MR Imaging-Guided Partial Volume Correction of PET Data in PET/MR Imaging

Partial volume effects are caused by the limited spatial resolution of the PET system. There is increasing evidence that partial volume correction (PVC) is necessary to guarantee quantitative accuracy in PET; however, there is reluctance to apply PVC routinely in clinical practice, partly because of uncertainty regarding the method of choice. To perform accurate PVC, it is necessary to introduce information from high-resolution anatomic images, such as MR imaging. All the methods rely on accurate coregistration between the anatomic image and the PET image. PET/MR imaging offers clear advantages for PVC and can help alleviate the image registration issues.