title: PET and MR imaging: the odd couple or a match made in heaven?
abstract: PET and MR imaging are modalities routinely used for clinical and research applications. Integrated scanners capable of acquiring PET and MR imaging data in the same session, sequentially or simultaneously, have recently become available for human use. In this article, we describe some of the technical advances that allowed the development of human PET/MR scanners; briefly discuss methodologic challenges and opportunities provided by this novel technology; and present potential oncologic, cardiac, and neuropsychiatric applications. These examples range from studies that might immediately benefit from PET/MR to more advanced applications on which future development might have an even broader impact.
authors.affiliation: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA. ccatana@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Ciprian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catana
authors.forename: Alexander R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.forename: Bruce R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Rosen
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018511:Systems Integration
keywords: PET/MR imaging; applications; cardiology; multimodality imaging; neurology; oncology