This original text fills a void for people interested in nuclear medicine, only peripherally considered in broad-based medical dictionaries, since it centres on diagnostic imaging on ultrasound, CT and MRI. The text of 157 pages includes more than 400 items organized in alphabetical order. The length of each term frequently occupies more than a few lines, sometimes requiring a wider explanation but never reaching the space of a page. This is a very clever didactic approach, because all terms are clearly defined, without becoming too complex to be understood. Furthermore, the presence of a small number of tables and figures helps to better understand more difficult concepts. This tutorial capability derives from the experience and quality of the author, Joseph A. Thie, Ph.D., a consultant in nuclear physics, nuclear medicine and dynamic processes for many years and with didactic experience that started in 1989 at the University of Tennessee.

The dictionary encompasses concepts used in planar techniques, SPECT and PET and covers both scanner operations and data analysis approaches. In spite of the mathematical complexities in the acquisition and analysis of images, the explanations given are kept simple and easy to understand; in addition, many helpful concrete examples are provided.

This is an easy reference tool that can be useful in daily clinical practice for people who wish to obtain a rapid grasp of a concept. The almost tutorial-like style accommodates the needs of students, nuclear medicine technologists and medical professionals.

Therefore, this publication could be useful in all libraries of nuclear medicine departments or on the desk of residents and specialists, being readily available for those who want to report or recall technical terms of nuclear medicine.