Book review of applied medical image processing: A basic course

'Applied Medical Image Processing: A Basic Course' by Dr. Wolfgang Birkfellner is an outstanding work that will be of interest to virtually all biomedical engineers. Just published by CRC Press and in its first printing in 2011, it is not expensive - listed as $69.95 and available in hardcover. Although 403 pages in length, it is small in footprint and can readily be carried in the pocket of a book or computer bag. The text is easy to follow, supposing only that the reader has a modest knowledge of linear algebra, basic engineering principles, and computer programming.I was impressed by the content as well as by the amount of information that is packed on each page. In each well-organized chapter, important concepts and definitions are described concisely and well. Relevant medical images used for processing compliment many of the concepts discussed. Where important, the mathematical formulation is provided. The text and images refer to several MATLAB-based programming examples that are provided at the end of each chapter. These are useful to apply the concepts to actual medical image processing. The book can be used in part as an excellent reference work for biomedical engineers, scientists, and clinicians.This is a well-written, coherent, and comprehensive work covering the major topics in the field, suitable as a standalone text for coursework in medical image processing. It will mainly be of interest to course directors as an upper-level undergraduate or beginning graduate main textbook. For teaching upper-level undergraduates, the concepts presented can be supplemented with additional programming examples. For teaching beginning graduate students, the text should be supplemented with additional theoretical background in the lectures, as well as more challenging programming examples. For medical residents, lectures in the fundamental mathematics, engineering, and computer language principles may be needed prior to coverage of the image processing chapters. In Ch