Hybrid imaging of the abdomen and pelvis. German version

Abstract

Accurate imaging is crucial for lesion detection in abdominal organs, for the noninvasive characterization of focal and diffuse abnormalities, and for surgical planning. To accomplish these tasks, several imaging modalities such asmultidetector computer tomography (MDCT),magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)andpositron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) are used forabdominal imaging, providing important morphological, functional or metabolicinformation. More recently, PET/MRIhas been gainingattention due to thepossibilityof combining high-resolution imaging with metabolic imaging.PET/MRI is anovel hybrid imaging technology that in the near future might play apivotal role in the clinical management of oncologic and inflammatory abdominopelvic diseases.Despite the still limited number of published clinical studies, PET/MRI has been proven to be at least equivalent to PET/CT and to stand-alone MRI in avariety of oncologic disease. Moreover, in selected and focused clinical studies, it has been proven to outperform current standard of care imaging, for example, in evaluating cholangiocarcinomas, liver metastases, untreated and treated rectal cancer. This has also had an impact on therapeutic management in some studies. Therefore in some institutions, including those of the authors, PET/MRI is becoming the new standard imaging modality in staging treatment-naïve intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinomas and prior to complicated hepatic surgery.