Medical Imaging Links

General

Centre of Medical Imaging Research, University of Leeds Links to a wide variety of Medical Imaging Resources
An Introduction to Biological Imaging "An Introduction to Biological Imaging is a course designed to familiarize students with imaging techniques used in biological research and medical diagnosis". An undergraduate course offered by the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles. Not much (at least on-line) detail on image reconstruction. The lectures on Microscopy are not freely available.
Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging An electronic copy of the classic text on Tomographic Image Reconstruction by Avinash Kak and Malcom Slaney. Individual chapters are available as pdf files (some are quite large). Beware this is an advanced text.
Mathematics and Physics of Emerging Biomedical Imaging This book (from National Academy Press) introduces the frontiers of biomedical imaging, especially the imaging of dynamic physiological functions, to the educated nonspecialist. Even though published 1996 still a remarkably contemporary overview of the major biomedical imaging modalities. Suitable as a source book for further research and education.
X-Ray Mass Attenuation Coefficients Reference data from the Physics Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

X-Ray Computed Tomography

CAT Scans A basic but entertaining introduction to the principles of tomographic image reconstruction of X-rays. Has quite a few nice applets that allow the viewer to experiment with various parameters such as projection angles and numbers. Recommended for those bewildered by the mathematics of filtered backprojection.
Ge Wang's Teaching homepage. Contains a variety of teaching material on X-ray CT and the associated reconstruction algorithms.
Cone beam reconstruction using filtered backprojection A PhD thesis that deals with ``with three-dimensional image reconstruction algorithms to be used in future generations of tomographs with even more detector rows than found in current multi-row systems''.
Helical CT applications in the thorax and abdomen Brief overview of helical (spiral) scan CT for a postgraduate medical audience.
Multi-slice Helical CT A slide show introduction to the physics, image reconstruction principles, scanning techniques and clinical applications of helical scan computerised tomography
Imatron There does not seem to be much technical information on electron beam computerised tomography (also know as Ultrafast® computed tomography) freely available because most of the technology is proprietary. Here is the web site of a major EBCT player: Imatron of San Francisco. See if you can find anything here.
Technical Aspects of Spiral CT An article from Philips Medical System's ``free on-line journal'' Medical Mundi. This on-line publication, while a way of promoting Philips own medical engineering products, is nevertheless a useful source of information regarding new developments in medical imaging.
Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT). Discusses advances in spiral CT which enable substantial reductions in scan acquisition times as well as improved spatial resolution for the purposes of volumetric rendering. This article is from Siemens Medical System's ``free on-line'' journal Electromedica.

Radioisotope Imaging

The PET Scan: A New Window Into the Brain Even though this is essentially a lay persons introduction to PET in the context of understanding brain function, it is sufficienttly detailed to act as a good first general introduction to PET imaging.
Algorithms for PET and fMRI. Home page of John Ollinger from the Neuroimaging Laboratories at the Washington University Medical School. Contains a nice tutorial paper on physics and signal processing issues in PET.
Nuclear Medicine & Positron Emission Tomography, Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia. An advanced clinical and research PET facility in Australia.
Nuclear Medicine A basic introduction for the aspiring medical technologist of the rational and usefulness of radionuclide imaging. Value lies in the concise summary of the clinical uses of this imaging modality.
Nuclear and SPECT Imaging Teaching Files A great collection of teaching files that include the results of the radionuclide investigation, the clinical history and a discussion of the procedure. Worth a look at to get a feel for the diagnostic versatility of radionuclide investigations.
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) A nonmathematical, and now slightly dated, thumbnail introduction to a technique often dubbed "poor mans PET".

Ultrasound

Ultrasound - Virtual Imaging Laboratory. Contains extensive notes on the spatial aspects of ultrasound beam formation and its interaction with tissue. Also contains a nice java-based imaging applet that lets the user explore a virtual diagnostic ultrasound system which is well worth exploring.
Three Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging Group A very comprehensive site containing much useful information on 3-D ultrasound and tomographic ultrasound.
Ultrasound Physics The usual collection of telegraphic slides. Might be useful as an aid to revision.
Ultrasound Another set of on-line powerpoint slides. Useful summary of important information. Probably best used as a supplement to a more detailed text.
Obstetric Ultrasound A nice summary of the use of ultrasound in pregnancy. Has plenty of links to additional information.
Ultrasound Short course Lecture notes (as pdf files) for a short course on the physics of ultrasound and the engineering principles underlying equipment design. May be a little disjointed without having taken the course itself.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Herchel Smith Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry, University of Cambridge Involved in the development of MRI technology and methods. Has a general introduction to MRI including some nice animations on the basis of frequency and phase encoding.
Basic Principles of MRI A basic introduction to MRI for a medically inclined audience
Basic Principles of MR Imaging Another nonmathematical introduction to MRI
The Basics of MRI An extremely comprehensive introduction to all aspects of magnetic resonance including spin physics, NMR spectroscopy, MRI and the relevant mathematics. Available in English, Italian and Russian. Highly recommended.
Functional MRI: Methods and Applications The PhD thesis by Dr Stuart Clare (University of Nottingham 1997). Contains useful information on fast imgaing sequences in particular the technique of echo planar imaging which is used in functional magnetic imaging.
Oxford Center for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain
The Adelaide MRI Website Contains a lot of interesting information not found in the previous links like: MRI safety and links to equipment manufacturers.
Physics of MRI and two fast MRI techniques A nice paper written by a graduate student at MIT on the physics of MRI. If you are only interested in understanding the basis of MRI read the first part only. Moderately mathematical
MRI of P.C. Lauterbur's Birthday Cake "As a special tribute to the inventor of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and on the occasion of his 70th birthday, we prepared a birthday cake for Paul C.B Lauterbur. The cake was presented to him in digital form (serial MR images on CD-ROM) during the `Zeugmatography and Beyond' symposium held in his honor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on September 17-18, 1999." This entertaining site shows the diversity of MRI images that can be generated from something as humble and structurally uncomplicated as a cake. Oddly informative.

Miscellaneous

3D Virtual Colonoscopy Advanced volumetric imaging techniques have been used to render helical scan CT data to achieve virtual imaging and exploration of the human colon (from the Departments of Radiology and Computer Science at SUNY Stony Brook).
Visible Human Project®The Visible Human Project of the National Library of Medicine involves the creation of complete, anatomically detailed, three-dimensional representations of the normal male and female human bodies using transverse CT, MR and cryosection images of representative male and female cadavers.

David Liley 2001-2004 (dliley@swin.edu.au)