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Recent advances in medical imaging: anatomical and clinical applications

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Abstract

The aim of this paper was to present an overview of the most important recent advances in medical imaging and their potential clinical and anatomical applications. Dramatic changes have been particularly observed in the field of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Computed tomography (CT) has been completely overturned by the successive development of helical acquisition, multidetector and large area-detector acquisition. Visualising brain function has become a new challenge for MRI, which is called functional MRI, currently based principally on blood oxygenation level-dependent sequences, which could be completed or replaced by other techniques such as diffusion MRI (DWI). Based on molecular diffusion due to the thermal energy of free water, DWI offers a spectrum of anatomical and clinical applications, ranging from brain ischemia to visualisation of large fibrous structures of the human body such as the anatomical bundles of white matter with diffusion tensor imaging and tractography. In the field of X-ray projection imaging, a new low-dose device called EOS has been developed through new highly sensitive detectors of X-rays, allowing for acquiring frontal and lateral images simultaneously. Other improvements have been briefly mentioned. Technical principles have been considered in order to understand what is most useful in clinical practice as well as in the field of anatomical applications. Nuclear medicine has not been included.

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Abbreviations

ADC:

Apparent diffusion coefficient

ADCT:

Area-detector computed tomography

ASL:

Arterial spin labelling

BOLD:

Blood oxygenation level dependent

CR:

Computed radiography

CT:

Computed tomography

CBCT:

Cone-beam computed tomography

DSCT:

Dual source CT

DECT:

Dual energy CT

DTI:

Diffusion tensor imaging

DWI:

Diffusion-weighted imaging

MDCT:

Multidetector computed tomography

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MSCT:

Multislice computed tomography

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

rsfMRI:

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

2D:

Two-dimensional

3D:

Three-dimensional

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département d’Anatomie, Faculté de Médecine de Nancy, Université de Lorraine, Nancy Cedex, France

    Bruno Grignon

  2. Service de Radiologie Pédiatrique, CHU Nancy, Nancy, France

    Laurence Mainard

  3. Département d’Anatomie, Faculté de Médecine d’Angers, Service de Neurochirurgie, CHU Angers, Angers, France

    Matthieu Delion

  4. Cabinet de Radiologie, 125 rue St Dizier, 54000, Nancy, France

    Claude Hodez

  5. Service d’Imagerie Guilloz, Hôpital Central, CHU Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny CO 34, 54035, Nancy, France

    Bruno Grignon & Guillaume Oldrini

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  1. Bruno Grignon
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  2. Laurence Mainard
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Correspondence to Bruno Grignon.

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Grignon, B., Mainard, L., Delion, M. et al. Recent advances in medical imaging: anatomical and clinical applications. Surg Radiol Anat 34, 675–686 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-012-0985-0

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