Obsolete imaging techniques

Last revised by Mostafa Elfeky on 13 Feb 2023

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Bell D, Elfeky M, Obsolete imaging techniques. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 19 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-99918

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-99918

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/99918

rID:

99918

Article created:

17 May 2022, Daniel J Bell ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Daniel J Bell had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Daniel J Bell's current disclosures

Last revised:

13 Feb 2023, Mostafa Elfeky ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Mostafa Elfeky had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Mostafa Elfeky's current disclosures

Revisions:

3 times, by 2 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Sections:

Imaging Technology

Tags:

reference needed

Synonyms:

Legacy imaging techniques
Legacy imaging technique
Obsolete imaging technique
Outdated imaging techniques
Superseded imaging techniques
Historical imaging techniques
Outmoded imaging techniques
Old-fashioned imaging techniques
Antiquated imaging techniques
Disused imaging techniques
Anachronistic imaging techniques
Discontinued imaging techniques

It is almost axiomatic that as time passes, the imaging techniques by which patients are evaluated, eventually become obsolete, due to continued scientific and technological innovations.

Although the reality of new-fangled technology coming along and supplanting established methodology is of course more nuanced than this. It would be unusual for older imaging technologies and techniques to be completely discarded without some part of the historical approach being incorporated into the newer techniques that come onto the scene. And in many cases the older method is a direct forerunner of the newer technique.

For example, conventional tomography is rarely performed in modern radiology departments, other than as part of panoramic tomography. However the development of CT in the 1960s was in part driven - and informed - by the limitations of conventional tomography.