Imagining the Future of Diagnostic Imaging

Abstract

Cardiovascular imaging has become an essential tool to better understand cardiovascular diseases. The advent of new technology and the refinement of already existing technologies have allowed to expand the role of imaging into biological, functional and hemodynamic diagnosis of multiple pathophysiological processes. Current and coming trends in cardiovascular imaging are focused into an improved early diagnosis of vascular pathological processes able to promote cardiovascular health, and also serve as a useful tool guiding clinical decisions. Similarly imaging is increasingly used as a tool able to quantify the effect of novel therapies. The rapid development of molecular imaging and fusion imaging techniques allows the understanding of cardiovascular processes from the molecular and cellular points of view. This allows the design and test of novel preventive interventions. The proliferation and integration of imaging techniques in different clinical areas and its role in translational imaging is important to implement personalized therapeutic and preventive management of patients with cardiovascular diseases.