Empowering Patients with Innovation

“As radiologists, we work with doctors from all specialties to identify disease at the earliest possible stages. We are most likely the first people to see pathology and watch it evolve. PET/MRI is a new tool we can apply to hopefully improve the outcomes in patients’ lives.”

Spencer Behr, MD, is an assistant professor of Clinical Radiology and the director of the fellowship for both the Abdominal Imaging subspecialty and the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been working with the new SIGNA PET/MR device at UCSF since it was installed in late 2013. He worked closely with Dr. Thomas Hope of UCSF to bring this powerful new device to the clinics of UCSF earlier this year. PET/MRI is a simultaneous exam combining the anatomic and functional information from MRI with the molecular information of PET.

“What’s particularly remarkable is how the PET and MRI technologies enhance each other. The result is a simultaneous procedure that provides better data than either procedure alone -- and allows us to significantly reduce radiation by substituting the MRI for the CT, which is normally used for most PET examinations,” said Dr. Behr. “Both these benefits are important for all patients but reducing radiation is especially critical in pediatric cases and for patients whose conditions require repeat imaging.

“In addition, UCSF is the first institution to use time-of-flight PET/MRI in a clinical environment,” he said. “Time-of-flight (ToF) improves PET sensitivity and image quality, potentially allowing for additional radiation reductions as well as shorter scan times.

“Simply put, being able to get the most detailed and accurate information in a single procedure empowers the patient and the medical team,” said Dr. Behr. “With the characteristics of the disease clearly defined, and the tools available to monitor its progress, they can make the best treatment decisions.”

Spencer Behr, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical radiology and the director of the fellowship for both the Abdominal Imaging subspecialty and for the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. He obtained his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston in 2005. In 2010, he completed a four-year Diagnostic Radiology residency at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, followed by a fellowship in Abdominal Imaging and Nuclear Medicine at UCSF. Dr. Behr has subspecialty training in abdominal imaging and nuclear medicine.  His research interests are focused on molecular and hybrid imaging translational research in particular, prostate cancer and primary hepatic malignancies. He has selectively pursued interdepartmental projects to foster cross-disciplinary discussions and optimize the clinical impact of these projects. Projects include: F-18 Choline PET/MR in high-risk prostate cancer, comparing breast cancer molecular subtypes with their respective FDG PET and breast MRI findings, CT findings in celiac disease, fluoro-18-fluorothymidine (FLT) PET as a potential marker of early response in patients with metastatic melanoma, CT appearance of malabsorption.

Related Content