Chest physicians use a wide variety of imaging techniques in their pursuit of accurate diagnosis and in the evaluation of treatment. Technical advances in computer science, continuous refinements in computed tomography, positron emission tomography as well as magnetic resonance imaging have profoundly transformed our way of visualising chest diseases.

This issue of the European Respiratory Monograph aims to give an overview of developments in imaging and to describe direct clinical applications. Furthermore, diagnostic imaging strategies for a variety of highly prevalent respiratory pathologies as pulmonary embolism,  idiopathic interstitial pneumonias as well as collagen-vascular disorders are discussed. Imaging facilities for screening and staging lung carcinoma are carefully reviewed in different papers. The final goal of this issue of the Monograph is a more comprehensible use of currently available imaging technologies.