Medical physics is a branch of applied physics concerning the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare. A medical physics department may be based in either a hospital or a university and its work is likely to include research, technical development and clinical healthcare. Applied physics is physics that is intended for a particular technological or practical use, as for example in engineering, as opposed to basic research. ... A Superconductor demonstrating the Meissner Effect Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the science of the natural world dealing with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results produced by these forces. ... Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. ... Medical imaging is the process by which physicians evaluate an area of the subjects body that is not normally visible. ... Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... Research is often described as an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed at discovering, interpreting and revising facts. ... Technology development is the process of research and development of technology. ... Health care or healthcare is one of the worlds largest and fastest growing professions. ...

Medical imaging

• Diagnostic radiology, including x-rays, fluoroscopy, mammography, Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, angiography and Computed tomography
• Ultrasound, including intravascular ultrasound
• Non-ionising radiation (Lasers, Ultraviolet etc.)
• Nuclear medicine, including SPECT and Positron emission tomography (PET)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging, including Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and other methods for functional neuroimaging of the brain.
  • For example, nuclear magnetic resonance (often referred to as magnetic resonance imaging to avoid the common concerns about radiation), uses the phenomenon of nuclear resonance to image the human body.
• Magnetoencephalography
• Electrical impedance tomography
• Diffuse optical imaging
• Optical coherence tomography
• Terahertz radiation

Made from an fMRI scan I had done. ... Medical imaging is the process by which physicians evaluate an area of the subjects body that is not normally visible. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... A modern fluoroscope. ... Mammography of the right breast Mammography is the process of using low-dose X-rays (usually around 0. ... Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, previously DEXA) is a means of measuring bone mineral density (BMD). ... Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique in which an X-ray picture is taken to visualize the inner opening of blood filled structures, including arteries, veins and the heart chambers. ... CT apparatus in a hospital Computed tomography (CT), originally known as computed axial tomography (CAT) and body section roentgenography, is a medical imaging method employing tomography where digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two... A baby in its mothers womb, viewed in a sonogram Ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, approximately 20 kiloHertz/20,000 Hertz. ... Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is an medical imaging methodology using (a) specially designed long thin complex manufactured catheters attached to (b) computerized ultrasound equipment. ... Non-ionising radiation (or in American English non-ionizing radiation) refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy to ionize living material - that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. ... For alternative meanings see laser (disambiguation). ... UltraViolet is a 2006 action film in the science fiction genre. ... Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine and medical imaging that uses unsealed radioactive substances in diagnosis and therapy. ... SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) is a nuclear medicine tomographic imaging technique using gamma rays. ... Magnetic Resonance Image showing a vertical (sagittal) cross section through a human head. ... Functional neuroimaging is the use of brain imaging technology to measure an aspect of brain function, often with a view to understanding the relationship between activity in certain brain areas and specific mental functions. ... Neuroimaging includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function, or pharmacologyof the brain. ... Pacific Northwest National Laboratorys high magnetic field (800 MHz, 18. ... Magnetic Resonance Image showing a vertical (sagittal) cross section through a human head. ... Radiation has a variety of different meanings. ... The Tacoma Narrows Bridge (shown twisting) in Washington collapsed spectacularly, under moderate wind, in part because of resonance. ... Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is the measurement of the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain, usually conducted externally, using extremely sensitive devices such as SQUIDs. ... Electrical Impedance Tomograpy (EIT), is a medical imaging technique in which an image of the conductivity or permittivity of part of the body is inferred from surface electrical measurements. ... Diffuse optical imaging is a medical imaging modality which uses near infrared light to generate images of the body. ... Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric, non-invasive optical tomographic imaging technique offering millimeter penetration (approximatelly 2-3 mm in tissue) with sub-micrometre axial and lateral resolution. ... Radio waves sent at terahertz frequencies, known as terahertz radiation, terahertz waves, T-rays, T-light, T-lux and THz, are in the region of the light spectrum between 300 gigahertz (3x1011 Hz) and 3 terahertz (3x1012 Hz), corresponding to the wavelength range starting at submillimeter (<1 millimeter) and 100...

Treatment of disease

• Radiotherapy
• Sealed source radiotherapy
• Interventional radiology
• Non-ionising radiation Lasers, Ultraviolet etc. including photodynamic therapy and LASIK
• High intensity focussed ultrasound, including lithotripsy
• Nuclear medicine, including unsealed source radiotherapy
• Defibrillation

Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ... Sealed source radiotherapy or brachytherapy or endocurietherapy is the application of radiation from close range and is used for techniques where the radioactive source is placed inside the area requiring treatment. ... Interventional Radiology (IR) is a subspecialty of Medical imaging (Radiology) in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. ... Non-ionising radiation (or in American English non-ionizing radiation) refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy to ionize living material - that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. ... For alternative meanings see laser (disambiguation). ... UltraViolet is a 2006 action film in the science fiction genre. ... Photodynamic therapy (PDT), developed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in the 1970s, is a ternary treatment for cancer involving three key components: a photosensitizer, light, and tissue oxygen. ... LASIK, an acronym for Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, is a form of refractive laser eye surgery procedure performed by ophthalmologists intended for correcting vision. ... A baby in its mothers womb, viewed in a sonogram Ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, approximately 20 kiloHertz/20,000 Hertz. ... A lithotriptor with integrated fluoroscope (upper head) and shockwave generator (lower head), which generally utilizes a pizeoelectric or electromagnetic source for shockwave generation. ... Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine and medical imaging that uses unsealed radioactive substances in diagnosis and therapy. ... Unsealed source radiotherapy relates to the use of soluble forms of radioactive substances which are injected into the body. ... Typical view of the defibrillator operator. ...

