Introduction to the Study Guide

1.0 INTRODUCTION

As Dr. Mettler mentioned in the Foreword to the fourth edition of the textbook The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging (EPMI), the textbook’s title was never completely accurate as both “Essentials” and “Physics” are a bit misleading. The fourth edition of the textbook is over 1,100 pages including over 1,000 figures (plus multipart figures), with more than 150 tables and 275 equations. The text also includes a thorough review of the radiation sciences related to medical imaging as well as comprehensive treatments of radiation protection and radiation biology. We also realized that over the years, the target audience has broadened from our original focus on radiologists in training to include biomedical engineers, medical physicists, and other imaging scientists. Hence, the breadth of discussion has grown to fully embrace this broader readership. To address the original goal of providing a concise compendium of information that focuses more on the didactic needs of radiologists, other physicians, and clinical medical physicists who will be preparing for their professional board examinations, we have developed the EPMI Study Guide. Each chapter of the Study Guide covers the same topic as its companion chapter in the main textbook, organized into three sections. Section I contains a summary of the textbook chapter’s key points with illustrations and tables to convey the concepts. Section II contains sample questions and explanatory answers for that chapter’s material, which are keyed (hyperlinked in the e-edition) to the textbook for more in-depth information. Section III has a list of key equations, symbols, quantities, and units that are introduced in the chapter. We hope that the EPMI Study Guide will serve the original intent of the “Essentials” and that the fourth edition of the EPMI textbook will complement the Study Guide for those who desire to understand the material at a deeper level.

1.1 SECTION I: CHAPTER SUMMARY

1. Organization
- a. Introduction
  - (i) Most chapter introduction sections are relatively short, simply describing the major topic that will be covered. For example, in Chapter 13, Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Advanced Image Acquisition Methods, Artifacts, Spectroscopy, Quality Control, Siting, Bioeffects, and Safety the introduction reads:
  - (ii) In some chapters, a more descriptive overview is presented to properly orient the reader to the topics that will follow. For example, for Chapter 8—Breast Imaging: Mammography:
2. Symbols
- a. While the chapter numbers and titles are identical to the fourth edition textbook, not all figures, tables, and equations are used in the Study Guide. When a figure, table, or equation number in the Study Guide is different from that in the fourth edition textbook, its original textbook reference number is displayed alongside the Study Guide number with the following symbol as shown in the examples:
  - (i) Figure 5-6 in the Study Guide is Figure 5-15 in the Textbook.
  - (ii) Table 8-2 in the Study Guide is Table 8-5 in the Textbook.
  - (iii) Equation 15-3 in the Study Guide is Equation 15-4 in the Textbook.

1.2 SECTION II: QUESTIONS AND EXPLANATORY ANSWERS

Examples: An example of the Questions and Answers sections are shown below. Note that the location of additional material related to the explanations given in the Study Guide is indicated after each of the explanatory answers.