title: PET/MRI in the Upper Abdomen.
abstract: PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT have been considered the standard imaging modalities in the diagnosis of upper abdominal malignancies. PET/CT can be challenging in soft tissue delineation, especially in the upper abdomen. The recent development of PET/MRI for clinical use has shown promising results, with MRI providing superior soft tissue contrast and PET providing biochemical and metabolic information. Combined PET/MRI may allow simultaneous benefit in the assessment of patients in a single session, improving patient journey, lesion detectability, diagnostic performance, and prognostic information. PET/MRI also provides the ability for tissue characterization and reduces radiation exposure. The most powerful driver is PET, and the newer PET radiopharmaceuticals with the addition of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy may increase the sensitivity and specificity of disease recognition and have clinical effect. In this article, we review the advantages and limitations of PET/MRI in upper abdominal malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gavra
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: rizwan.syed@uclh.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Rizwan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fraioli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Asim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afaq
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jamshed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bomanji
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*