[Radiology, research and the future]

This subjective and polemic review of radiology reports and analyzes the status of the field today and discusses some of the positive aspects and some of the problems in routine imaging and in research, in both an individual/academic and an academic/commercial context. Topics approached include the position of radiology in medicine as a whole today; turf wars between radiologists and other disciplines despite the lack of radiologists; the position of non-radiologists in medical imaging and imaging research; the marginalization of radiologists in research; and the question whether radiologists will be needed in the future. Additional aspects are: How can recent advances in digital, cross-sectional, and interventional radiology be turned into real advantages for patient treatment and how should outcomes research influence imaging research? Who should enter imaging research, what is to be expected by and from researchers, and which major themes are promising in the future?