Nuclear Medicine: The Requisites by James H. Thrall and Harvey A. Ziessman
Harcourt Health Sciences, Philadelphia, 2000, $89.
Nuclear Medicine: The Requisites is an excellent introduction to the field for radiology residents. In 15 chapters it covers the basics of nuclear medicine physics, offers organ-by-organ discussions of the major imaging agents and modalities. It has an especially useful compendium of pearls and pitfalls.
The text is concise, readable, and immediately applicable to the majority of studies confronting the resident in daily practice. Basic nuclear chemistry and physics, traditional instrumentation, and nuclear pharmacy, as well as SPECT and PET, are outlined in ample detail. Basic concepts in clinical scintigraphy are covered, including sections on cardiovascular, skeletal and pulmonary imaging.
Multiple graphs and tables expand on discussions in the text. For example, Reported Causes of Bilaterally Increased and Decreased Renal Visualization on Skeletal Scintigrams and Diseases and Drugs Associated with Gallbladder Emptying will be particularly useful when studying for boards. Particular attention is given to tests that are in high demand by referring clinicians, such as lung ventilation and perfusion scans for pulmonary emboli. Special chapters address applications for infectious, inflammatory, and oncologic diseases, which span across multiple organ systems.
The dizzying array of radiotracer uptake mechanisms and indications is organized and presented logically in simple tables, and discussed agent by agent. Protocol summaries are highlighted in separate boxes and cover patient preparation, follow-up, dosage and route, imaging time, procedure, and SPECT issues. This material is organized for easy scanning of the general concepts.
Pearls, Pitfalls, and Frequently Asked Questions is a useful review of the didactic portion of the text, as well as a concise chapter that can be studied prior to in-service or board exams. Detailed answers, overall principles or key non-intuitive facts, and potential problems and common errors follow the questions.
AuntMinnie.com contributing writer
Dr. Glickman is a first-year resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
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