Book excerpt: This completely updated second edition of Radiation Exposure and Image Quality in X-ray Diagnostic Radiology provides the reader with detailed guidance on the optimization of radiological imaging. The basic physical principles of diagnostic radiology are first presented in detail, and their application to clinical problems is then carefully explored. The final section is a supplement containing tables of data and graphical depictions of X-ray spectra, interaction coefficients, characteristics of X-ray beams, and other aspects relevant to patient dose calculations. In addition, a complementary CD-ROM contains a user-friendly Excel file database covering these aspects that can be used in the reader’s own programs. This book will be an invaluable aid to medical physicists when performing calculations relating to patient dose and image quality, and will also prove useful for diagnostic radiologists and engineers.