The recent developmental history of contrast media and nuclear medicine tracers has been crucial in facilitating the inno-vation of radiology equipment. Modern ultrasound has provided an opportunity for developing gas-encapsulated contrast products. In addition, scintigraphy has also evolved with “technetium cows,” especially in cardiology. However, the revolution in nuclear medicine arrived with the use of positron emission tomography with Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in this field, followed by new and numerous other products and radioelements such as gallium-68 and the corresponding generators. To highlight the lesser known history of ultrasound contrast media and nuclear medicine tracers, this review indicates the success of its progress over the last decades, at least at the university level. It has enabled radiological practic-es to evolve and accompany the technological innovations in imaging equipment. In all fields, patients have been able to benefit from the knowledge acquired for improving the diagnosis and therapeutic management of their pathologies. As for other imaging techniques, however, a significant slowdown in innovation was observed because of the difficulties associated with applications for the marketing authorization of diagnostic imaging products and the low return on investment for the concerned manufacturers.