Mamourian A. CT Imaging: Practical Physics, Artifacts, and Pitfalls. Oxford University Press; 2013; 256 pp; $69.00
There is an immediate appeal to any book which has in its title “practical physics” or “pitfalls”, and such is the case with Dr. Mamourian’s new 256-page softcover book CT Imaging: Practical Physics, Artifacts and Pitfalls.
There are 9 chapters, 5 of which relate directly to neuroradiology (History/Physics, Radiation Safety, Neuro CT Artifacts, Neuro CT Pitfalls, Test Questions). This reviewer went straight to the test questions; after that, it was obvious a review of some aspects of radiation and scanner configuration was needed. Concerning the pitfalls, most neuroradiologists will not be fooled by them; nonetheless, this chapter is worth reviewing. A suggestion for any future editions is that when extra space on each page is available, the images be sized in order to use as much of the page as is reasonable. That will result in a larger formatted image, making the findings more distinct. Despite that minor criticism, there are images displayed that can give a newcomer to neuroradiology some trouble, such as pseudothrombosis of the transverse sinus (well described with hints for not overcalling this), or a prominent horizontal fissure of the cerebellum masquerading as a infarct on axial CT, or the failure to recognize small bridging veins coursing through the subarachnoid space, causing one to consider the possibility of a chronic subdural hematoma/hygroma. There are many others, all of which are worth reviewing. But, of course, one understands that looking at a single slice in one-plane isolation is not equivalent to viewing multiple slices, nor is looking at a plain CT equivalent to looking at a series with and without contrast.
To this reviewer, the most useful chapter and selected topics were those found in Chapters 1 and 2, where not only are the history of CT, its evolution, and the resulting radiation described but where issues under consideration every day are discussed: beam collimation, image reconstruction, cone beam imaging, iterative reconstruction, dual source/dual energy scanning, doses and measurements, DLP and effective dose, dose reduction, effects of mA and kV, pitch filters/kernels, and shielding. What makes these subjects easily understood is the conversational manner in which they are written (try to imagine how the presidential primaries in Florida versus New Hampshire are analogues to thick vs. thin CT section). Interestingly, the narratives under each topic bring one along from how certain systems and components “used to be” to how they are now. If you are not familiar with all the topics in this chapter a review of them is recommended.
There is material on cardiac CT imaging techniques that would be of minor interest to the neuroradiologist; however, chapters on body CT artifacts and pitfalls should be looked at — those body parts do have a nasty way of interfering with our evaulations of the lumbar and thoracic spine.
Overall, this easy-to-read book is recommended either as a personal copy or, certainly, for any departmental or sectional library.
