Radiological anatomy of the abdomen

Advances in technology have led to significant developments in techniques for imaging the abdominal and pelvic organs, in both the elective and emergency surgical settings. Improvements in the quality and availability of imaging has had a profound effect on the delivery of high-quality surgical care and has improved outcomes by providing accurate preoperative diagnosis and staging, leading to a reduction in exploratory and futile operations, while permitting better planned precision surgery and a growing range of interventional radiology procedures. This article will describe the essential anatomical interpretation of the common radiological imaging techniques relevant to the abdomen and pelvis and describe the rationale for selection of the most appropriate imaging modality.