Thus, while PET–CT represents the integration of form (CT) and function (PET), PET–MRI offers the ability to integrate multiple functional readouts, which could have very important consequences for both clinical and research studies. However, it is not currently obvious where specifically such complex — and expensive — instrumentation will find practical clinical utility. Here we highlight several of the key areas where simultaneously acquired PET–MRI measurements are anticipated to have a significant impact on clinical and/or research studies. By acquiring the selleck inhibitor data simultaneously, rather than sequentially, data from each modality can be temporally correlated, and this facilitates several unique

areas of investigation including MR-based motion corrections, the use of spatially and temporally co-registered anatomical MRI priors for improved reconstruction of PET data, improved arterial input function characterization for PET kinetic modeling, the development and use of dual-modality contrast agents, and patient comfort

and practical www.selleckchem.com/products/bmn-673.html convenience. We consider the relative advantages and disadvantages afforded by PET–MRI and summarize current opinions and evidence as to the likely value of PET–MRI in the diagnosis and management of cancer. Each positron emitted from a proton heavy nucleus may travel a short distance until it encounters an electron and annihilates to produce the two 511-keV photons (traveling approximately 180°

apart) that are detected during PET image acquisition. Formation of an image in PET relies upon the coincidence detection of these two annihilation photons within a detector pair located on opposite sides of the subject being imaged. The line between the detector pair is termed the line of response (LOR), and millions of LORs are required in order to reconstruct a PET image. In general, anything causing errors in the number of coincidences measured for www.selleck.co.jp/products/Adrucil(Fluorouracil).html each LOR will result in degradation of the desired image. One major source of artifact is caused by the attenuation of the 511-keV photons before they reach the detectors. The overall probability of interaction between a 51-keV photon and tissue depends on the thickness and attenuation properties of the tissue the photon must traverse before reaching the detector, so the central portion of an object uniformly emitting positrons will appear to have a decreased concentration of the radionuclide source when compared to the periphery of the object. The process designed to address this issue in image reconstruction is called attenuation correction, and methods based on theoretical considerations as well as direct measurements have both been proposed [29]. Early efforts at correcting attenuation were based on estimating the contour of the section of the body being imaged and assuming a uniform linear attenuation coefficient for that region of space.