Medical imaging-opportunities for the new millennium

When Wilhelm Roentgen discovered what he called “a new kind of light” more than a century ago, he never anticipated that medical imaging would make such a vast impact on science, engineering, and medicine. Today, medical imaging has advanced to a stage that was inconceivable 100 years ago, with X-rays, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans becoming an integral part of modern healthcare. With the arrival of the new millennium, the development of medical imaging is likely to accelerate even faster, driven by the rapid advancement of digital computer technology, new methods of extracting in vivo functional and biochemical information, and our relentless efforts in establishing localized genesis and progression of diseases. This special issue is devoted to the latest research efforts and results in technical and clinical applications of major imaging modalities. It assembles nine visionary articles on different aspects of medical imaging.