Introduction To Medical Physics

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to the basic principles of medical physics, the applications of medical physics equipment, and the role of a medical physicist in healthcare. Introduction to Medical Physics is designed to support undergraduate and graduate students taking their first modules on a medical physics course, or as a dedicated book for specific modules such as medical imaging and radiotherapy. It is ideally suited for new teaching schemes such as Modernising Scientific Careers and will be invaluable for all medical physics students worldwide. Key features: Written by an experienced and senior team of medical physicists from highly respected institutions The first book written specifically to introduce medical physics to undergraduate and graduate physics students Provides worked examples relevant to actual clinical situations

This book begins with the basic terms and definitions and takes a student, step by step, through all areas of medical physics. The book covers radiation therapy, diagnostic radiology, dosimetry, radiation shielding, and nuclear medicine, all at a level suitable for undergraduates. This title not only describes the basics concepts of the field, but also emphasizes numerical and mathematical problems and examples. Students will find An Introduction to Medical Physics to be an indispensible resource in preparations for further graduate studies in the field.

The medical applications of physics are not typically covered in introductory physics courses. Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine fills that gap by explaining the physical principles behind technologies such as surgical lasers or computed tomography (CT or CAT) scanners. Each chapter includes a short explanation of the scientific background, making this book highly accessible to those without an advanced knowledge of physics. It is intended for medicine and health studies students who need an elementary background in physics, but it also serves well as a non-mathematical introduction to applied physics for undergraduate students in physics, engineering, and other disciplines.

Covering the basics of X-rays, CT, PET, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and MRI, this textbook provides senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students with a broad introduction to medical imaging. Over 130 end-of-chapter exercises are included, in addition to solved example problems, which enable students to master the theory as well as providing them with the tools needed to solve more difficult problems. The basic theory, instrumentation and state-of-the-art techniques and applications are covered, bringing students immediately up-to-date with recent developments, such as combined computed tomography/positron emission tomography, multi-slice CT, four-dimensional ultrasound, and parallel imaging MR technology. Clinical examples provide practical applications of physics and engineering knowledge to medicine. Finally, helpful references to specialised texts, recent review articles, and relevant scientific journals are provided at the end of each chapter, making this an ideal textbook for a one-semester course in medical imaging.

This book summarizes basic knowledge of atomic, nuclear, and radiation physics that professionals need for efficient and safe use of ionizing radiation. Concentrating on the underlying principles of radiation physics, it covers prerequisite knowledge for medical physics courses on the graduate and post-graduate levels, providing the link between elementary physics on the one hand and the intricacies of the medical physics specialties on the other.

Provides an accessible introduction to practical medical physics within a hospital environment Maps to the course content of the Scientist Training Programme in the NHS Acts as a complement to the academic books often recommended for medical physics courses

The purpose and subject of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of all types of phantoms used in medical imaging, therapy, nuclear medicine and health physics. For ionizing radiation, dosimetry with respect to issues of material composition, shape, and motion/position effects are all highlighted. For medical imaging, each type of technology will need specific materials and designs, and the physics and indications will be explored for each type. Health physics phantoms are concerned with some of the same issues such as material heterogeneity, but also unique issues such as organ-specific radiation dose from sources distributed in other organs. Readers will be able to use this book to select the appropriate phantom from a vendor at a clinic, to learn from as a student, to choose materials for custom phantom design, to design dynamic features, and as a reference for a variety of applications. Some of the information enclosed is found in other sources, divided especially along the three categories of imaging, therapy, and health physics. To our knowledge, even though professionally, many medical physicists need to bridge the three catagories described above.

Combining facets of health physics with medicine, An Introduction to Radiation Protection in Medicine covers the background of the subject and the medical situations where radiation is the tool to diagnose or treat human disease. Encouraging newcomers to the field to properly and efficiently function in a versatile and evolving work setting, it familiarizes them with the particular problems faced during the application of ionizing radiation in medicine. The text builds a fundamental knowledge base before providing practical descriptions of radiation safety in medicine. It covers basic issues related to radiation protection, including the physical science behind radiation protection and the radiobiological basis of radiation protection. The text also presents operational and managerial tools for organizing radiation safety in a medical workplace. Subsequent chapters form the core of the book, focusing on the practice of radiation protection in different medical disciplines. They explore a range of individual uses of ionizing radiation in various branches of medicine, including radiology, nuclear medicine, external beam radiotherapy, and brachytherapy. With contributions from experienced practicing physicists, this book provides essential information about dealing with radiation safety in the rapidly shifting and diverse environment of medicine.