Reddit mentions: The best radiologic & ultrasound technology books

I agree with everything said in this thread, but to add some things:

I strongly recommend a good particle physics course. If you can think about the basic things in our field automatically in terms of Feynman diagrams and you know the rules of certain force interactions (everything but gravity being important, with EM and Weak force interactions slightly more important than strong in our field), I've found that helps me to understand the empirical/applied stuff a lot better.

I would seek to shadow as many medical physicists from as many different specialties as possible. It'll let you decide if you really want to be/what specifically you want to do in our field, as well as look good on any resume. I'd shoot for at least one shadowing session of clinical physicists in radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic imaging each, as well as a health physicist, and an undergrad internship at a company like Varian or Elekta (look to the AAPM for undergrad opportunities/funding). Some physicists appreciate teaching people while others don't, so don't give up if you're turned down on a cold call, but don't cold call the same person twice.

As a bonus, read Kahn, Attix, and Hall, if you have time. For Nuclear Med, I'd recommend Cherry, and for Diagnostic Imaging I'd recommend Bushburg. Definitely start with Kahn as it is the easiest to digest IMO. I'm sure others have book recommendations as well. Though, I wouldn't bother until you've at least taken your entry level classical mechanics and E&M courses, even then a lot wont click until you've taken Quantum 1.

Edit: oh also experience in programming will help. Matlab and/or python seem to be base in our field, though C++ cant hurt.

My two cents:

Realistically at the medical student level the most important study to be able to interpret is going to be a chest x-ray. So, if you’re looking for resources to go past the general anatomy and “approach to a chest x-ray” I would recommend Felson’s Principles of Chest Roentgenology.

It’s a ‘programmed text’ like Dubin’s for EKGs, and goes through pathology topic by topic, with lots of opportunity to practice interpretation and to see if you are right or wrong. It’s a relatively quick read and there are lots of practice cases at the end as well.

I stressed interpretation before because, sure you may have a test question about the difference between an epidural vs. subdural bleed, but it’s not like you are going to be interpreting CTs or MRIs.

Knowing the underlying anatomy and the differential for the pathology would probably be a better use of your time than going through any of the introductory texts like Learning Radiology: Recognizing the Basics or Squire’s Fundamentals of Radiology. (My point here being that you need to know what you are looking at if you are actually going to be able to make sense of a study.) If you were considering radiology, one might be nice to have as a reference, but again, I do not think actually trying to read through the whole thing would be a good use of time.

Without cases to practice with, a lot of that knowledge probably will not stick. Whenever you have the chance, trying to look at a film before reading the radiologist’s report to test yourself can be helpful, as is trying to actively correlate what you see on the film compared to the clinical exam.

After having a good knowledge of chest x-rays, your next most common scenarios that require interpretation would probably be emerg related - again chest x-rays will be super common, but others like abdo series, extremity skeletal trauma, cervical spine, etc. will be useful.

Having said that, there are online resources like “Introduction to Radiology” from the University of Virginia or Radiology Masterclass.

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TL;DR:

• Felson’s to learn how to interpret chest films
  
• Pay attention to the little things you might be tested on like the features of arthritis on plain films, epidural vs. subdural, etc. etc. as you learn the rest of your clinical stuff
  
• Know your anatomy
  
• Radiopaedia for everything else that comes up
  
• a PDF of an introductory text might be nice as a reference for a rads gunner - not as something to try to read cover to cover

So here are my recommendations then.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0323017029/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0323017029&linkCode=as2&tag=daynightrever-20

The above is an ultrasound requisites series book. The radiology requisites series is pretty popular and well regarded. I found it quite useful.

If you are planning to be a procedural oriented radiologist, or go into IR later. I recommend

this....https://www.amazon.com/dp/143771417X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=daynightrever-20&linkId=521eba90123660ea6bb3af27fa3febfd

I always have felt that ultrasound is only as good as the user. So technique is important. For this just general practice is good. However a very good understand of the views and anatomy in ultrasound is important. Ultrasound anatomy is less defined compared to CXRs, or CT/MR. Mainly because it is often a real time analysis, that is subjected to large amounts of human error based on your own(or a tech's) technique. As such, understanding the anatomy well is important so you know what you are doing.

