PET/MRI

People are living longer, and as a result, we’re seeing more patients experiencing chronic pain conditions associated with implant/joint replacement pain. At UCSF, we have the opportunity to develop an optimal MRI strategy to diagnose and treat pain sources for these patients.

In 2003, the Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging (CMFI) at China Basin Landing opened its doors with San Francisco’s first 3T MRI and two 1.5T clinical scanners, followed a few years later by a cyclotron which launched our in-house radiopharmaceutical program. Since then, the CMFI has been at the forefront of 3T research and major advances in theranostics and precision medicine. 

An article in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine reports findings of a multi-center retrospective study that compares bone scan with PSMA PET for initial staging of prostate cancer. Authors include UCSF Radiology and Biomedical Imaging faculty members Thomas Hope, MD, Roxanna Juarez, MD, Miguel Hernandez Pampaloni, MD, PhD, and clinical research coordinator Daniel Thompson.

We are excited to announce the first annual PSMA Conference, “PSMA PET and RLT: Present and Future.” The conference will take place online and in-person in San Francisco on January 18-19, 2024. Registration for in-person and virtual attendance is now open. In-person attendees who register by October 1 will save $100 on the enrollment fee!

UCSF's PET/MRI technology provides most detailed and accurate information in a single procedure to empower the patient and medical team to make the best treatment decisions. 

Mark How, radiology tech working with patients using the PET/MRI device, shares his perspective on UCSF's cutting-edge technology and the high quality of patient care.

PET/MRI is a hybrid imaging technology that is serving critical diagnostic and treatment purposes for current UCSF patients as well as playing an important role in research for future patients.

UCSF offers PET/MRI technology with state-of-the-art, highly sensitive detectors for less radiation dose to our patients. By combining these two innovative tools, we are able to achieve optimal imaging for detecting early stages of abnormal cell growth

Hybrid imaging is the fusion of two or more imaging modalities to form a new technique, leading to a new or more powerful modality.  For Dr. Youngho Seo, PhD, Associate Professor in Residence and Director of Nuclear Imaging Physics at the UCSF Department of Radiology, working with hybrid imaging led to work with PET/MRI.

PET/MRI provides high-quality images while reducing patient exposure to radiation. This combined technology is used for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of a variety of conditions, including cancer, neurological, oncological and musculoskeletal diseases.