Vision 20/20: Simultaneous CT-MRI--Next chapter of multimodality imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Radiology

Background:

• Existing multimodality imaging systems like PET-CT and MRI-PET are widely available.
• A simultaneous CT-MRI instrument has not yet been developed, limiting integrated imaging capabilities.
• Postprocessing image registration between independent modalities (CT, MRI, PET/SPECT) introduces errors, unlike synchronized acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the rationale, feasibility, and realization of a simultaneous CT-MRI instrument.
• To highlight the significant clinical potential, particularly in cardiovascular and oncologic applications.
• To address limitations in studying vulnerable plaque, cancer therapy response, and targeted agent kinetics.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of enabling technologies including interior tomography, unique gantry designs, open magnet and RF sequences, and source/detector adaptation.
• Leveraging experience from developing PET-CT, PET-MRI, and MRI-LINAC systems.
• Providing top-level concepts for simultaneous CT-MRI to meet clinical requirements and challenges.

Main Results:

• The development of a simultaneous CT-MRI instrument is technically feasible.
• This technology addresses a major gap in modality coupling.
• The proposed system represents a key step towards 'omnitomography'.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous CT-MRI offers substantial clinical potential, overcoming current imaging technology limitations.
• The integrated approach enhances studies in cardiovascular and oncologic fields.
• This innovation is crucial for advancing systems biology and precision medicine through comprehensive imaging integration.