Diagnostic Imaging Techniques: Current Trends and Challenges

Diagnostic imaging techniques (DITs) are approaches used to investigate internal body structures/organs without surgical incision. Within the last few decades, DITs have yielded revolutionary results when applied to medical diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient management across various diseases and medical specialties. Due to their noninvasive characteristics, they have extensive applications across various medical specialties, such as radiology, oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Not only are DITs helpful in diagnosing illness or injury, but they also help determine how well a patient's body responds to treatment. Different types of DITs include conventional radiography, fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography, optical imaging, elastography, radionuclide imaging, and terahertz imaging. This chapter reviews the principles, advantages, and challenges of these DITs.