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

Suzanne Amador Kane is a professor of physics and astronomy at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Her research interests lie at the interface of soft condensed matter physics and biophysics, including biologically-inspired nanostructures, model membrane systems, self-assembly, liquid crystals and artificial evolution.

Introduction and OverviewTelescopes for Inner SpaceOptics: the science of lightFiber optics applications in medicine: endoscopes and laparoscopesRobotic surgery and virtual reality in the operating roomTelemedicine and military applicationsLasers in MedicineWhat is a laser?More on the science of light: beyond the rainbowHow lasers workHow light interacts with body tissuesLaser beams and spatial coherenceCooking with light: photocoagulationTrade-offs in photocoagulation: power density and heat flowCutting with light: photovaporizationMore power: pulsed lasersLasers and colorThe atomic origins of absorptionHow selective absorption is used in laser surgeryLasers in dermatologyLaser surgery on the eyeNew directions: lasers in dentistryAdvantages and drawbacks of lasers for medicineNew directions: photodynamic therapy—killing tumors with lightNew directions: Diffusive optical imagingSeeing with SoundSound wavesWhat is ultrasound?Ultrasound and energyHow echoes are formedHow to produce ultrasoundImages from echoesUltrasound scanner designUltrasound is absorbed by the bodyLimitations of ultrasound: image quality and artifactsHow safe is ultrasound imaging?Obstetrical ultrasound imagingEchocardiography: ultrasound images of the heartOrigins of the Doppler effectUsing the Doppler effect to measure blood flowColor flow imagesThree-dimensional ultrasoundPortable ultrasound—appropriate technology for the developing worldX-Ray VisionDiagnostic x-rays: the body’s x-ray shadowTypes of x-ray interactions with matterBasic issues in x-ray image formationContrast media make soft tissues visible on an x-rayHow x-rays are generatedX-ray detectorsMammography: x-ray screening for breast cancerDigital radiographyComputed tomography (CT)Application: spotting brittle bones—bone mineral scans for osteoporosisImages from RadioactivityNuclear physics basicsRadioactivity fades with time: the concept of half-livesGamma camera imagingEmission tomography with radionuclides: SPECT and PETApplication: emission computer tomography studies of the brainHybrid scannersRadiation Therapy and Radiation Safety in MedicineMeasuring radioactivity and radiationOrigins of the biological effects of ionizing radiationThe two regimes of radiation damage: radiation sickness and cancer riskRadiation therapy: killing tumors with radiationNew directions in radiation therapyMagnetic Resonance ImagingThe science of magnetismNuclear magnetismContrast mechanisms for MRIListening to spin echoesHow MRI maps the bodyHow safe is MRI?Creating better contrastSports medicine and MRIMagnetic resonance breast imagingMapping body chemistry with MR spectroscopyBrain mapping and functional MRIEach chapter contains an Introduction, Questions, and Problems.