Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
The ability to image the pancreatic islet in vivo would enhance our understanding of diabetes and accelerate improvements in islet transplantation. However, the small size of islets and their diffuse distribution (both natively and after transplantation) present formidable challenges for current imaging techniques. This article reviews the relative merits and shortcomings of several imaging modalities in humans and in animal models of diabetes.