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Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging, 5th ed.

Tufts-New England Medical Center Boston, MA 02111

By Fred A. Mettler, Jr., and Milton J. Guiberteau. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier, 577 pp., 2006. $95 (ISBN: 0-7216-0201-0)

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Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging, now in its fifth edition, was first published in 1983. This readable and elegantly written book is one that both residents and seasoned radiologists will enjoy reading. The basic sciences chapters cover radiochemistry, physics, quality control, and instrumentation in the right detail without overwhelming the reader. The fourth edition had a useful chapter on how to approach image interpretation. The authors deleted this chapter in the new edition, and it will be missed. A new self-evaluation section contains challenge quizzes that readers will find useful. However the authors have not provided any in-depth discussion of these cases.

The greatest strengths of Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging are the chapters on cardiac imaging and the new chapter on PET imaging. In only 58 pages the authors have managed to include and summarize all the important and relevant details of cardiac imaging in an easy-to-understand manner. The new chapter on PET imaging is a crown jewel of the new edition. In 61 pages the authors have accomplished the near impossible task of covering PET scanning in a fairly comprehensive manner. The chapter on PET includes a lively discussion of physics, instrumentation, radiopharmaceuticals, quality assurance, and PET/CT imaging. This topic is the hot area in nuclear medicine. None of the books available on PET deal with this topic with such mastery yet so succinctly. PET imaging is covered in enough detail to give the reader a thorough understanding of the subject. The chapter on legal requirements and radiation safety has undergone major changes to reflect the new Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The beauty of this book is again reflected in the writing of this chapter. It has information that does not bore or overwhelm.

Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging also has some weaknesses, but they are not glaring. This book is not comprehensive in every detail of nuclear medicine. It shies away from discussing any controversies or new research. The chapter on bone imaging is exhaustive, but the coverage of treatment of painful metastases is perfunctory. The coverage of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is inadequate. The authors have devoted only a paragraph to hemangioma imaging. The chapter on the respiratory system is comprehensive and provides a good description of the PIOPED II (prospective investigation of pulmonary embolism diagnosis) criteria. The authors devote less than a paragraph and no images to the discussion of apcitide.

Similarly the authors have omitted any discussion of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved monoclonal antibodies for diagnostic oncologic imaging, namely OncoScint OR/OV (Cytogen Corp.), ProstaScint (Cytogen Corp.), and Verluma (DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co.). Zevalin (Biogen Idec) is discussed appropriately, but Bexxar (GlaxoSmithKline) receives only a brief mention. The treatment of thyroid cancer by radioactive iodine is thorough. The imaging protocols provided at the end of the book are helpful. The appendices are a must read, and one in particular on pregnancy and breast-feeding covers all the important radiation aspects of major radiopharmaceuticals and NRC requirements. The authors do not cite any research articles in the text, but there are helpful references at the end of each chapter.

Overall, Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging is an essential book for anyone seriously interested in nuclear imaging. It is an affordable, handy book that is easy to read and comprehend. The book covers the basic sciences and clinical aspects of nuclear medicine admirably. The chapters on cardiac, lung, bone, renal, and PET imaging are its greatest assets. Despite some minor omissions, Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging is a great stand-alone textbook on nuclear medicine that will be a ready source of knowledge for residents and practicing radiologists alike.

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bagga, S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bagga, S. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?