Always follow the basic principles.in ultrasound WHERE are you, WHERE do you want to go, HOW do you get there, CAN you get there without having the patient moving positions , SHOULD you move the patient if you need different views. WHy do you need different views. ARE you confident in the diagnostic efficacy without continuing u/s analysis.

These two books aren't necessarily "radiology" level, as a physiican. They are more geared towards techs and midlevels. But are good for a good introductory text/review. https://www.amazon.com/Ultrasound-Teaching-Manual-Performing-Interpreting/dp/3131110430/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1480490856&sr=8-8&keywords=ultrasound

This atlas is decent, I always found it to be a great reference back when I was a resident.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Atlas-Ultrasound-Anatomy-Berthold/dp/3131390522/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1480490961&sr=8-21&keywords=ultrasound+book

Lastly, I'd recommend buying some sort of u/s physics textbook(algebra based) just to give you a working understanding of the technology. And as you move through your training and beyond the baiscs, you can move onto specialzied ultrasound texts. The main ones are usually obstetrics, EM/Trauma, and abdominal(sometimes the latter two are combined, soemtimes 1 and three are combined in one text. You can search around).

Sorry for the late reply. Saw it during lunch break then completely forgot about it till now.

I'm not from America, so I really wouldn't know about securing a job over there. That really shouldn't worry you at all though; Doctors can find work anywhere in the world, in fact it's more of a question of convenience than anything else. If you can get a job on home soil, great! If you can't, you can always look for a job abroad.

However, if you're asking about securing a fellowship, then I've got three words for ye: connections, connections and... connections! I really can't stress enough on how important this is. Yes, your hard work in the next few years is important, but it's who you know that will land you where you want. A lot of big names in radiology (at least the ones I've met) point this out as one of the key factors in getting your desired fellowship. A good way to start cultivating connections is to attend some of the bigger annual conferences like the RSNA or training courses like the AIRP (or even European ones like the ESOR and ESR) and chatting up the speakers. Show your face often, let them know how interested you are.

As for residency advice, I've got another three words for that: exposure, exposure, exposure. Reading is important, but you'll need to see thousands of cases, per subspecialty, to build up your knowledge base. Reading theory without enough exposure is useless. So if your institution doesn't have a lot of cases in a certain sub, you can apply for a rotation elsewhere. Also, in regards to reading material, you might hear people throw titles like Dahnert, Sutton and Primer. My experience is that reading from a general radiology book -while good enough for basics- is generally a waste of time, and I've learned that the hard way. Go for specialized books right from the start, and take the case/rotation-based approach. You can't go wrong.

Oh. You MUST get Chapman's DDx. This shall henceforth be thy holy bible. Know it by heart by the end of the first residency year, even if most of the detailed theory is lost to you. Get the DDx down, theory will come in time.

Well I'm a member of the BSIR (UK doctor), but if you're in the US you should join MIRS. These organisations are usually free to join for juniors and trainees, and if you entered their essay competitions or audit prizes you'd have an excellent foot-in-the-door.

Also, this book is a great place to start.

MRI in Practice by Catherine Westbrook is, by far, the easiest read to understand MRI. It is also the best priced book for MRI studies.

http://www.amazon.com/MRI-Practice-Catherine-Westbrook/dp/1444337432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413580430&sr=8-1&keywords=MRI+practice

http://www.iacionline.net/ is a great quiz site, but you do have to pay for an account. A few of us got together and split $ for an account.

You may want to brush up on your sectional anatomy and pathology along with the textbook.

