Preface

The first edition of Nuclear Medicine: The Requisites was pub-lished in 1995 and, like the second and third editions, the fourth edition closely follows the philosophy and format of the original—that is, to provide a concise and up-to-date introduction and review of the field of nuclear medicine.

Since the publication of the third edition in 2006, many advances have been made in radiopharmaceuticals and in-strumentation, and many are described. Standard use of hy-brid positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has become widely accepted, and single- photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) is increasing in clinical use. New radiophar-maceuticals approved by the Food and Drug Administration include I-123 ioflupane (DaTscan), a striatal dopamine transporter used to diagnose parkinsonism, and F-18 flor-betapir (Amyvid), an amyloid imaging agent. Many new translational agents are in clinical trials.

Although this edition contains many new images and revised and updated text, the general format of the book has not changed, with Part I discussing basic principles of nuclear medicine and Part II their clinical applications. A major addition to Part I is a new chapter entitled “Molecular Imaging,” which introduces the basic concepts of molecular imaging and explains how this rapidly developing field is leading to a future of individualized medicine. A new associate editor, Frederic H. Fahey, DSc, has completely rewritten the Part I chapters “Physics of Nuclear Medicine,” “Radiation Detection and Instrumentation,” and “Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Positron Emission Tomography, and Hybrid Imaging.” The Part II clinical applications chapters “Oncology: Positron Emission Tomography” and the popular “Pearls, Pitfalls, and Frequently Asked Questions” have been extensively revised and updated.

Nuclear Medicine: The Requisites discusses important basic principles and concepts of instrumentation and radiophar-maceuticals. Emphasis is placed on the pharmacokinetics, uptake, distribution, and clearance of radiopharmaceuti-cals, as well as an understanding of disease pathophysiol-ogy, leading naturally to the choice of optimal imaging methods and study interpretation. All the chapters, while rewritten and updated, continue to have the many boxes, tables, and illustrations that aid in learning about this ever-evolving specialty. Intended for the resident in training, as well as for the practicing nuclear radiologist and nuclear medicine physician, the fourth edition of Nuclear Medicine: The Requisites provides an organized overview of nuclear medicine pertinent to clinical practice.

Acknowledgments

We thank those who have contributed to the preparation of this book. Selected images were provid ed by Paco E. Bravo, MD; Christopher J. Palestro, MD; Leonie Gordon, MD; David Mankoff, MD, PhD; Kirk A. Frey, MD, PhD; Alan H. Maurer, MD; Pradeep Bhambhvani, MD; Mark Muzi, MS; and Honggang Liu, MS. Drs. Bravo, Mankoff, and Bhambhvani proofread chapters and made helpful suggestions. We also thank our spouses and family for providing us the time and encouragement for writing this textbook and our residents who continue to teach us.

Harvey A. Ziessman, MDJanis P. O’Malley, MDJames H. Thrall, MD

Frederic H. Fahey, DSc

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