Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging (2007) 34:1710 DOI 10.1007/s00259-007-0465-7

BOOK REVIEW

C Schiepers (ed): Diagnostic nuclear medicine, 2nd rev. edn. Spinger, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2006. Hardcover. 362 pp., 235 illustrations, 11 in colour. $ 199.00. ISBN 3-540-42309-5, ISBN 978-3-540-42309-6 Vincenzo Cuccurullo & Pier Francesco Rambaldi

Published online: 23 May 2007 # Springer-Verlag 2007

This book is edited by Christiaan Schiepers, a leading international expert currently working at UCLA, and includes contributions from widely known specialists who focus on their own specific area of expertise. It is the second revised edition of a successful volume and offers a concise and reliable source of information for all readers who wish to improve their knowledge in the field of nuclear medicine, especially as regards major developments during the past decade. The aim of this new edition is to provide an updated overview of the current applications of modern nuclear medicine, evaluating current and emerging imaging procedures, up to gene imaging. The editorial strategy focussing on more modern technical, methodological and clinical aspects is reflected both in the extensive discussion of recent advances, e.g. regarding molecular and multi-modality imaging, and in the omission of some traditional information and procedures, e.g. the thyroid scan. Another example of this approach can be found in the third chapter, where the role of nuclear medicine in cardiology is defined in terms of the assessment of myocardial viability by radionuclide techniques, without extensive discussion of other relevant issues relating to myocardial ischaemia. It is also to be noted that this publication considers only diagnostic procedures and does not provide any information on radionuclide therapy. The book is organised into three sections (Clinical Applications, Basis of Scintigraphic Imaging and Future Outlook) divided into 18 brief chapters that generally do not exceed 20 pages. Topics are generally treated by two or more authors. The first part (Clinical Applications) is organised into 13 chapters: (1) Neurochemical Imaging with Emission Tomography: Clinical Applications; (2) Assessment of Myocardial Viability by Radionuclide Techniques; (3) Thrombo-embolism V. Cuccurullo (*) : P. F. Rambaldi Medicina Nucleare, Seconda Università di Napoli, Napoli, Italy e-mail: [email protected]

Imaging; (4) Renal Imaging; (5) Skeletal Scintigraphy; (6) Imaging Infection and Inflammation; (7) Gastrointestinal Nuclear Medicine; (8) Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy; (9) Peptide Imaging; (10) FDG-PET Imaging in Oncology; (11) PET/CT in Lung and Head and Neck Cancer; (12) PET/CT Imaging in Breast Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Gynecological Cancer and Lymphoma; (13) Pediatric Nuclear Medicine—A coming of Age. This section presents state of the art information on the most relevant modern clinical applications. In particular, three chapters focus exclusively on PET imaging. The second part (Basis of Scintigraphic Imaging) is organised into three chapters: (1) Radiopharmaceuticals: Recent Developments and Trends; (2) Instrumentation and Data Acquisition; (3) Image Formation. In this section the authors discuss the principles of scintigraphic imaging, with an overview on the basics in radiopharmaceuticals, instrumentation and image processing. Particularly stimulating is the discussion of new hybrid devices and clinical applications of dual modality imaging. The third part (Future Outlook) is organised into two chapters: (1) Imaging of Gene Expression: Concepts and Future Outlook; (2) Quo Vadis? In this section new trends and future horizons are considered, with a particular focus on new advances in molecular imaging and gene imaging. In summary, this book has an interesting and original structure and provides succinct and readily intelligible information about the clinical and technical aspects of modern diagnostic nuclear medicine. The reader is provided with much useful information on definition of protocols and evaluation of images. This publication should become a valuable resource for nuclear physicians, radiologists, residents and technologists who wish to increase their knowledge on modern techniques and clinical applications in diagnostic nuclear medicine. It will also be of use to all specialists with an interest in nuclear medicine, including those not yet routinely involved in the field.