Implementation and performance evaluation of simultaneous PET/MR whole-body imaging with continuous table motion

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Hybrid Imaging Technologies
• Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine

Background:

• Current PET/MR systems use multistation acquisition, which has workflow and efficiency limitations.
• Simultaneous PET and MR data acquisition requires optimized strategies for whole-body imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the technical implementation of simultaneous PET and MR data acquisition using continuous table motion (CTM).
• To evaluate the image quality of PET and MR data acquired with CTM across various table motion speeds.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an integrated whole-body PET/MR system for phantom, volunteer, and patient data acquisition.
• Quantified PET and MR image quality parameters (SNR, distortions, artifacts) at different table speeds.
• Validated CTM protocols in realistic volunteer and clinical patient settings.

Main Results:

• PET image quality, SNR, geometry, and artifact behavior were unaffected by CTM speeds up to 46 mm/s.
• MR image quality with CTM was comparable to multistation acquisition, with minor differences in signal intensity normalization.
• CTM demonstrated feasibility for clinical workflow integration.

Conclusions:

• Continuous table motion (CTM) PET/MR acquisition yields data quality comparable to multistation methods.
• CTM offers enhanced flexibility and efficiency for simultaneous whole-body PET/MR imaging.
• This acquisition paradigm facilitates improved examination planning and hybrid imaging workflows.