From sci-fi to reality: Next-generation imaging tools

“If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run — and often in the short one — the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.” – Arthur C. Clarke

Medical technology today often seems to have been ripped straight out of science fiction lore of years past, and perhaps no other specialty provides a better showcase for the marvels of that technology than imaging. The major modalities – CT, PET, MR – and their applications grab the headlines, but presented here are a few examples of new imaging tools that also stand to shape the way imaging is conducted in this brave new world.