Medical imaging is a set of diagnostic techniques that noninvasively visualize internal anatomical structures and physiological processes using diverse physical modalities. Core methods include ionizing-radiation–based techniques (e.g., radiography, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, PET/SPECT), non-ionizing modalities (e.g., MRI, ultrasound, optical imaging), and hybrid systems (e.g., PET/CT, PET/MRI). These techniques exploit contrasts in tissue density, proton properties, acoustic impedance, or radiotracer distribution to generate qualitative and quantitative data. Medical imaging underpins clinical decision-making, image-guided interventions, treatment planning, and longitudinal monitoring, and increasingly incorporates advanced reconstruction algorithms, quantitative biomarkers, and AI-driven image analysis.
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