Imaging Inflammation

Abstract

The cardinal features of inflammation were identified many centuries ago, and the subsequent demonstration of the cellular basis of these features first relied upon light microscopy and the development of histological processes. As the complexity of inflammation becomes more understood, tools are required to access ever smaller and deeper compartments of tissue, in vitro and in vivo, in animals and in man, at the same time maintaining specificity for the particular process under investigation. Whilst imaging modalities can rely solely upon the endogenous features of the tissue under investigation, commonly some form of contrast agent is added, and the qualities of the tissue, the imaging technique and the contrast agent can be exploited together to answer specific questions about inflammation.