In addition to providing diagnostic and therapeutic patient-care services, the institute is a top research and education center.

It employs over 140 academic staff and is among the top recipients of National Institutes of Health funding of radiology departments.

Early medical imaging consisted primarily of x-ray studies used for diagnostic evaluation, and the clinical application for such tests was still being explored.

In the 1920s, prominent Washington University thoracic surgeon, Evart Graham, became interested in developing an imaging test to assess the gallbladder and biliary system.

It was already known that chemical agents such as phenolphthalein, once ingested, were concentrated by the liver and secreted into bile in dogs.