Medical Imaging

Code:

EBIOMED4002

Acronym:

EBIOMED4002

Level:

400

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Biomedical Engineering

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Engineering Physics

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:EF	8	Official Study Plan since 2021_M:EF	1	-	6	39	162

Teaching language

English

Objectives

The objective of this curricular unit is the acquisition of basic knowledge in Physics relevant to the activities involved in the operation, maintenance, or investigation of the equipment used in Medical Imaging. This knowledge includes basic Physics principles and the basic aspects of the engineering of the imaging types of equipment.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of the curricular unit, the students should attain proficiency in the following areas:
Basic principles in radiation Physics. Describe the structure of matter and its relation with radiation; describe the different types of radiation and their propagation; list the physics quantities and their units necessary to describe radiation and its propagation; describe the production and detection of radiation; describe the interaction of radiation with matter, particularly its use in medical imaging (x- and gamma-rays); explain the use of radiation in Medical Imaging; solve simple exercises in these subjects.
Basic concepts in medical imaging equipment. Enumerate the different imaging modalities; relate the modalities with the underlying physics mechanisms; identify the components and construct general block diagrams of the corresponding medical equipment; describe each modality's acquisition of an image.  
Basic experimental Physics. Plan and perform didactic experiments: apply the Physics principles; define goals and procedures; carry out the experiments and collect the data; analyze the results; report the conclusions. 
Calculus and data analysis. Use spreadsheets or small programs to analyze data from experiments and to solve problems in radiation Physics. Interpret and explain the information in technical specifications of the equipment. Use data sources, extract information regarding practical aspects of radiation physics: nuclide charts, decay diagrams, dose charts, attenuation graphs, etc.  
Personal development. Work efficiently in a group; communicate with efficiency, written and orally. Develop autonomous work; self-and peer evaluation skills; critical thinking, and reasoning.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Advisable: Fundamentals of Physics (FFIS) and Mathematics (MAT).

Program

1-Fundamentals of radiation Physics: structure of matter and radiation; electromagnetic radiation; radiation production; interaction of radiation with matter; radiation detection.
2-X-Rays: production, attenuation, and detection of x-rays. Planar radiography and Computed Tomography (CT).
3-Nuclear Medicine: properties of nuclei, decays, and radioactivity; radionuclide production. Scintigraphy and Computed Emission Tomography systems - SPECT and PET.
4-Radiation protection and dosimetry. Biological effects of radiation.
5-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR): physics principles. NMR imaging.
6-Ultrasound: ultrasound physics and sound propagation. Ultrasound systems and scanning methods.

Mandatory literature

Jerrold T. Bushberg; The essential physics of medical imaging. ISBN: 978-0-683-30118-2

Complementary Bibliography

P. P. Dendy; Physics for diagnostic radiology. ISBN: 978-1-4200-8315-6
Nadine Barrie Smith; Introduction to medical imaging. ISBN: 978-0-521-19065-7
Jerry L. Prince; Medical imaging signals and systems. ISBN: 0-13-065353-5

Teaching methods and learning activities

- Lectures (“aulas teórico-práticas”-TP) 1h/week. Lectures may consist of several activities: presentation and discussion of concepts; listing of the objectives for the subject under study and the corresponding reading assignments and homework; explaining the working principles of imaging equipment; simulations and experiments; problem-solving; continuous evaluation activities such as short tests.
- Laboratory classes (“práticas laboratoriais”-PL) 1x1h/week: simple laboratory experiments with x-rays (using a didactic x-ray apparatus).

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Teste	30,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	123,00
Frequência das aulas	39,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

To achieve a successful continuous evaluation (CE), it is necessary to:
- Comply with the minimum attendance to each class type (75%);
- Accomplish at least 80% of all the proposed activities.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final grade (FM) is computed using
FM = 0,2 CE + 0,3 MT + 0,5 FE
- CE the continuous evaluation grade;
- MT is the midterm test grade;
- FE the final exam grade, which must not be less than 10 (in 20).

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

By exam, under the applicable grading rules. The exam includes a component corresponding to the midterm test (MT).

Classification improvement

By exam, under the applicable grading rules. The exam includes a component corresponding to the midterm test (MT).

Observations

If the final exam grade is less than 10 (FE<10), then the final course grade (FM) will be the final exam grade (FM=FE).