This book explains the applied mathematical and physical principles of medical imaging and image computing. It gives a complete survey of how medical images are obtained and how they can be used for diagnosis, therapy, and surgery. It is accompanied by about 400 color illustrations and 80 video clips.

It has been written principally as a course text on medical imaging intended for graduate and final year undergraduate students with a background in physics, mathematics, or engineering. However, I have made an effort to make the textbook readable for biomedical scientists and medical practitioners by avoiding unnecessary maths, without giving up the depth needed for physicists and engineers. Mathematical proofs and details are highlighted in separate paragraphs and can be skipped without hampering a fluent reading of the text.

Although a large proportion of the book covers the physical principles of imaging modalities, the emphasis is always on how the image is computed. Equipment design, clinical considerations, and diagnosis are treated in less detail. Premature techniques or topics under investigation have been omitted.

Presently, books on medical imaging fall into two groups, neither of which is suitable for this readership. The first group is the larger and comprises books directed primarily at the less numerate professions such as physicians, surgeons, and radiologic technicians. These books cover the physics and mathematics of all the major medical imaging modalities, but mostly in a superficial way. They do not allow a thorough understanding of the imaging modalities. The second group comprises books suitable for professional medical physicists or researchers with expertise in the field. Although these books have a numerate approach, they tend to cover the topics too deeply for the beginner and have a narrower scope than this book.

The text reflects what I teach in class, but there is more material than I can explain in a module of 30 contact hours. This means that there is scope for the stronger student to read around the subject and also makes the book a useful purchase for those going on to do research.