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Introduction to Medical Imaging
Physics, Engineering and Clinical Applications
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 refer-
ences to specialized 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.
Nadine Barrie Smith is a faculty member in the Bioengineering Department and the
Graduate Program in Acoustics at Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a
visiting faculty position at the Leiden University Medical Center. She is a Senior Member
of the IEEE, and of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine where she is on
both the Bioeffects and Technical Standards Committees. Her current research involves
ultrasound transducer design, ultrasound imaging and therapeutic applications of ultra-
sound. She has taught undergraduate medical imaging and graduate ultrasound imaging
courses for the past 10 years.
Andrew Webb is Professor of Radiology at the Leiden University Medical Center, and
Director of the C.J. Gorter High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center. He is a
Senior Member of the IEEE, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and
Biological Engineering. His research involves many areas of high field magnetic reso-
nance imaging. He has taught medical imaging classes for graduates and undergraduates
both nationally and internationally for the past 15 years.
Cambridge Texts in Biomedical Engineering
Series Editors
W. Mark Saltzman, Yale University
Shu Chien, University of California, San Diego
Series Advisors
William Hendee, Medical College of Wisconsin
Roger Kamm, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Robert Malkin, Duke University
Alison Noble, Oxford University
Bernhard Palsson, University of California, San Diego
Nicholas Peppas, University of Texas at Austin
Michael Sefton, University of Toronto
George Truskey, Duke University
Cheng Zhu, Georgia Institute of Technology
Cambridge Texts in Biomedical Engineering provides a forum for high-quality accessible
textbooks targeted at undergraduate and graduate courses in biomedical engineering. It
covers a broad range of biomedical engineering topics from introductory texts to
advanced topics including, but not limited to, biomechanics, physiology, biomedical
instrumentation, imaging, signals and systems, cell engineering, and bioinformatics. The
series blends theory and practice, aimed primarily at biomedical engineering
students, it also suits broader courses in engineering, the life sciences and medicine.
Introduction to
Medical Imaging
Physics, Engineering and
Clinical Applications
Nadine Barrie Smith
Pennsylvania State University
Andrew Webb
Leiden University Medical Center
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore,
Sa˜o Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521190657
Ó N. Smith and A. Webb 2011
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2011
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Webb, Andrew (Andrew G.)
Introduction to medical imaging : physics, engineering, and clinical
applications / Andrew Webb, Nadine Smith.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-521-19065-7 (hardback)
1. Diagnostic imaging. 2. Medical physics. I. Smith, Nadine, 1962–2010.
II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Diagnostic Imaging. WN 180]
RC78.7.D53.W43 2011
616.07#54–dc22
2010033027
ISBN 978-0-521-19065-7 Hardback
Additional resources for this publication at www.cambridge.org/9780521190657
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence
or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred
to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content
on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
‘‘This is an excellently prepared textbook for a senior/first year graduate level course.
It explains physical concepts in an easily understandable manner. In addition, a problem
set is included after each chapter. Very few books on the market today have this choice.
I would definitely use it for teaching a medical imaging class at USC.’’
K. Kirk Shung, University of Southern California
‘‘I have anxiously anticipated the release of this book and will use it with both students
and trainees.’’
Michael B. Smith, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
‘‘An excellent and approachable text for both undergraduate and graduate student.’’
Richard Magin, University of Illinois at Chicago