Fully integrated 3D high-resolution multicontrast abdominal PET-MR with high scan efficiency

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fully integrated 3D high-resolution multicontrast abdominal PET-MR with high scan efficiency

AU - Kolbitsch, Christoph

AU - Neji, Radhouene

AU - Fenchel, Matthias

AU - Mallia, Andrew

AU - Marsden, Paul

AU - Schaeffter, Tobias

PY - 2018/2

Y1 - 2018/2

N2 - Purpose: To provide 3D multicontrast anatomical MR with high isotropic resolution and metabolic positron emission tomography (PET) images using a respiratory motion-compensated simultaneous PET-MR examination with high scan efficiency. Theory and Methods: Standard abdominal PET-MR examinations combine MR data obtained during multiple breath-holds with free-breathing PET acquisitions, limiting the achievable image resolution and potentially causing misalignment errors between breath-hold and free-breathing data. Here, a 3D free-breathing PET-MR acquisition is presented, yielding T1 and T2-weighted MR images with an isotropic resolution of 1.5mm3. In addition, nonrigid respiratory motion information and respiratory-resolved attenuation-correction maps are obtained without an increase in scan time. Motion information is used in motion-compensated image reconstructions to improve MR and PET image quality while shortening scan times. Results: The proposed approach was evaluated in 11 oncology patients and provided respiratory motion information with an accuracy of 1.3±0.1mm. Sharpness of anatomical features was increased by 19±13% compared with the uncorrected MR images in a 54±26% shorter scan time than a gated MR acquisition. The MR-based motion information improved uptake values (75±94%) and resolution (16±27%) of simultaneously acquired PET images. Conclusions: The proposed method provides motion-compensated 3D high-quality MR and PET images in a comprehensive and highly efficient examination.

AB - Purpose: To provide 3D multicontrast anatomical MR with high isotropic resolution and metabolic positron emission tomography (PET) images using a respiratory motion-compensated simultaneous PET-MR examination with high scan efficiency. Theory and Methods: Standard abdominal PET-MR examinations combine MR data obtained during multiple breath-holds with free-breathing PET acquisitions, limiting the achievable image resolution and potentially causing misalignment errors between breath-hold and free-breathing data. Here, a 3D free-breathing PET-MR acquisition is presented, yielding T1 and T2-weighted MR images with an isotropic resolution of 1.5mm3. In addition, nonrigid respiratory motion information and respiratory-resolved attenuation-correction maps are obtained without an increase in scan time. Motion information is used in motion-compensated image reconstructions to improve MR and PET image quality while shortening scan times. Results: The proposed approach was evaluated in 11 oncology patients and provided respiratory motion information with an accuracy of 1.3±0.1mm. Sharpness of anatomical features was increased by 19±13% compared with the uncorrected MR images in a 54±26% shorter scan time than a gated MR acquisition. The MR-based motion information improved uptake values (75±94%) and resolution (16±27%) of simultaneously acquired PET images. Conclusions: The proposed method provides motion-compensated 3D high-quality MR and PET images in a comprehensive and highly efficient examination.

KW - Abdominal imaging

KW - Golden radial phase encoding

KW - Respiratory motion compensation

KW - Simultaneous PET-MR

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85018880477&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/mrm.26757

DO - 10.1002/mrm.26757

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85018880477

SN - 0740-3194

VL - 79

SP - 900

EP - 911

JO - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

IS - 2

ER -