And you may want to check the requirements for the exam - it seems like ARRT may add on more stuff:

> Beginning January 1, 2016, candidates must also document completion of 16 hours of structured education. Learn more about ARRT’s education requirements.


https://www.arrt.org/Certification/Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging


I took my registry in August 2013, and I recall that there was a lot of pelvis anatomy (female/male), calculcating phase/matrix/ETL. The test won't tell you if a particular parameter is T1/T2 weighted, so you'll have to look at the numbers that they give you (figure it out first), then answer the actual questions. Learn the cranial nerves and make sure you know the TE/TR values for white matter, gray matter, blood, CSF, etc.


(Come back and look at this post when you get closer to taking the MR registry.)

I'm not the best at math/physics, so I believe that patient safety, equipment, anatomy and pathology saved me!

If you want to get a good look at the tech aspect, you can check out this handbook:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0323083897/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is the version I have, but the older ones are basically the same. Lots of techs have one of these books with them on site -- in their locker or on person. They include almost all of the positions/x-rays and it can fit in your pocket.

Another good book is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451115652/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Rather than a reference book like the other, this one is a good read. It explains how x-rays work and how we can improve our images. Go ahead and skip anything about film, though.

Excellent thank you for the advice and tips on test material!!

Yeah I keep abreast of the ARRT requirements and know that come 2016 they are requiring some education.. Not a problem though it gives me plenty of time and I may in fact take a class on Saturdays that will qualify anyway just in case.

Thanks again definitely hanging on to this advice :)

EDIT: I have this book unused for sectional anatomy.. bought it for the xray program which we never needed it for, lol. Look good to you?: http://www.amazon.com/Sectional-Anatomy-Imaging-Professionals-3e/dp/0323082602/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KTJ3V0R3B4HP4PYXABW

I'm not sure what level your skills are. Most of the best online resources come from the EM side, and those limit themselves mostly to the basics of OB and pelvic ultrasound.

OSU is pretty well known for their ultrasound curriculum, and has a nice website. Like I said - limits itself to the basics. They also have an app for iPhone that's actually really good, too, and walks you through the exams.

Mount Sinai has probably a better website and even has an algorithm for the EM physician to use for a pelvic ultrasound. But I don't know if that's sufficient for what you might be looking for.

As far as textbooks, the standard in EM is Ma and Mateer's. But the info in it is essentially as found above, if a bit better and fleshes it out significantly, but still. If you're looking to be hands-on with the (transabdominal) probe and buy a butterfly and do things yourself in office, maybe this is exactly what you need.

But I anticipate that you might need a more OBGyn focused reference text like the School Textbook of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Or Callen's Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology, which is a bit more robust.

I'm not sure something exactly like what you're asking for exists, but I've heard a lot of great things about Bontrager as a superior positioning aid compared to Merrill's. See if you can find a copy at your site or school to page through to see if it's sufficient for what you want.

I agree with others' opinion that the CT registry encompasses a variety of topics, including physics, equipment, history, procedures, patient care etc. Granted, the registry changes and evolves it's questions every year, it seems that addressing anatomy is also a vital issue to cover in preparation for the registry. I used Sectional anatomy for imaging professionals as a reference for anatomy given it was available in my department. Surely, any variation of this type of material will get the job done as well.

There are also a couple of websites dedicated to CT topics and continuing education/training opportunities. CTisus is a great forum for relevant information, and a great place to post questions on just about anything CT related. Lastly, CTguru is similar to CTisus but in a smaller capacity. There are plenty of answered questions regarding the registry amongst the existing threads, and if I remember correctly you may even access sample/study questions on the different topics covered. Back when I took the registry, CTisus hosted over 200 questions on every single registry topic, which I actually still have in print laying around somewhere. I am not completely sure they still have all of them online, but the various forum threads on the subject still host a number of them.

Edit: Fixed Link

Nuclear pharmacy is pretty cool. I did two electives (from the guy who literally wrote the book - this one - on nuclear pharmacy), a rotation and an internship. I'd be happy to tell what I know about it. Any interest? Any specific questions?

