Advances in Medical Physics: 2012
Author: Anthony B. Wolbarst, Patrizio Capasso, Devon J. Godfrey, Ronald R. Price, Bruce R. Whiting, William R. Hendee, EditorsISBN: 9781930524767
Published: 2012 June | ISSN: 2156-2008 | 330 pp | eBook
Price: $ 115.00
The Radiation Safety Journal – Official Journal of the Health Physics Society | Mar 2013
This is the fourth in a series of books that have been published every other year since 2006 focused on current topics in medical physics. The purpose and audience of this series is stated in the Preface: “The series is designed to help medical physicists, technically inclined physicians, and other professionals to stay current in medical radiation science and technology and, in particular, in sub-fields of medical physics other than their own.”
The book is divided into 20 chapters, 12 of which deal with the physics of imaging and radiation dose assessment in computerized tomography (CT) (a very timely topic), four with risk and risk assessment, two with regulations, one with the consequences of a nuclear detonation, and one with the role of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). For the most part, the chapters follow a format that begins with a basic introduction to the technology and continues with progressively advanced material. This format makes the book useful for a wide variety of readers in that those who only want or need a basic background in the topic can find it in the first few pages, while those who want to delve more deeply into the topic can find that also. Each chapter contains an extensive list of current references.
The topics covered, and the material covered in each chapter, are quite current. This reviewer attended the 2012 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Many of the topics presented at the meeting are also covered in this book. As we are all aware, there is considerable concern regarding the radiation dose received by patients undergoing CT and interventional procedures. Both of these topics are covered, and particular attention is given to recent advances in the measurement and assessment of radiation dose for both of these modalities.
In conclusion, I think that this book represents a valuable resource for the practicing medical physicist and for a medical health physicist who needs to keep current on the imaging practices in his or her institution. It could also prove to be valuable to the regulatory community.
Michael J. Bonvento Medical Physics, Radiology Department Stony Brook University Medical Center