title: Approaches for the optimization of MR protocols in clinical hybrid PET/MRI studies.
abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the examination method of choice for the diagnosis of a variety of diseases. MRI allows us to obtain not only anatomical information but also identification of physiological and functional parameters such as networks in the brain and tumor cellularity, which plays an increasing role in oncologic imaging, as well as blood flow and tissue perfusion. However, in many cases such as in epilepsy, degenerative neurological diseases and oncological processes, additional metabolic and molecular information obtained by PET can provide essential complementary information for better diagnosis. The combined information obtained from MRI and PET acquired in a single imaging session allows a more accurate localization of pathological findings and better assessment of the underlying physiopathology, thus providing a more powerful diagnostic tool. Two hundred and twenty-one patients were scanned from April 2011 to January 2012 on a Philips Ingenuity TF PET/MRI system. The purpose of this review article is to provide an overview of the techniques used for the optimization of different protocols performed in our hospital by specialists in the following fields: neuroradiology, head and neck, breast, and prostate imaging. This paper also discusses the different problems encountered, such as the length of studies, motion artifacts, and accuracy of image fusion including physical and technical aspects, and the proposed solutions.
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology, Geneva University Hospitals, 4 Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1211 Genève, Switzerland. maria.i.vargas@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Maria-Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Minerva
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garibotto
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heinzer
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loubeyre
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gariani
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lovblad
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vallée
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ratib
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016477:Artifacts; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D056888:Patient Positioning; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013997:Time Factors; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18