Radiology, Vol 178, 297-302, Copyright © 1991 by Radiological Society of North America
Gastrointestinal radiology from the time of Walter B. Cannon to the 21st century
AR Margulis and RL Eisenberg
Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143- 0288.
From its very inception, gastrointestinal radiology was at the forefront of
radiology, combining physiologic and anatomic information. From evaluation
of esophageal motility to the first depiction of gastric ulcers and
carcinomas of the alimentary tube, gastrointestinal radiology became
indispensable to physicians and surgeons. Improvements in fluoroscopic and
radiographic equipment, the tilting table, the image intensifier with the
television train, the introduction of selective visceral angiography with
safer contrast media and, more recently, digital subtraction angiography,
digital ultrasound (US), color Doppler US, computed tomography, and
magnetic resonance (MR) imaging--all of these advances have made imaging
diagnosis more precise and specific. A new modality--localized tissue MR
spectroscopy--should offer an insight into metabolism and suggest optimal
modes of treatment and follow-up. The gastrointestinal radiologist of the
future will have to be multimodality trained. A new generation of
alimentary tract interventional radiologists will further the trend toward
less invasive surgical therapy. No end of advances is in sight.
