessed using independent -tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a significance threshold of 0.05.RESULTS: Respiratory and core-postural stabilisation was more effective in increasing diaphragmatic movements than abdominal breathing ( 0.05). Pulmonary function tests revealed more significant differences in the forced vital capacity (FVC(%)) only after respiratory and core-postural stabilisation ( 0.004). The Medical Research Council questionnaire score was significantly different within the Respiratory and core-postural stabilisation group ( 0.014).CONCLUSIONS: Our novel results suggest that the effects of respiratory and core-postural stabilisation breathing on diaphragmatic movement and pulmonary function were superior to those of abdominal breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aortic Root and Ascending Aortic Aneurysm Related to One Case. Reimplantation of the Right Coronary Artery by 8 mm Dacron Tube (Cabrol Hemi Mustache) and Review of the Literature

The aortic aneurysm is the 13th leading cause of death in Western countries. The incidence of thoracic aortic aneurysms is estimated at 4.5 cases per 100,000. The diagnosis is often made on a chest x-ray or other imaging tests, such as an echocardiogram done for other heart diseases. Echocardiography is the first test to assess the diameter of the ascending aorta and its progression over time. Most patients are first assessed and followed up with spiral thoracic computed tomography with injection of contrast medium, supplemented by 3-dimensional reconstruction of the aneurysm in order to improve the accuracy of measurements, identification of its proximal part and distal. When dilation of the ascending aorta reaches the critical diameter of 50 mm, there is a risk of aortic dissection or rupture. Supravalvular aneurysms are treated by replacing the ectatic portion with a Dacron&#174 tube in the supracoronary position. Aortic root aneurysms, including coronary ostia, require tube replacement, reimplantation of coronary ostia, as well as surgery on the aortic valve. In this article, we report a case of aneurysm of the aortic root and the ascending aorta treated by aortic valve replacement and the ascending aorta associated with the Cabrol hemi-mustache technique and we review the literature.

Pulmonary Function Improves in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis who Undergo Posterior Spinal Fusion Regardless of Thoracoplasty: A Mid-Term Follow-Up.

Introduction The purpose of the present study was to determine, in a mid-term follow-up 5 years or more after surgery, the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and expiratory flow in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) with or without thoracoplasty. Methods The subjects were 134 patients with AIS who underwent PSF between 2004 and 2013. Forty-five patients agreed to participate in the study. We divided the patients into two groups as follows: 24 patients who underwent PSF with thoracoplasty from 2004 to 2010 in the TP group and 21 patients who underwent PSF without thoracoplasty from 2011 to 2013 in the non-TP group. We evaluated whole spine X-ray imaging and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in these patients. PFTs measured FVC, FEV1, peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximum expiratory flow at 50% FVC (V50), maximum expiratory flow at 25% FVC (V25), and the ratio of V50 to V25 (V50/V25). Results The main thoracic curves were 53.6 ± 10.1° before surgery, 19.8 ± 7.6° 1 week after surgery, 22.3 ± 8.3° 2 years after surgery, and 23.3 ± 7.6° at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, FVC, FEV1, and % FEV1 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. No significant difference was observed between % FVC before surgery and at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, PEF, V50, and V25 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. V50/V25 did not change significantly. The changes in PFT values in the TP group and the non-TP group were compared. No significant differences were observed in FVC, % FVC, FEV1, % FEV1, PEF, V50, or V25. Conclusions Regardless of whether thoracoplasty was performed or not, FVC, FEV1, and expiratory flow were improved 5 years or later after PSF.

Highly efficient eco-friendly X-ray scintillators based on an organic manganese halide

Scintillation based X-ray detection has received great attention for its application in a wide range of areas from security to healthcare. Here, we report highly efficient X-ray scintillators with state-of-the-art performance based on an organic metal halide, ethylenebis-triphenylphosphonium manganese (II) bromide ((C38H34P2)MnBr4), which can be prepared using a facile solution growth method at room temperature to form inch sized single crystals. This zero-dimensional organic metal halide hybrid exhibits green emission peaked at 517 nm with a photoluminescence quantum efficiency of ~ 95%. Its X-ray scintillation properties are characterized with an excellent linear response to X-ray dose rate, a high light yield of ~ 80,000 photon MeV−1, and a low detection limit of 72.8 nGy s−1. X-ray imaging tests show that scintillators based on (C38H34P2)MnBr4 powders provide an excellent visualization tool for X-ray radiography, and high resolution flexible scintillators can be fabricated by blending (C38H34P2)MnBr4 powders with polydimethylsiloxane.

Influence of the welding temperature and the welding speed on the mechanical properties of friction stir welds in EN AW-2219-T87

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is an innovative joining technique, which has proven to produce high quality joints in high strength aluminum alloys. Consequently, it is commonly used to manufacture lightweight aerospace structures with stringent requirements. For these structures, it is necessary to ensure a high ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Various studies have reported that the UTS is significantly influenced by the welding parameters. Samples welded with different parameter sets showed a considerably different UTS, despite being free from detectable welding defects (e.g. tunnel defect, voids, or lack of penetration). Based on the observations in the literature, a hypothesis was posed. The welding temperature along with the welding speed determine the UTS of the weld. This study aims to prove this hypothesis experimentally by using temperature-controlled FSW to join plates of EN AW-2219-T87 in butt joint configuration. The welded samples were examined using visual inspection, metallography, X-ray imaging, and uniaxial tensile tests. Finally, a statistical analysis was conducted. Hereby, the hypothesis was confirmed.

X-ray Imaging Technology Application in Fuxin Switch Equipment Test

Since the equipment transmission parts of combination electric appliance in transformer substation are located in the shell, when an internal fault appears, the traditional charged test method only can preliminarily determine the defective position and types, but cannot directly shows the internal defects of the equipment. The Fuxin Company actively introduced X-ray CR imaging test technology and applied it to imaging test of switch equipment, achieved the visual inspection of equipment internal condition without disassembly of equipment and influence on the normal operation condition, and more accurately judged the defect nature, position and size. Practice results show that as a new method of switch devices testing, the X-ray imaging test can successfully achieve the visual and mobile NDT.

Allergic rhinitis affects the duration of rapid eye movement sleep in children with sleep‐disordered breathing without sleep apnea

Our goals were to assess whether allergic rhinitis (AR) is an aggravating factor that affects the severity of sleep apnea in children with tonsils/adenoid hypertrophy (T&A) and to compare polysomnographic data from children with and without AR. This prospective study included 135 children (age range, 3 to 14 years) with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) resulting from T&A. Children with lung, neurological, or craniofacial problems; septal deviations; previous pharyngeal surgeries; or orthodontic treatments were excluded. All children underwent a clinical evaluation, nasopharyngoscopy or lateral X-ray imaging, sleep study, and hypersensitivity skin-prick test. The mean patient age was 6.44 ± 2.55 years (83 males). AR was present in 42.2% of the children; 40% presented with sleep apnea; and 17.04% had sleep apnea and AR. The percentage of time spent in the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage was lower among children with AR without sleep apnea (p = 0.028); however, the percentage of REM sleep was not significantly different among children with apnea (p = 0.2922). No difference in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was observed between the children with (AHI = 2.79 events/hour) and without AR (3.75 events/hour, p = 0.4427). A multivariate analysis showed that nasal congestion was an important factor that can affect the duration of the REM sleep stage. AR affects REM sleep in children with SDB without sleep apnea, and AR is not an aggravating factor regarding the severity of AHI.