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Neurologic Applications of PET/MR Imaging
Michelle M Miller-Thomas1, Tammie L S Benzinger1
1Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, Campus Box 8131, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinics of North America
|April 10, 2017
Summary
Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR imaging) enhances neurologic care and research by combining metabolic and anatomic imaging. This integrated approach offers advanced insights into brain diseases but requires further optimization for attenuation correction and dual expertise.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiology
Background:
- Neurologic clinical care and research benefit from advanced imaging techniques.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging offer complementary information about brain structure and function.
- Simultaneous PET/MR imaging integrates metabolic and detailed anatomic/physiologic data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the benefits of simultaneous PET/MR imaging in neurologic clinical care and research.
- To discuss the applications of PET/MR imaging in various neurologic disease processes.
- To identify current challenges and future directions for PET/MR imaging in neurology.
Main Methods:
- Utilizes simultaneous PET/MR scanners for integrated data acquisition.
- Employs modified MR imaging sequences and PET tracers tailored to specific neurologic conditions.
- Leverages temporally matched datasets for improved motion correction and anatomic localization of PET data.
Main Results:
- PET/MR imaging provides spatially and temporally matched anatomic MR imaging, advanced MR physiologic imaging, and metabolic PET imaging.
- Applications span neurooncology, epilepsy, dementia, cerebrovascular disease, and psychiatric/neurologic research.
- Simultaneous acquisition allows for efficient data capture and enhanced image analysis.
Conclusions:
- PET/MR imaging offers significant advantages for understanding and diagnosing neurologic diseases.
- Customization of imaging sequences and tracers enhances disease-specific targeting.
- Further development is needed to address challenges in MR-based attenuation correction and the requirement for dual imaging expertise.