title: High resolution BrainPET combined with simultaneous MRI.
abstract: After the successful clinical introduction of PET/CT, a novel hybrid imaging technology combining PET with the versatile attributes of MRI is emerging. At the Forschungszentrum Jülich, one of four prototypes available worldwide combining a commercial 3T MRI with a newly developed BrainPET insert has been installed, allowing simultaneous data acquisition with PET and MRI. The BrainPET is equipped with LSO crystals of 2.5 mm width and Avalanche photodiodes (APD) as readout electronics. Here we report on some performance characteristics obtained by phantom studies and also on the initial BrainPET studies on various patients as compared with a conventional HR+ PET-only scanner.
  
  
  METHODS
  The radiotracers [18F]-fluoro-ethyl-tyrosine (FET), [11C]-flumazenil and [18F]-FP-CIT were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing the PET data obtained with the BrainPET to those of the HR+ scanner demonstrated the high image quality and the superior resolution capability of the BrainPET. Furthermore, it is shown that various MR images of excellent quality could be acquired simultaneously with BrainPET scans without any relevant artefacts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initial experiences with the hybrid MRI/BrainPET indicate a promising basis for further developments of this unique technique allowing simultaneous PET imaging combined with both anatomical and functional MRI.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany. h.herzog@fz-juelich.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: K-J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Langen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weirich
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rota Kops
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaffanke
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tellmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scheins
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Neuner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stoffels
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caldeira
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Coenen
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*