Learning Radiology is a dope ass book and I highly recommend it.

As for free resources, check out the big online radiology websites like Radiopaedia which have tons of cases and some "how-to's" for certain things. And of course, Learning Radiology does have some of the tutorials for free, but they are much more comprehensive in the book, and the book has way more sections than the website.

Otherwise, Youtube is also your friend.

A great review book I used was Mosbys Rad Review. I highly recommend it and use it throughout your program. I wish I would have gotten it a lot sooner than this previous April (I graduated a couple days ago) and it really helped me with the registry. It would have helped out a lot with the Physics portion of the program too.

Merrill and Bontrager tend to be recommended by Americans, most of us Brits go for Clark's Positioning in Radiography.

Not read the 13th edition of the big boy book myself (basically everywhere has 12th edition, and I am not paying for a new one lol), but the only thing I disagree with in the first edition (since updated to 2nd edition) of the [little baby handbook for students and such] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Clarks-Handbook-Radiographers-Companion-Essential/1498726992/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R5H91P80E0SZ5ZKVP0QH) was the ankle section, they describe a correct mortice view, but then the demonstrated image has their centring... somewhat high... :v

The main other book I consider a "must have" is Accident and Emergency Radiology, but as an ortho resident, you are likely past that (it is basic image interpretation, suitable for a junior doc or the average band 5/6 radiographer), though you might consider giving it a flick through anyway, it's not a long read, and is a very good quality book.

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Edit: Interesting thing about Clark's - go back a few versions from the 12th edition and they were inexplicably using nude patients in a solid half of the demonstration images, flicking between covered and uncovered for seemingly no reason. God knows why. In any of the modern ones, they are all wearing swimsuits, at least!

These guys do a pretty good course in Harrow if you're UK based, book comes with it. I like it a lot, focused and to the point.
Accident & Emergency Radiology: a survival guide

Yes Merrill's is what my university utilizes and stands by. I may suggest an updated copy or just know of any revisions as some angulations/centering may have varied. Another good test prep book is Mosby's review guide (Mosby's Comprehensive Review of Radiography: The Complete Study Guide and Career Planner https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323354238/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4S0XCb536TP1F)
Also ARRT has content specifications that suggest areas to know.

Anyone have thoughts on how to go about learning the very very basics of radiology? I'm awful at anything black/white/grey (CTs, MRIs, x-rays, etc.). I've read through a couple of posts, but I'm not sure it's worthwhile going through an entire book?... fwiw, I have 8 weeks until Step 1 with 5 of those being dedicated.

Any other resources people recommend?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0323065902/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417294411&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

This book got me through the registry with flying colors. I hear good things about the MIC, but it was too pricy for me when there are options like this one that are so good and so affordable. Pro tip, though - the online content it comes with is really convenient, but the tests in the back are the ones I found to be most pertinent.

Learning Radiology by Herring is a great basic book, written at the level of med students: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Radiology-Recognizing-Basics-3e/dp/0323328075

This is the correct answer. http://amzn.com/0323065902

RootimusPrime: This is all you need. If you're lacking in the cross sectional anatomy then it couldn't hurt to pick up a book on that. If the only thing that you study is the book that I linked, you will easily pass.

EDIT - I took the registry in 2011 so my experience may be more recent than most. "May" being the key word.

Learning Radiology by Herring is a good beginner's book.

Learning Radiology: Recognizing the Basics, 3e https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323328075/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gjZZxb5SK7XPW

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Radiology-Recognizing-Basics-3e/dp/0323328075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510081056&sr=8-1&keywords=radiology+books

and this if you like the style of Dubin's EKG book for chest x-rays:

https://www.amazon.com/Felsons-Principles-Roentgenology-Programmed-Goodman/dp/1455774839/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510081108&sr=1-2&keywords=chest+roentgenology#reader_1455774839

Accident and Emergency Radiology Best for plain films in the ED

MRI in Practice

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Radiology-Recognizing-Basics-3e/dp/0323328075