Nearly 200 additional pages of information 220 exercises - most with solutions 650 illustrations 10 appendices and 220 references 24-page index This new, updated and expanded edition of a popular textbook on medical imaging is intended primarily for use by radiology residents and other interested physicians. In a relaxed, straightforward writing style, Dr. Wolbarst pulls together seemingly unrelated pieces of basic science and technology and illustrates how they fit together to form the foundation of medical imaging. He provides a great deal of detailed, practical information on how the various imaging technologies actually work and on the factors that affect their performance. Nearly all of the equations are simple proportionalities, and the meanings of many of them are illustrated in the Exercises. The properties of the linear, exponential and sine functions, and the rudimentary ideas about probability and statistics that are needed, are reviewed in appendices to the chapters where they are introduced. New chapters in this edition include ""Nuclear Cardiology, SPECT, and PET"": ""Spiral and Multi-Slice CT"": ""PACS, IMACS, and the Integrated Digital Department"": and a chapter on emergency response to radiological disasters and the roles that radiologists could assume.

A hundred years ago, a doctor had no way to look within the body of a patient other than to slice it open. That changed radically at the turn of the century, with the discovery of X-rays. X-ray and other forms of diagnostic imaging technology developed slowly but steadily from then until the 1970s, at which point a revolution occurred. Made possible largely by the availability of powerful but inexpensive computers, the rapid and widespread adoption of computed tomography (CT) and, a decade later, of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) greatly expanded the power of clinical imaging, and even changed the ways in which physicians view and think about the human body.
This unique guide explains how the principal imaging devices work and how they help physicians save lives. It gives readers a grasp of the major medical technologies that might come to play important roles in their lives, and it provides succinct, easy-to-understand, and reliable explanations for those who wish to explore the issues of the associated benefits, costs, and risks in an informed manner. In nonspecialized language, "Looking Within" discusses how X-ray, fluoroscopic, CT, MRI, positron emission tomography (PET), ultrasound, and other medical pictures are created, and explores the essential roles they play in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. It should be of interest to patients and their friends and loved ones, and to those who are simply curious about this vitally important, exciting, and cutting-edge branch of medicine. Its brief but clear descriptions of how these essential tools work should also be of value to health care providers in supporting and educating their patients.