Medical physics - Definition and Overview

Medical physics concerns the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although medical physicists 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.

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
• Magnetic resonance imaging, including Functional magnetic resonance imaging 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

Treatment of disease

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

Non-invasive monitoring and diagnosis

ECG trace

Refers to procedures that do not require going into the body (see Non-invasive (medical)).

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

Radiation Protection

• Background radiation
• Radiation protection
• Dosimetry

Medical Computing and Mathematics

CT image reconstruction

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

Biomedical engineering

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

See also

See also important publications in medical physics

External links