Editorial

Abstract

Since the discovery of x-rays, the use of radiological investigations has become an integral part of medical management. All of us have had an x-ray or a scan at some point in our lives. The dependence on imaging is growing. The advent of modalities like ultrasound, computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, which allow rapid acquisition of high quality images of both anatomy and pathology, has further increased this dependence. The conditions which were diagnosed purely on clinical grounds now routinely get imaged. The conditions which were managed on minimal imaging now get extensive workups. One classical example is acute appendicitis. This used to be a condition that was diagnosed on history and physical examination alone. Now most patients coming to western hospitals will get at least one imaging test as part of their diagnostic workup. This increased dependence has hugely benefitted radiology and radiologists. This has propelled this one time “dark room” speciality to the forefront of medicine.