Hybrid cardiac imaging using PET/MRI: a joint position statement by the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM)

• Main Authors: Felix Nensa, Fabian Bamberg, Christoph Rischpler, Leon Menezes, Thorsten D. Poeppel, Christian la Fougère, Dietrich Beitzke, Sazan Rasul, Christian Loewe, Konstantin Nikolaou, Jan Bucerius, Andreas Kjaer, Matthias Gutberlet, Niek H. Prakken, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, Riemer H. J. A. Slart, Stephan G. Nekolla, Martin L. Lassen, Bernd J. Pichler, Thomas Schlosser, Alexis Jacquier, Harald H. Quick, Michael Schäfers, Marcus Hacker, on behalf of the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Cardiovascular Committee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2018-05-01
• Series: European Journal of Hybrid Imaging
• Subjects: Cardiac PET/MRI; Cardiac MRI; Hybrid imaging; Cardiac imaging; FDG
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41824-018-0032-4

Abstract Positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have both been used for decades in cardiovascular imaging. Since 2010, hybrid PET/MRI using sequential and integrated scanner platforms has been available, with hybrid cardiac PET/MR imaging protocols increasingly incorporated into clinical workflows. Given the range of complementary information provided by each method, the use of hybrid PET/MRI may be justified and beneficial in particular clinical settings for the evaluation of different disease entities. In the present joint position statement, we critically review the role and value of integrated PET/MRI in cardiovascular imaging, provide a technical overview of cardiac PET/MRI and practical advice related to the cardiac PET/MRI workflow, identify cardiovascular applications that can potentially benefit from hybrid PET/MRI, and describe the needs for future development and research. In order to encourage its wide dissemination, this article is freely accessible on the European Radiology and European Journal of Hybrid Imaging web sites. • Studies and case-reports indicate that PET/MRI is a feasible and robust technology. • Promising fields of application include a variety of cardiac conditions. • Larger studies are required to demonstrate its incremental and cost-effective value. • The translation of novel radiopharmaceuticals and MR-sequences will provide exciting new opportunities.