Investigative radiology
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Investigative radiology · May 2013
Metabolic mapping of gliomas using hybrid MR-PET imaging: feasibility of the method and spatial distribution of metabolic changes.
The most powerful adjunct to histopathology for the grading of gliomas seems to be the metabolic imaging using positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The purposes of this study were to examine the feasibility of simultaneous acquisition of both techniques for purposes of tumor grading in a newly launched hybrid magnetic resonance positron emission tomography (MR-PET) and to examine the spatial distributions of metabolic changes in gliomas. ⋯ Metabolic mapping before histological sampling is feasible using simultaneous MR-PET imaging. High T/N Met uptake ratio reflecting high expression of amino-acid membrane transporters, which is indicative of proliferating tumor cell populations, does not always spatially correlate with neuronal cell loss and cell membrane proliferation (Cho/NAA) seen in MRS. Increased Cr/NAA is associated with increased methionine uptake in low-grade gliomas, whereas normalized creatine in tumor tends to correlate with methionine accumulation, which indicates a possible coupling of these metabolic indices in anaplastic tumors. Thus, spatial distribution differences in gliomas should be taken into account when planning surgical sampling.
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Investigative radiology · May 2013
Integrated whole-body PET/MR hybrid imaging: clinical experience.
Integrated whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) scanners have recently been introduced and potentially offer new possibilities in hybrid imaging of oncologic patients. Integration of PET in a whole-body MR system requires new PET detector technology and new approaches to attenuation correction of PET data based on MR imaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance and image quality parameters of integrated whole-body PET/MR hybrid imaging in intraindividual comparison with PET/CT in oncologic patients. ⋯ Integrated PET/MR hybrid imaging is feasible in a clinical setting with similar detection rates as those of PET/CT. Attenuation correction can be performed sufficiently with Dixon sequences, although bone is disregarded. The administration of specific radiotracers and dedicated imaging sequences will foster this hybrid imaging modality in various indications.
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Investigative radiology · May 2013
Simultaneous 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MRI in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: initial results.
The aim of this pilot study was to demonstrate the potential of simultaneously acquired 68-Gallium-DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (68Ga-DOTATOC) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) in comparison with 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with known gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). ⋯ This pilot study demonstrates the potential of 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MRI in patients with gastroenteropancreatic NET, with special advantages in the characterization of abdominal lesions yet certain weaknesses inherent to MRI, such as lung metastases and hypersclerotic bone lesions.
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Investigative radiology · May 2013
Optimizing positron emission tomography image acquisition protocols in integrated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging.
In integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the PET data acquisition is performed simultaneously to the magnetic resonance data acquisition, leaving latitude for the duration of PET acquisition time. This establishes emission time as an important parameter in forthcoming PET/MRI protocols because it is one of the key factors determining PET image quality. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to identify optimal duration of PET acquisition time in PET/MRI. ⋯ Positron emission tomography acquisition times on integrated PET/MRI do not need to exceed usual acquisition times on current PET/computed tomography scanners: Although the PET image quality suffers from short acquisition times, even a duration of 2 mpb permits sufficient lesion detection. Moreover, quantitative measures of tracer uptake are also reasonably precise at short acquisition times.
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Investigative radiology · May 2013
Comparative StudyEvaluation of feasibility and image quality of 68Ga-DOTATOC positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance in comparison with positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous 68(DOTA(0)-Phe(1)-Tyr(3))octreotide positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) acquisition on a fully integrated PET/MR scanner in patients and to compare the quality of PET images acquired with a PET/MR device with those acquired with a PET/computed tomography (CT) scanner. ⋯ 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MR imaging is feasible in patients, with good image quality, and detectability of focal PET lesions was equivalent to PET/CT on a patient basis and organ system basis. Now, the clinical value of 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MR with additional diagnostic MR protocols has to be evaluated against PET/CT with multiphase contrast-enhanced CT protocols in future studies.