Gavra Maria, Syed Rizwan, Fraioli Francesco, Afaq Asim, Bomanji Jamshed
Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Semin Nucl Med. 2015 Jul;45(4):282-92. doi: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2015.03.002.
PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT have been considered the standard imaging modalities in the diagnosis of upper abdominal malignancies. PET/CT can be challenging in soft tissue delineation, especially in the upper abdomen. The recent development of PET/MRI for clinical use has shown promising results, with MRI providing superior soft tissue contrast and PET providing biochemical and metabolic information. Combined PET/MRI may allow simultaneous benefit in the assessment of patients in a single session, improving patient journey, lesion detectability, diagnostic performance, and prognostic information. PET/MRI also provides the ability for tissue characterization and reduces radiation exposure. The most powerful driver is PET, and the newer PET radiopharmaceuticals with the addition of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy may increase the sensitivity and specificity of disease recognition and have clinical effect. In this article, we review the advantages and limitations of PET/MRI in upper abdominal malignancies.
