Chapter 2 A Primer on Imaging Anatomy and Physiology DENISE ABERLE, SUZIE EL-SADEN, PABLO ABBONA, ANA GOMEZ KAMBIZ MOTAMEDL NAGESH RAGAVENDRA. LAWRENCE BASSETT LEANNE SEEGER, MATTHEW BROWN. KATHLEEN BROWN. ALEX A.T. BUI AND HOOSHANG KANGARLOO A n understanding of medical imaging informatics begins with knowledge of medical imaging and its application toward diagnostic and therapeutic clinical assessment. This chapter is divided into two sections: a review of current imaging modalities; and a primer on imaging anatomy and physiology. In the first half, we introduce the major imaging modalities that are in use today: projectional imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasound. The core physics concepts behind each modality; the parameters and algorithms driving image formation and variants and newer advances in each of these areas are briefly covered to familiarize the reader with the capabilities of each technique. From this foundation, in the second half of the chapter we describe several anatomical and physiologic systems from the erspective of imaging. Three areas are covered in detail: 1)the respiratory system 2)the brain; and 3)breast imaging. Additional coverage of musculoskeletal, cardiac, rinary, and upper gastrointestinal systems is included. Each anatomical section begins with a general description of the anato physiology, discusses the use of different imaging modalities, and concludes with a description of common medical problems/ conditions and their appearance on imaging. From this chapter, the utility of imaging and its complexities becomes apparent and will serve to ground discussion in future chapters. A Review of Basic Imaging Modalitie The crucial role of imaging in illuminating both the human condition and disease is largely self-evident, with medical imaging being a routine tool in the diagnosis and the treatment of most medical problems. Imaging provides an objective record for docu- menting and communicating in vivo findings at increasingly finer levels of detail. This section focuses on a review of the current major imaging modalities present in the clinical environment. As it is beyond the ability of a single chapter to comprehensively cover all aspects of medical imaging. we Aismethode tne scope of this field, we omit a discussion of nuclear medicine, and newer methods such as molecular and optical imaging that are still largely seen in research environments Projectional Imaging The genesis of medical imaging and radiography started in 1895 with the discovery of x-rays by Roentgen. Today, the use of x-ray projectional imaging comes only second to the use of laboratory tests as a clinical diagnostic tool. Core Physical Concepts A thorough handling of x-ray physics can be found in [15, 19]. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic(EM) radiation, with a wavelength ranging from 0. 1-10 nm, which A A.T. Bui and R K. Taira (eds ) Medical Imaging Informatics DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0385-3_2, o Springer Science Business Media, LLC 2010A.A.T. Bui and R.K. Taira (eds.), Medical Imaging Informatics, 15 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0385-3_2, © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2010 Chapter 2 A Primer on Imaging Anatomy and Physiology DENISE ABERLE, SUZIE EL-SADEN, PABLO ABBONA, ANA GOMEZ, KAMBIZ MOTAMEDI, NAGESH RAGAVENDRA, LAWRENCE BASSETT, LEANNE SEEGER, MATTHEW BROWN, KATHLEEN BROWN, ALEX A.T. BUI, AND HOOSHANG KANGARLOO n understanding of medical imaging informatics begins with knowledge of medical imaging and its application toward diagnostic and therapeutic clinical assessment. This chapter is divided into two sections: a review of current imaging modalities; and a primer on imaging anatomy and physiology. In the first half, we introduce the major imaging modalities that are in use today: projectional imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasound. The core physics concepts behind each modality; the parameters and algorithms driving image formation; and variants and newer advances in each of these areas are briefly covered to familiarize the reader with the capabilities of each technique. From this foundation, in the second half of the chapter we describe several anatomical and physiologic systems from the perspective of imaging. Three areas are covered in detail: 1) the respiratory system; 2) the brain; and 3) breast imaging. Additional coverage of musculoskeletal, cardiac, urinary, and upper gastrointestinal systems is included. Each anatomical section begins with a general description of the anatomy and physiology, discusses the use of different imaging modalities, and concludes with a description of common medical problems/ conditions and their appearance on imaging. From this chapter, the utility of imaging and its complexities becomes apparent and will serve to ground discussion in future chapters. A Review of Basic Imaging Modalities The crucial role of imaging in illuminating both the human condition and disease is largely self-evident, with medical imaging being a routine tool in the diagnosis and the treatment of most medical problems. Imaging provides an objective record for docu￾menting and communicating in vivo findings at increasingly finer levels of detail. This section focuses on a review of the current major imaging modalities present in the clinical environment. As it is beyond the ability of a single chapter to comprehensively cover all aspects of medical imaging, we aim only to cover key points: references to seminal works are provided for the reader. Also, given the scope of this field, we omit a discussion of nuclear medicine, and newer methods such as molecular and optical imaging that are still largely seen in research environments. Projectional Imaging The genesis of medical imaging and radiography started in 1895 with the discovery of x-rays by Roentgen. Today, the use of x-ray projectional imaging comes only second to the use of laboratory tests as a clinical diagnostic tool. Core Physical Concepts A thorough handling of x-ray physics can be found in [15, 19]. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic (EM) radiation, with a wavelength ranging from 0.1-10 nm, which A