| Περίληψη: |
Cutting-edge imaging has enhanced orthopedic care beyond the binding evaluation of the structure to a combined evaluation of tissue composition, activity and biology. This review synthesizes contemporary evidence on emerging modalities that improve diagnostic precision and inform management across joint, spine, trauma, infection, and oncologic settings. Quantitative and functional MRI techniques enable earlier detection and phenotyping of cartilage degeneration, disc disease, infection, and soft-tissue tumors, while supporting objective monitoring of inflammatory activity and biomechanical abnormalities. Advances in CT, including photon-counting detector CT and dual-energy CT, enhance spatial resolution, material characterization, and artifact reduction, strengthening assessment of intra-articular pathology, complex trauma, and postoperative implants. Molecular and hybrid imaging (PET/CT, PET/MRI, SPECT/CT) adds metabolic information that improves detection of skeletal metastases, clarifies infectious foci, supports response assessment, and aids evaluation of complex pain generators when structural imaging is equivocal. The innovations of ultrasound, namely ultra-high-frequency, sophisticated Doppler, and shear-wave elastography, offer the available dynamic evaluation of the superficial structures, inflammatory processes, and tissue mechanics. Artificial intelligence and radiomics are accelerating automated detection, quantitative phenotyping, and standardized grading, with potential to reduce variability and enable outcome prediction, contingent on external validation and bias-aware deployment. Implementation remains constrained by cost, radiation exposure, infrastructure, and inequities in access, underscoring the need for protocol-driven utilization and tiered service delivery. Future progress depends on harmonized biomarkers, multimodal integration, and clinically validated decision-support tools that translate imaging innovation into measurable patient benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |