Medical Applications of Physics

 

Academic Year 2024-2025

 

Naurang Saini

 

The course is aimed to acquire knowledge of physical principles and technologies behind the working of the equipments used in research and biomedical diagnostics. In particular, imaging techniques and instrumentation (imaging by x-rays, nuclear medicine imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound imaging) and their working principles are discussed. The topics include:
 
Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter:

General properties of ionizing radiations: corpuscular and electromagnetic radiations; Radioactivity and radioactive elements decay series; natural and artificial radioactive sources.

Interaction of radiation with matter: absorption of ionizing radiation. Effect of radiation at the molecular and cellular levels; brief introduction to the radiation dosimetry.
 
Imaging with ionizing radiation:
Imaging methods using X-ray: interaction with matter, source, detection, instrumentation and applications.
Projection imaging, computed tomography (CT scan), instrumentation and methods of image reconstruction.

*Imaging with radioisotopes:
interaction with matter, source, detection, instrumentation and applications.
gamma camera (Anger camera), single photon emission tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), instrumentation and methods.

Imaging with nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI): 
physical principles, instrumentation and applications

Ultrasound imaging:
Methods of imaging with ultrasound: sources, interaction with matter, detection, instrumentation and applications