Practical Nuclear Medicine

This book is an essential guide for all practitioners. The emphasis throughout is on the practice of nuclear medicine. Primarily aimed at the radiologist, physician, physicist or technologist starting in nuclear medicine, it will also appeal to more experienced practitioners who are keen to stay up-to-date. The practical approach with tables as "recipes" for acquisition protocols means it is essential for any departmental shelf. 3rd edition expanded - now covering areas of development in nuclear medicine, such as PET and other methods of tumour imaging, data processing. All illustrations are up-to-date to reflect current standards of image quality.

This handy guide features all of the important topics in the field of nuclear medicine. Concise and covenient, it bridges the gap between introductory texts and encyclopedic volumes with a plethora of illustrations, allowing the reader to find the right amount of information for everyday clinical interpretation.

"Simplifies the mathematics that technologists and students are likely to encounter in the practice of clinical nuclear medicine technology"--Provided by publisher.

In contrast to most anatomic radiographic imaging techniques, nuclear medicine permits real time, non-invasive imaging of human physiology and pathophysiology and also allows for exquisite targeting of disease with therapeutic radiology. To open this window to the processes of human disease, one must first understand the physical processes behind radioactive decay and emission, as well the principles of radiation detection. Nuclear Medicine provides residents and practitioners in nuclear medicine and radiology a readable explanation of the physics concepts underpinning nuclear imaging and how they impact the utilization and interpretation of those images. Following a brief introductory section, the book provides numerous case examples, illustrating various imaging artifacts and pitfalls that can be recognized and remedied with a solid understanding of the physics behind the procedure. Understanding and applying the physics behind nuclear medicine is essential to maximizing not only diagnostic and therapeutic accuracy for providing optimal patient care, and "Practical Physics" is a required portion of radiology residency education and a designated area of the board exams.

Nuclear medicine plays a crucial role in patient care, and this book is an essential guide for all practitioners to the many techniques that inform clinical management. The first part covers the scientific basis of nuclear medicine, the rest of the book deals with clinical applications. Diagnostic imaging has an increasingly important role in patient management and, despite advances in other modalities (functional MRI and spiral CT), nuclear medicine continues to make its unique contribution by its ability to demonstrate physiological function. This book is also expanded by covering areas of development in nuclear medicine, such as PET, methods of tumor imaging, and data processing.

Nuclear Medicine is a diagnostic modality which aims to image and in some cases quantify physiological processes in the body to highlight disease or injury. Within nuclear medicine, over the past few decades, major technological changes have occurred and concomitantly changes in the knowledge and skills required have had to evolve. One of the most significant technological changes has been the fusion of imaging technologies, to create hybrid systems such as SPECT/CT, PET/CT and PET/MR. With these changes in mind, Practical SPECT/CT in Nuclear Medicine provides a handy and informative guide to the purchase, clinical implementation and routine use of a SPECT/CT scanner. Practical SPECT/CT in Nuclear Medicine will be a valuable resource for all personnel working in nuclear medicine and it will be of particular value to trainees.

This book provides all the information required for the optimal use of nuclear medicine techniques, which are undergoing rapid development yet remain underutilized. Each chapter focuses on one particular clinical system or disease area. The first section of each chapter illustrates normal patterns observed on commonly and uncommonly performed scans as a reference and explains when and how the procedures should be performed. The following section illustrates both the imaging patterns of different diseases and the diagnostic role of individual studies. Comparisons with other modalities are provided, and the rationale for and effective utilization of each study are discussed. The volume includes near 250 case reviews. In addition, the normal patterns on relevant morphologic modalities are documented in an appendix. The book is directed at Nuclear Medicine physicians and technologists with different levels of training and expertise and also at radiologists who practice nuclear medicine and radiology residents.