A. Martinez-Möller, M. Eiber, S. Nekolla, M. Souvatzoglou, A. Drzezga, S. I. Ziegler, E. Rummeny, M. Schwaiger, A. Beer Workflow and Scan Protocol Considerations for Integrated Whole-Body PET/MRI in Oncology Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2012;53(9):1415-1426. (bib)
	Integrated PET/MRI systems open exciting possibilities for clinical and research applications. However, compared with PET/CT, PET/MRI is a complex technique resulting in new problems and challenges, especially regarding workflow, scan protocols, and data analysis. This complexity applies in particular to examinations in oncology with partial- or whole-body coverage extending over several bed positions. Unlike diagnostic PET/CT, for which the clinical CT protocols can largely be copied from stand-alone CT, the design of a diagnostic MRI protocol for partial- or whole-body coverage is more complex and has to be adapted to the special requirements of PET/MRI to be both time-efficient and comprehensive. Here, we describe basic considerations concerning workflow, imaging protocols, and image analysis for whole-body PET/MRI in oncology, based on our experience with the first integrated PET/MRI scanner. The aim is to fully and optimally make use of the combined PET/MRI measurements in oncology, including identifying and reducing image artifacts as well as optimizing workflow beyond the mere fusion of 2 image datasets.
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