Combined PET/MR: A Technology Becomes Mature

The combination of PET and MR imaging forms a powerful new imaging modality, PET/MR. The major advantages of concurrent PET/MR acquisi-tions range from patient comfort and increased throughput to multipara-metric imaging and are evaluated and reviewed in this paper specifically with respect to their applications in research and diagnostics. Alongside the use of PET/MR in the field of preclinical research, this paper illumi-nates the impact of this new modality in the clinical field in such areas as neurology, oncology, and cardiology. Now that PET/MR technology has matured, attention is needed on standardizing education for nuclear and radiologic technologists and physicians specifically for this combined modality. Furthermore, the impact of this combined modality on health economy needs to be addressed in more detail to further propel its use. Key Words: PET/MR; simultaneous imaging; multifunctional imaging; application