Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has become the imaging method of choice for a large number of indications, mainly in oncology. The best diagnosis is made by putting together both functional and morphostructural information and is strictly connected with the availability of two specialists or hopefully of a specialist well trained in PET and CT. Waiting for a wide diffusion of expert diagnostic imagers able to see and understand the whole content of the image, a nuclear physician working with PET [or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)] has to however start to know sectional radiological anatomy; then he has to at least recognize pathological patterns which may create an emergency and/or have to be further analysed by an expert radiologist. All this knowledge has to be acquired using a low-dose technique, i.e. a diagnostic CT procedure, although not used at the technical state-of-the-art level.

The book Atlas of Sectional Radiological Anatomy for PET/CT proposes to cover the first necessity, i.e. how to correctly localize and anatomically recognize pathological data seen at PET. The author, Mehmet T. Kiptaci, is Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the Gazi University in Ankara and with this atlas aims to assist mainly beginners, i.e. nuclear physicians in their first approach to hybrid machines or residents, in becoming expert in sectional anatomy, a mandatory prerequisite to correctly interpret PET/CT.

The publication is an easy guide to consultation and is a valuable aid for all people involved in acquiring and/or reporting on a PET/CT study. Therefore, together with nuclear physicians, it can also be helpful for technologists, radiologists, residents, physicists and medical students, as a fast reference book to immediately recognize radiological sections.

The text consists of four chapters, based on the presentation of transverse CT images compared with the corresponding fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scan with normal distribution of the tracer. Understanding is facilitated by the presence of a scheme and of longitudinal radiological images, useful to better localize transverse sections. The book is divided into four parts analysing: (1) head and neck, (2) chest, (3) abdomen and (4) pelvis.

To conclude, we think that this atlas, which could acquire further appeal if printed in a pocket version, is an useful publication to have everywhere PET (or SPECT)/CT studies are acquired and reported on.