Imaging Technology News had its beginnings as Medical Electronics & Equipment News (MEEN).
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and is being celebrated through the theme “A Century of Transforming Medicine.” Numerous activities are planned to celebrate its century mark Nov. 30 through Dec. 5 at McCormick Place in Chicago, including a Centennial Showcase. Imaging Technology News (ITN) congratulates RSNA on this monumental success, and for all it has done for this industry and its community over the years. You can preview some of new technology and products that will be offered at RSNA in our show preview on page 17. Also, be sure to look at ITN’s FastPass microsite at www.itnonline.com/rsna-fastpass. We invite you to come visit us during the show in the South Hall at booth 1715.
To further highlight the evolution of the imaging industry over the past century, this special issue of ITN features a radiology timeline of events that traces back from the days of Wilhelm Roentgen discovering the X-ray, to the invention of the computed tomography (CT) scanner in 1970 and beyond. The scanner featured on our cover, designed by Godfrey Hounsfield at EMI, was the first production model and conducted the first trials on patients in 1971. This was the invention that established CT scanning as a key imaging technology, particularly for the brain. The CT scanner was a runaway success — by 1977 there were 1,130 machines installed around the world. The technique continues to be popular, but the technology of course didn’t stop there. On page 31, industry expert Greg Freiherr will lead you through the rich and eclectic past of imaging and its crucial milestones, up to present day technologies.
ITN’s Own Rich History
Imaging Technology News has been along on this journey for over a half-century, and had its beginnings as a publication called Medical Electronics & Equipment News, founded by Chilton Publishing in Philadelphia in 1961. In 1975, it was acquired by Reilly Communications Group, and became known as MEEN shortly thereafter. As time passed and the industry evolved, the publication was divided into two new brands, MEEN Imaging Technology News and MEEN Cardiology/Critical Care Technology — which today is known as Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology (DAIC). In 2009, RCG was acquired by Scranton Gillette Communications. The rest is history in the making.
We hope you enjoy this very special issue of ITN, and invite you to join us in wishing RSNA much continued success into the next century.
March 13, 2026 
