Imaging diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recently released a report on the economic costs of diabetes in the United States. Authors of the report concluded that in 2007 the national economic burden of diabetes exceeded $174 billion. However, even such sobering statistics cannot quantify the emotional toll diabetes exacts on patients, their friends and families. With the annual prevalence of diabetes continuing to exceed all predictions, imaging is increasingly called upon to assist in disease management, exploration of mechanisms underlying the disease process and evaluation of the effectiveness of novel treatments.