The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging: North American Edition

After reading several chapters of this new edition, I am compelled by my excitement about it to write this review here. The 3rd Edition of "Bushberg" is not just a newer version of the already-classic textbook; it is entirely a new book. Its contents are largely rewritten, with vivid illustrations added for almost every concept mentioned in the text. For example, the chapter of Computed Tomography (Chapter 10) now contains 72 figures, without even counting figure subsets; that is more than one figure per page. Everything is illustrated. The reorganization of content and addition of numerous colorful figures have fundamentally improved this book, and may set a new standard for future medical physics textbooks. Now those physics concepts in medical imaging are much easier to understand. After reading the institutional copy in preparation for teaching a class, I decided to order a copy for myself to replace my old edition (and come here to tell everybody about it). In my opinion, the 3rd Edition of this book will set a high standard for future medical physics textbooks.

The level of this book is accessible enough to give a nice overview for the various imaging modalities. Some of the concept explanations at the MR section (various gradient echo types) I am not entirely sure is correct, however.

This book is a must-read for anyone studying for the new ABR Core exam. Anyone who has met them will attest the authors are extremely dedicated educators who personally go to great lengths to help residents master the fundamentals of imaging physics. They listened to our feedback and this new edition constitutes a substantial upgrade over the previous one, as other reviewers have commented. The addition of many graphs & images makes the complex subjects much more approachable & easily understood. More importantly, the authors have taken great pains to make the discussions clinically relevant to the general radiologist. The authors are leaders in their respective fields, and this book is the de facto standard for medical imaging physics in the academic radiology community. Ideally, the book should be read throughout first & second years of residency for comprehension with the opportunity for reinforcement with knowledgeable medical physicists and/or staff radiologists. However, even if (or especially if) you're lacking the latter, the book provides a comprehensive treatment of every relevant physics subject needed to succeed on the Core exam. This book serves well as a primary reference throughout the general radiology residency and should be the starting point for Core exam physics preparation. I found re-reading the book indispensible for board preparation and it served best when used as a reference to explore questions from other sources (i.e., Huda, RAPHEX exams, UCD physics course by the authors, RSNA modules etc.). A few of the more complex and evolving imaging techniques in MRI (e.g., phase-contrast, SWI, functional MRI) may require supplemental reading, but even these areas are treated adequately for a basic understanding. Finally, with the revisions made in this updated edition, skimming the graphs/figures also made for a useful last minute physics review before the test.

The book was wonderful. Unfortunately was not able to get electronic access version to work.

It is expensive, but there is a *lot* of new material in the third edition. The graphics have improved substantially, both in the practice, and in the book. It is a good reference. As others say, it is a cornerstone of your bookshelf on imaging.