MR - PET : Combining Function , Anatomy , and More Markus Schwaiger

It is widely accepted that coregistration of anatomical information improves the diagnostic value of functional imaging. At the moment, this is reflected in the success of hybrid scanners using PET and CT imaging. But the combination of PET and MR imaging may also offer advantages, such as higher soft tissue contrast in the MR anatomical images, real simultaneous acquisition, and minimum radiation exposure to the patient. Correlative imaging will open exciting new applications in oncology, neurology, and cardiology. For now, the compatibility of PET detectors with magnetic fields still poses a technical challenge and space limitations inside the magnet must be resolved. There is no fully developed and mature clinical MR-PET system on the market yet, but the approach of using scintillation crystals inside the magnet combined with external photo sensors has been successfully implemented for small animal imaging. Semiconductor readout of scintillation crystals is in development and may offer the opportunity to develop a clinical MR-PET system.