Contemporaneous positron emission tomography and MR imaging at 1.5 T

Simultaneous acquisition of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) images using an MR-compatible PET system will obviate the n eed for image registration and will allow unique studies of structure and f unction of living organisms in one setting. Here we report on simultaneous acquisition of PET and MR images on a clinical 1.5 T system using a 54 mm d iameter prototype MR-compatible PET system (McPET). Phantom experiments wer e performed in order to determine the effect of the McPET system on MR imag es. The results demonstrated the system to be fully MR compatible, in both its detector head construction and operation. The McPET construction offers a promising method for design of a large-scale MR-compatible PET system th at will be useful in functional studies of the brain. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.