EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PET AND SPECT

Abstract

EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PET AND SPECT Editors: Miles N. Wernick, PhD; John N. Aarsvold, PhD Bibliographic Data: Elsevier, 2004. Imprint: Academic Press, Inc., ISBN: 0-12-744482-3, 576 pp, hard cover, $99.95. Reviewer's Expert Opinion: Description: Those of us who were fortunate enough to attend the symposium on Future Directions in Nuclear Medicine Physics and Engineering at the University of Chicago in 1999 were treated to an extraordinary series of talks on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) given by leading experts in the field. This book was inspired by that symposium and is edited and authored by its participants. Purpose: The aim was to provide a comprehensive presentation of the physics and engineering concepts behind SPECT and PET. This worthy objective is successfully met. Audience: The intended audience is graduate students in physics and engineering as well as researchers and engineers in medical imaging. All of these individuals will benefit from using this book. Features: The authors and editors have done a magnificent job in putting together a complete book that not only covers PET and SPECT, but a variety of related radionuclide imaging systems. In addition to providing fundamental information about the underlying science of SPECT, PET and the associated instrumentation, there are excellent chapters on detecting materials, imaging probes, tracer kinetics, and Monte Carlo simulation. Because of the uniform high quality of the book, it is difficult to single out any single chapter for praise. However, I found the chapters on analytic and iterative reconstruction methods especially compelling. Both of these chapters succinctly describe a vast body of information and leave the reader well prepared to understand all the current issues associated with tomographic reconstruction. My criticisms are few and tepid. There are several orphan chapters which, while well written, are not closely tied to the major theme. Also, the book's 25 chapters are not organized in the most logical sequence, but since each chapter is complete, this is not a significant issue. Assessment: This is an outstanding book that covers emission tomography with great clarity and detail with contributions by many of the most prominent scientists in the field. It belongs (opened) on the desk of all graduate students and scientists working in medical radionuclide imaging. Reviewer: Mark T. Madsen, PhD University of Iowa

Ähnliche Arbeiten