MEDICAL PHYSICS LABORATORY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- GIOVANNI DI DOMENICO
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- FIS/07
Training objectives
- The course aims to provide the knowledge of physics and mathematical principles of imaging systems used in clinical and biomedical research, with and without ionizing radiation.
Student will learn about the structure and working principles of the main components of radiography systems, computer tomography (CT), nuclear medical diagnostics (PET and SPECT) and medical ultrasound.
Through the lab activities, the course will allow the student to acquire the experimental skills necessary for the setup, operation and characterization of radiation sources and detectors for medical diagnostics. In particular X-ray tubes and solid state detectors for spectroscopy and radiography (planar and CT) , sources and detectors for nuclear medicine (SPECT and PET) and the use of an ultrasound device. Additionally, the student will acquire the basic tools necessary to process and analyze images, essential for the applications described above. Prerequisites
- A knowledge of classical physics and laboratory courses (statistical analysis, informatics, electronics and radiation-matter interaction).
Certified "radiation protection training at the workplace" - Modules: general training and specific training for x-ray equipment. The certificate can be obtained online, using UNIFE training website, instructions will be provided to the students before the beginning of lab activities. Course programme
- The course is composed of frontal lectures and laboratory activities for a total of 51 hours.
Structure of a radiographic imaging system [30 h]: x-ray tube, measurement of x-ray tube spectrum and energy calibration. Imaging detectors: structure, noise evaluation, exposure curve measurement.
Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) evaluation with slit camera, edge and star pattern. Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) measurement.
Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) definition and theoretical evaluation for radiographic imaging system. Measurement of contrast of mammographic phantom.
Structure of a CT imaging system [15h]: apparatus geometric calibration, data acquisition and image reconstruction. Evaluation of spatial resolution and contrast.
Structure of a nuclear medicine diagnostic system (PET/SPECT) [12h]: scintillation detectors,
calibration of detector, time coincidence or collimation system, spatial resolution and detection efficiency.
Structure of ultrasound imaging system [3h]: ultrasonic transducers and working principle. Ultrasound image formation. Didactic methods
- Introduction lectures and following hands-on, operative lab activities. Each student will keep a log journal of the activities and prepare a report at the end of each experiment that will be also evaluated in the final assessment.
Learning assessment procedures
- The exam allows to verify whether the objectives described in the programme have been reached.
The assessment is composed of written and oral examinations.
The written part consists in redacting reports on laboratory experiments, including independent data elaboration and discussion of results.
These report and the supervision of the teacher during lab activities permit to evaluate the skills acquired in the management of the experimental apparatus and in the processing of the acquired data.
The oral exam will be used to discuss the delivered reports and to evaluate the comprehension of the theoretical and basilar knowledge tackled during the lectures.
The final mark is the average of written and oral examination. Reference texts
- - Copy of the slides used for frontal lessons and additional material provided by the teacher
- The Physics of Medical Imaging, S. Webb, Institute od Physics Publishing, 1998.
- The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging. J. T. Bushberg, J. A. Seibert, E. M. Leidholdt, J. M. Boone, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, seconda edizione (2002).
- Radiological Imaging, H.H. Barrett, W. Swindell, Academic Press, 1981.
- Medical Imaging, A. Macovski, Prentice Hall, 1983.
