Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026
Whole-body PET/MRI of Pediatric Patients: The Details That Matter
Published on: December 19, 2017
Whole-Body MR Imaging in the German National Cohort: Rationale, Design, and Technical Background.
Fabian Bamberg1, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor1, Sabine Weckbach1
1From the German National Cohort (GNC) Consortium, Central Executive Office of the German National Cohort, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (F.B.); Department of Clinical Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany (F.B., T.H., M.F.R.); Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (H.U.K., S.W., C.L.S., M.A.W.); Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany (M.F., S.C.L.); Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany (K.H.G., R.K.); Charité Campus Buch, ECRC Universitätsmedizin Berlin und HELIOS Klinik Berlin-Buch, Klinik für Kardiologie und Nephrologie, Berlin, Germany (J.S.); Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (T.N.); Epidemiology Research Group, Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin-Buch, Germany (T.P.); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany (S.C., K.A.); C. and O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (K.A.); JARA-BRAIN, Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich, Germany (K.A.); Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany (K.B.); Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany (R.B., N.H., K.H.); Klinik für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany (T.K.); Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany (J.L., H.E.W.); Institute of Medical Infor
Whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the German National Cohort will create a large image repository. This approach offers insights into disease and potential new imaging biomarkers for risk.
Area of Science:
- Population health
- Medical imaging
- Biomarker discovery
Background:
- The German National Cohort is a large, multicentric, population-based study.
- Whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging offers a comprehensive approach to health assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the rationale, design, and future applications of whole-body MR imaging within the German National Cohort.
- To establish a standardized imaging protocol for a large-scale population study.
Main Methods:
- Standardized 3.0-T MR imagers and uniform protocols across five dedicated imaging sites.
- Informed consent and random sampling of the general population.
- Centralized quality control and off-site image reading for incidental findings.
Main Results:
- Approximately 30,000 participants will undergo a 1-hour whole-body MR imaging protocol over 4 years.
- The protocol covers neurologic, cardiovascular, thoracoabdominal, and musculoskeletal imaging phenotypes.
- A dedicated platform facilitates multicentric off-site reading of incidental findings.
Conclusions:
- Population-based whole-body MR imaging will generate a valuable image repository.
- The study will provide insights into physiological variants and subclinical disease.
- This initiative has the potential to identify novel imaging biomarkers for disease risk.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Magnetic Resonance Imaging
01:21Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System IV: CMRI
01:27Imaging Studies IV: Magnetic Resonance Imaging