Radiation Protection It is incumbent upon all individuals who use radiation in medicine to strive for an optimal compromise between its clinical utility and the risk from radiation doses to…

Radiation Biology 20.1 OVERVIEW Rarely have beneficial applications and hazards to human health followed a major scientific discovery more rapidly than with the discovery of ionizing radiation. Soon after Roentgen’s…

Radionuclide Production, Radiopharmaceuticals, and Internal Dosimetry 16.1 RADIONUCLIDE PRODUCTION Although many naturally occurring radioactive nuclides exist, all of those commonly administered to patients in nuclear medicine are artificially produced. Artificial…

Nuclear Imaging—The Gamma Camera Nuclear imaging produces images of the distributions of radionuclides in patients. Because charged particles from radioactivity in a patient are almost entirely absorbed within the patient,…

Radioactivity and Nuclear Transformation Roentgen had discovered x-rays in early November 1895. Even in the absence of the virtually instantaneous worldwide communication networks known today, this discovery spread very quickly…

Image Quality The quality of medical images is related to how well they convey specific anatomical or functional information to the interpreting physician such that an accurate diagnosis can be…

X-ray Dosimetry in Projection Imaging and Computed Tomography Radiation dosimetry is a field of study that encompasses the measurement and calculation of ionizing radiation energy deposition into matter. Dosimetric quantities…

Breast Imaging: Mammography Mammography is a radiographic examination that is optimized for detecting breast cancer. Breast cancer screening with mammography can catch cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage. Technological…

Radiography Radiography involves the production of a two-dimensional image from a three-dimensional object, the patient (Fig. 7-1). The procedure projects the x-ray shadows of the patient’s anatomy onto the image…

Fluoroscopy Fluoroscopy systems provide real-time or near real-time x-ray imaging of patients. Fluoroscopy systems provide the temporal resolution necessary for the operator to use image guidance for the placement of…