Beware the Mask

Abstract

The turn of the 20th century witnessed the introduction of x-ray imaging, which contributed significantly to the increase in longevity from 47 to 77 years of age during the past century [1]. The National Academy of Engineering [2] listed medical imaging as number 14 on its list of the top 20 advances of the 20th century, and it may be even higher, considering the advances in diagnostic imaging modalities of the last quarter of the 20th century: CT, MRI, single-photon emission computed tomography, and PET.