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Multimodal Imaging Approaches: PET/CT and PET/MRI

  • Chapter
Molecular Imaging I

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 185/1))

Abstract

Multimodality imaging, specifically PET/CT, brought a new perspective into the fields of clinical and preclinical imaging. Clinical cases have shown, that the combination of anatomical structures, revealed from CT, and the functional information from PET into one image, with high fusion accuracy, provides an advanced diagnostic tool and research platform. Although PET/CT is already an established clinical tool it still bears some limitations. A major drawback is that CT provides only limited soft tissue contrast and exposes the patient or animal, being studied, to a significant radiation dose. Since PET and CT scanner are hard-wired back to back and share a common patient bed, PET/CT does not allow simultaneous data acquisition. This temporal mismatch causes image artefacts by patient movement between the two scans or by respiration motion. To overcome these limitations, recent research concentrates on the combination of PET and MRI into one single machine. The goal of this development is to integrate the PET detectors into the MRI scanner which would allow simultaneous data acquisition, resulting in combined functional and morphological images with an excellent soft tissue contrast, very good spatial resolution of the anatomy and very accurate temporal and spatial image fusion. Additionally, since MRI provides also functional information such as blood oxygenation level dependant (BOLD) imaging or spectroscopy, PET/MRI could even provide multi-functional information of physiological processes in vivo. First experiments with PET/MRI prototypes showed very promising results, indicating its great potential for clinical and preclinical imaging.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology, University of Tübingen – Department of Radiology, Röntgenweg 13, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Bernd J. Pichler, Martin S. Judenhofer & Christina Pfannenberg

Authors
  1. Bernd J. Pichler
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  2. Martin S. Judenhofer
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  3. Christina Pfannenberg
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Correspondence to Bernd J. Pichler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Forschungsschwerpunkt Innovative Krebsdiagnostik und -therapie (E), Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Wolfhard Semmler (Leiter der Abteilung für Medizinische Physik in der Radiologie (E 020) (Leiter der Abteilung für Medizinische Physik in der Radiologie (E 020)

  2. Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts des Isar des Technischen Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, München, Germany

    Markus Schwaiger

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Pichler, B.J., Judenhofer, M.S., Pfannenberg, C. (2008). Multimodal Imaging Approaches: PET/CT and PET/MRI. In: Semmler, W., Schwaiger, M. (eds) Molecular Imaging I. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 185/1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72718-7_6

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