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Film is first manufactured in 1889.
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Discovery of X-rays by German Professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen.
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Dr. Francis Henry Williams used x-rays for medical diagnosis, including the use of fluoroscopy to study blood vessels.
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Contrast medium was first administered orally and injected vascularly between 1906 and 1912. This allowed doctors to svisualize blood vessels, digestive and gastro-intestinal systems, bile ducts and gall bladder for the first time.
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Dr. Carlos Heuser was the first to use a contrast medium in a human circulatory system.
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The American Board of Radiology is officially formed and recognized by the American Medical Association.
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Technology matured from analog election valves to digital switches, This is the beginning of the transition to digital imaging.
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Widespread use of radionuclide scanning was first done in the 1950s using gamma cameras. Nuclear medicine studies use low levels radioactive chemicals that are taken up by the organs in the body and emit faint radiation signals. These signals are detected by the gamma camera.
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The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging was founded in 1954 in Spokane, WA. This organization promotes the science, common technology and practical application of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.
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The X-ray image intensifier (I.I.) was developed and allowed the pick up and display of the x-ray movie using a TV camera and monitor.
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Ian Donald repurposed ultrasound for imaging uses rather than research, as was done in the past. A transducer is placed against the skin near the area of interest and produces inaudible, high frequency sound waves that penetrate into the body and bounce off the organs inside. The transducer detects sound waves as they bounce back from the internal structures and contours of the organs. These waves are received by the ultrasound machine and turn into live pictures.
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In the 1960's the principles of sonar were implemented in diagnostic imaging for commercial use,
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Boyle and Smith of Bell Labs used photons of light to create an image onto a silicon chip to produce an image from light with no intervening chemical or mechanical steps.
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Godfrey Hounsfield invented the CT scanner in 1972. Today, CT scanners use x-rays and a detector mounted on a rotating frame to create detailed cross-sectional images.
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Steve Sasson of Kodak creates the first prototype digital camera.
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Sony creates the first commercial digital camera called the Mavica B&W.
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The FDA approved the MRI for commercial and clinical availability. MRI shows different materials resonated at different magnetic field strengths.
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The first prototype color video still system was debuted at the 1984 Olympic Games.
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The first PET/CT prototype for clinical evaluation was funded by the NCI and installed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A PET scan uses a small amount of radioactive tracer that travels through blood and collects in organs and tissues. This helps the radiologist see certain areas of concern more clearly.