Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine

From x-rays to lasers to magnetic resonance imaging, developments in basic physics research have been transformed into medical technologies for imaging, surgery and therapy at an ever accelerating pace. Physics has joined with genetics and molecular biology to define much of what is modern in modern medicine. Covering a wide range of applications, Introduction to Physics in Modern Medicine, Second Edition builds on the bestselling original. Based on a course taught by the author, the book provides medical personnel and students with an exploration of the physics-related applications found in state-of-the-art medical centers. Requiring no previous acquaintance with physics, biology, or chemistry and keeping mathematics to a minimum, the application-dedicated chapters adhere to simple and self-contained qualitative explanations that make use of examples and illustrations. With an enhanced emphasis on digital imaging and computers in medicine, the text gives readers a fundamental understanding of the practical application of each concept and the basic science behind it. This book provides medical students with an excellent introduction to how physics is applied in medicine, while also providing students in physics with an introduction to medical physics. Each chapter includes worked examples and a complete list of problems and questions. That so much of the technology discussed in this book was the stuff of dreams just a few years ago, makes this book as fascinating as it is practical, both for those in medicine as well as those in physics who might one day discover that the project they are working on is basis for the next great medical application. This edition: Covers hybrid scanners for cancer imaging and the interplay of molecular medicine with imaging technologies such as MRI, CT and PET Looks at camera pills that can film from the inside upon swallowing and advances in robotic surgery devices Explores Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy, proton therapy, and other new forms of cancer treatment Reflects on the use of imaging technologies in developing countries

Table of Contents:
Introduction and Overview Telescopes for Inner Space Optics: the science of light Fiber optics applications in medicine: endoscopes and laparoscopes Robotic surgery and virtual reality in the operating room Telemedicine and military applications Lasers in Medicine What is a laser? More on the science of light:  beyond the rainbow How lasers work How light interacts with body tissues Laser beams and spatial coherence Cooking with light: photocoagulation Trade-offs in photocoagulation: power density and heat flow Cutting with light: photovaporization More power: pulsed lasers Lasers and color The atomic origins of absorption How selective absorption is used in laser surgery Lasers in dermatology Laser surgery on the eye New directions: lasers in dentistry Advantages and drawbacks of lasers for medicine New directions: photodynamic therapy—killing tumors with light New directions:  Diffusive optical imaging Seeing with Sound Sound waves What is ultrasound? Ultrasound and energy How echoes are formed How to produce ultrasound Images from echoes Ultrasound scanner design Ultrasound is absorbed by the body Limitations of ultrasound: image quality and artifacts How safe is ultrasound imaging? Obstetrical ultrasound imaging Echocardiography: ultrasound images of the heart Origins of the Doppler effect Using the Doppler effect to measure blood flow Color flow images Three-dimensional ultrasound Portable ultrasound—appropriate technology for the developing world X-Ray Vision Diagnostic x-rays: the body’s x-ray shadow Types of x-ray interactions with matter Basic issues in x-ray image formation Contrast media make soft tissues visible on an x-ray How x-rays are generated X-ray detectors Mammography: x-ray screening for breast cancer Digital radiography Computed tomography (CT) Application: spotting brittle bones—bone mineral scans for osteoporosis Images from Radioactivity Nuclear physics basics Radioactivity fades with time: the concept of half-lives Gamma camera imaging Emission tomography with radionuclides: SPECT and PET Application: emission computer tomography studies of the brain Hybrid scanners Radiation Therapy and Radiation Safety in Medicine Measuring radioactivity and radiation Origins of the biological effects of ionizing radiation The two regimes of radiation damage: radiation sickness and cancer risk Radiation therapy: killing tumors with radiation New directions in radiation therapy Magnetic Resonance Imaging The science of magnetism Nuclear magnetism Contrast mechanisms for MRI Listening to spin echoes How MRI maps the body How safe is MRI? Creating better contrast Sports medicine and MRI Magnetic resonance breast imaging Mapping body chemistry with MR spectroscopy Brain mapping and functional MRI Each chapter contains an Introduction, Questions, and Problems.