This book explores the mathematics and biology of the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals following their introduction into the body, but does so primarily from a clinical perspective – from the point of view of image interpretation and any associated image-derived quantification. All of the equations included in the book relate directly to the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals and are clinically useful, either conceptually or because of their value in quantifying a biological parameter, e.g., renal clearance. In particular, the more complex equations are not meant to be solved but instead are intended to provide a conceptual basis for the analysis of clinical images, especially those that are unusual and/or difficult to interpret. The efficacy of every diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine procedure is critically dependent on the biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical in question over time. This book will enable the reader to gain a sound understanding of the relevant mathematics and biology, and the clinical orientation ensures that it will be of value in enhancing clinical practice.

Building on the traditional concept of nuclear medicine, this textbook presents cutting-edge concepts of hybrid imaging and discusses the close interactions between nuclear medicine and other clinical specialties, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. Today the diagnostic applications of nuclear medicine are no longer stand-alone procedures, separate from other diagnostic imaging modalities. This is especially true for hybrid imaging guided interventional radiology or surgical procedures. Accordingly, today’s nuclear medicine specialists are actually specialists in multimodality imaging (in addition to their expertise in the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radionuclides). This new role requires a new core curriculum for training nuclear medicine specialists. This textbook is designed to meet these new educational needs, and to prepare nuclear physicians and technologists for careers in this exciting specialty.

This book provides a review of image analysis techniques as they are applied in the field of diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. Driven in part by the remarkable sophistication of nuclear medicine instrumentation and - crease in computing power and its ready and inexpensive availability, this is a relatively new yet rapidly expanding field. Likewise, although the use of nuclear imaging for diagnosis and therapy has origins dating back almost to the pioneering work of Dr G. de Hevesy, quantitative imaging has only recently emerged as a promising approach for diagnosis and therapy of many diseases. An effort has, therefore, been made to place the reviews provided in this book in a broader context. The effort to do this is reflected by the inclusion of introductory chapters that address basic principles of nuclear medicine instrumentation and dual-modality imaging, followed by overview of issues that are closely related to quantitative nuclear imaging and its potential role in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. A brief overview of each chapter is provided below. Chapter 1 presents a general overview of nuclear medicine imaging physics and instrumentation including planar scintigraphy, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Nowadays, patients’ diagnosis and therapy is rarely done without the use of imaging technology. As such, imaging considerations are incorporated in almost every chapter of the book. The development of dual-modality - aging systems is an emerging research field, which is addressed in chapter 2.

The use of MATLAB® in clinical Medical Physics is continuously increasing, thanks to new technologies and developments in the field. However, there is a lack of practical guidance for students, researchers, and medical professionals on how to incorporate it into their work. Focusing on the areas of diagnostic Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Oncology Imaging, this book provides a comprehensive treatment of the use of MATLAB in clinical Medical Physics, in Nuclear Medicine. It is an invaluable guide for medical physicists and researchers, in addition to postgraduates in medical physics or biomedical engineering, preparing for a career in the field. In the field of Nuclear Medicine, MATLAB enables quantitative analysis and the visualization of nuclear medical images of several modalities, such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), or a hybrid system where a Computed Tomography system is incorporated into a SPECT or PET system or similarly, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging system (MRI) into a SPECT or PET system. Through a high-performance interactive software, MATLAB also allows matrix computation, simulation, quantitative analysis, image processing, and algorithm implementation. MATLAB can provide medical physicists with the necessary tools for analyzing and visualizing medical images. It is useful in creating imaging algorithms for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, solving problems of image reconstruction, processing, and calculating absorbed doses with accuracy. An important feature of this application of MATLAB is that the results are completely reliable and are not dependent on any specific γ-cameras and workstations. The use of MATLAB algorithms can greatly assist in the exploration of the anatomy and functions of the human body, offering accurate and precise results in Nuclear Medicine studies. KEY FEATURES Presents a practical, case-based approach whilst remaining accessible to students Contains chapter contributions from subject area specialists across the field Includes real clinical problems and examples, with worked through solutions Maria Lyra Georgosopoulou, PhD, is a Medical Physicist and Associate Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Photo credit: The Antikythera Mechanism is the world’s oldest known analog computer. It consisted of many wheels and discs that could be placed onto the mechanism for calculations. It is possible that the first algorithms and analog calculations in mathematics were implemented with this mechanism, invented in the early first centuries BC. It has been selected for the cover to demonstrate the importance of calculations in science.

This cross-disciplinary book documents the key research challenges in the mathematical sciences and physics that could enable the economical development of novel biomedical imaging devices. It is hoped that the infusion of new insights from mathematical scientists and physicists will accelerate progress in imaging. Incorporating input from dozens of biomedical researchers who described what they perceived as key open problems of imaging that are amenable to attack by mathematical scientists and physicists, this book introduces the frontiers of biomedical imaging, especially the imaging of dynamic physiological functions, to the educated nonspecialist. Ten imaging modalities are covered, from the well-established (e.g., CAT scanning, MRI) to the more speculative (e.g., electrical and magnetic source imaging). For each modality, mathematics and physics research challenges are identified and a short list of suggested reading offered. Two additional chapters offer visions of the next generation of surgical and interventional techniques and of image processing. A final chapter provides an overview of mathematical issues that cut across the various modalities.

This series of books on Radiotracers in Biology and Medicine is on the one hand an unbelievably expansive enterprise and on the other hand, a most noble one as well. Tools to probe biology have developed at an accelerating rate. Hevesy pioneered the application of radioisotopes to the study of chemical processes, and since that time radioisotopic methodology has probably contributed as much as any other methodology to the analysis of the fine structure of biologic systems. Radioisotopic methodologies represent powerful tools for the determination of virtually any process of biologic interest. It should not be surprising, therefore, that any effort to encompass all aspects of radiotracer methodology is both desirable in the extreme and doomed to at least some degree of inherent failure. The current series is assuredly a success relative to the breadth of topics which range from in depth treatise of fundamental science or abstract concepts to detailed and specific applications, such as those medicine or even to the extreme of the methodology for sacrifice of anaimals as part of a radiotracer distribution study.