Development of a simultaneous PET/MRI scanner

D. Schlyer, W. Rooney, C. Woody, P. Vaska, A. Kriplani, S. Stoll

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

A combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner would be a great benefit to nuclear medicine. The anatomical detail given by MRI and spectroscopy available with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) complement the quantitative physiological imaging obtained with PET. Such a device has not become a reality because of the incompatibilities of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and their associated electronics with MRI's high magnetic fields, as well as significant constraints on PET camera size due to the limited patient port of MR scanners. Recent advances in solid-state electronics have opened the possibility of replacing photomultiplier tubes with avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that are compact and do not share the vulnerabilities of PMTs to magnetic fields. Currently, we are planning to build a miniature PET tomograph using only solid-state electronics to give a combination MRI/PET scanner for small animals. This technology, once developed, can be extended to human scanner designs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberM9-75
Pages (from-to)3419-3421
Number of pages3
JournalIEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record
Volume6
StatePublished - 2004
Externally publishedYes
Event2004 Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference, Symposium on Nuclear Power Systems and the 14th International Workshop on Room Temperature Semiconductor X- and Gamma- Ray Detectors - Rome, Italy
Duration: Oct 16 2004Oct 22 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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