SyllabusThe subject will cover the following topics:
- Imaging Modalities: X-ray imaging - mammography, direct film, screen film, digital mammography; Principles of generation, differential absorption, filtration, scattering ; Resolution, contrast, 'grids'; Ultrasound - basic principle of echo ranging, sound pulse generation and transmission; Basis of Real Time US, tissue-sound interactions, spatial and temporal resolution, contrast and echogenicity; Alternative modalities - MRI, thermography, visible light, nuclear medicine, CT. Basis of operation and basis of usage in diagnosis; New and emerging technologies
- Technological Foundations: X-ray equipment - power and tube requirements for, typical specifications, design; Ultrasound - Realtime Design, requirements for high resolution, transducer types; Equipment for alternative modalities - basic descriptions and use of; Exposure controls in mammography, manual selection of factors, AEC.
- Quality control (1) - performance tests of equipment.
- The Visual Perception System: Human visual perception, basic elements; Image perception and analysis, ROC and FROC analysis; Image processing methods and principles.
- Quality Control (11) - QC and image analysis.
- Dosimetry: Intensity, energy fluence, exposure and exposure rate, absorbed dose, equivalent dose, effective dose, 'skin' dose, mean glandular dose, techniques of dosimetric assessment.
- Radiation Biology: Basic considerations, factors affecting biological damage, event sequences, molecular, cellular and tissue damage, radiosensitivity, D37, single and multi-target models of interactions, absolute and relative risk factors, radiocarcinogenesis, life span effects, bioeffects of ultrasound and MRI.
- Radiation Protection: Fundamental concepts, ALARA, equipment and procedural safety, designing, occupational and patient risk minimisation, legislation and recommendatory documents.
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