Biography: history of developments in imaging techniques: Egas Moniz and angiography

Abstract

Angiography, the primary imaging technique used for visualizing the brain's blood vessels and any accompanying abnormalities, also is used for imaging aneurysms and other lesions having an infectious cause. A Nobel laureate who later was recognized for his radical treatment for mental illness, Antonio Caetano de Abreu Freire Egas Moniz, has been credited with discovering angiography. However, despite the tremendous impact it has had on the field of medicine, angiography did not receive the recognition that the researcher's later work in psychosurgery did. For many years, the reason for this seeming oversight remained a mystery, especially considering that leucotomy subsequently was superseded by psychopharmaceutical drugs and other management modalities, whereas angiography continues to play a vital role in medicine. This article looks at the various achievements of Egas Moniz, who excelled in many disciplines, as well as at the circumstances surrounding his being denied the Nobel Prize for the discovery of angiography.