Medical imaging physics (fourth edition): William R. Hendee and E. Russell Ritenour. New York, NY, Wiley-Liss, 2002, 312 pages, 340 illustrations

Book review Medical imaging physics (fourth edition) William R. Hendee and E. Russell Ritenour. New York, NY, Wiley-Liss, 2002, 312 pages, 340 illustrations The first three editions of Medical Imaging Physics have become standards for use in training programs for radiology residents and radiation physicists. This reviewer approached the fourth edition with some trepidation, but quickly found that Drs. Hendee and Ritenour have maintained the tradition of excellence found in the earlier editions. The fourth edition is extremely well written, being not only clear on technical matters, but interesting, as well. Since the third edition was written in 1992, there have been significant changes in medical imaging, including digital imaging, helical CT and advances in PET scanning and MR sequencing, all of which are included in the new text. The first chapter provides an interesting overview of the evolution of medical imaging and its role in clinical diagnosis. Each chapter is comprised of a list of objectives at the beginning, a summary (conclusions) and references at the end, and contains questions and problems, as well as sidebars highlighting historical aspects and key facts and concepts. The use of marginal notes and figures is a highly effective method of introducing tangential concepts and comments without distracting from the flow of the material presented. Following the format of the earlier editions, the next several chapters treat basic physics of the atom, radio- activity, X-ray production and radiation production, detec- tion and tissue interaction. An interesting chapter on computers and networking touches on the basics, and will provide a working knowledge of technical components to those not fluent in fundamentals of computers and net- working. The chapters on image quality and visual per- ception are very well written and provide a wealth of information, even for the informed. Individual chapters provide the fundamental principles utilized in general radiography, fluoroscopy and computed tomography, while several chapters are devoted ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. The later chapters describe experimental and human radiobiology and radiation effects and protection in a rather comprehensive manner. The final chapter is an interesting projection of the future of medical imaging such diverse methods as electrical source imaging, electrical impedance imaging, phase contrast X-ray imaging and microwave CT. In summary, Medical Imaging Physics (fourth edition) covers all aspects of image formation in modern medical imaging modalities and presents the physics underlying medical imaging in a comprehensive and interesting man- ner. This text does not require a strong scientific or math- ematical background and will be helpful to physicians, physicists and engineers working in medical imaging. I highly recommend this book as the primary reference for radiology residents, practicing radiologists and radio- logical physicists as the book contains a wealth of material and will be an indispensable addition to their professional libraries. John A. Markisz, MD, PhD 0899-7071/02/$ – see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII: S0899 -7071 (02 )00512 -0 Journal of Clinical Imaging 26 (2002) 426