Physiological Measurement Techniques

ECG trace

Used to monitor and measure various physiological parameters. Many physiological measurement techniques are non-invasive and can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, other invasive methods. EKG 2: time-strip My heart, my leads applied to my body with my hands, scanned on my scanner and converted to PNG on my computer. ... EKG 2: time-strip My heart, my leads applied to my body with my hands, scanned on my scanner and converted to PNG on my computer. ... The term non-invasive in Medicine has two meanings: A medical procedure which does not penetrates or breaks the skin or a body cavity, i. ... Invasive may refer to: An invasion An invasive species An invasive medical procedure This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

• Electrocardiography
• Electromyography
• Electroencephalography
• Electronystagmography
• Endoscopy
• Medical ultrasonography
• Non-ionising radiation (Lasers, Ultraviolet etc.)
• Near infrared spectroscopy
• Pulse oximetry
• Blood gas monitor
• Blood pressure measurement

ECG may also refer to the East Coast Greenway Lead II An Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, abbreviated from the German Elektrokardiogramm) is a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph, which records the electrical voltage in the heart in the form of a continuous strip graph. ... Electromyography (EMG) is a medical technique for measuring muscle response to nervous stimulation. ... Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic measurement of the electrical activity of the brain by recording from electrodes placed on the scalp or, in special cases, on the cortex. ... Electronystagmography (ENG) is a diagnostic test to record involuntary movements of the eye caused by a condition known as nystagmus. ... Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer Endoscopy means looking inside and refers to looking inside the human body for medical reasons. ... Medical ultrasonography (sonography) is an ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging technique used to visualize internal organs, their size, structure and any pathological lesions. ... Non-ionising radiation (or in American English non-ionizing radiation) refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy to ionize living material - that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. ... For alternative meanings see laser (disambiguation). ... UltraViolet is a 2006 action film in the science fiction genre. ... Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a spectroscopic method utilising the near infra-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum (from 1100nm to 2500nm). ... Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method which allows health care providers to monitor the oxygenation of a patients blood. ... A portable saturometer (for emergencies) Measure by optic properties through the nail A blood gas monitor is a medical device that measures the amount of a dissolved gas in a patients blood. ... Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. ...

Radiation Protection

• Background radiation
• Radiation protection
• Dosimetry

Background radiation is the ionizing radiation from several natural radiation sources: sources in the Earth and from those sources that are incorporated in our food and water, which are incorporated in our body, and in building materials and other products that incorporate those radioactive sources; radiation sources from space (in... Radiation protection, sometimes known as radiological protection, is the science of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation. ... Dosimetry is the measurement of doses in matter and tissue from ionizing radiation. ...

Medical Computing and Mathematics

CT image reconstruction

• Medical informatics
• Telemedicine
• Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS)
• DICOM
• Tomographic reconstruction, an ill-posed inverse problem

Parallel beam geometry. ... Parallel beam geometry. ... Electronic patient chart of a HIS Medical Informatics is the name given to the discipline that exists at the intersection of information technology and medicine. ... The term Telemedicine is the delivery of medicine at a distance. ... In medical imaging, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are computers or networks dedicated to the storage, retrieval, distribution and presentation of images. ... Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is a comprehensive set of standards for handling, storing and transmitting information in medical imaging. ... The mathematical basis for tomographic imaging was laid down by Johann Radon. ... In mathematics, an ill-posed problem is one that is not well-posed, in that it violates one or more of the following conditions: A solution exists. ... The inverse problem is the task that often occurs in many branches of science and mathematics where the values of some model parameter(s) must be obtained via manipulation of observed data. ...

Biomedical engineering

• Biomedical engineering
• Biomechanics
• Functional electrical stimulation
• Dialysis
• Gait analysis
• Prosthetics
• Cochlear implants
• Nanomedicine

The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Biomechanics is the research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms. ... Functional electrical stimulation (FES) aims to restore function in people with disabilities resulting from spinal cord injury, head injury, stroke or other neurological disorders by electrical stimulation of the muscles and nerves. ... In medicine, renal dialysis is a method for removing waste such as urea from the blood when the kidneys are incapable of this (i. ... Gait analysis is the process of quantification and interpretation of human locomotion. ... A United States soldier demonstrates Foosball with two prosthetic limbs In medicine, a prosthesis is an artificial extension that replaces a missing part of the body. ... Illustration of the internal parts of a cochlear implant A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted hearing aid that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. ... Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology and related research. ...

See also

• See also important publications in medical physics

// Classical mechanics Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica Isaac Newton Description: The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Latin: mathematical principles of natural philosophy, often Principia or Principia Mathematica for short) is a three-volume work by Isaac Newton published on July 5, 1687. ...

External links