PET

RSNA On The Air with Dr. Thomas Hope - PET/MRI

RSNA On The Air with Dr. Thomas Hope.  PET/MRI two machines combined into one and can do both PET and MRI scans simultaneously.

 

PET and MR scans can be done simultaneously since it is now one machine. It is an engineering feat in getting a PET to function inside a strong magnetic field. This gives a patient an adequate MR stage and PET whole body at the exact same time.  It also lowers the dosage and is more convenient.

BODY RIG Research

1) Multiparametric Prostate MR program (12 patients a week). 
2) Liver MR: for diffuse disease and dietary intervention studies.
3) Body Rig-integrate advance PET and MR imaging for the real time guidance biopsies in treatment and to this end we have been using an  FDA-approved direct MR guided biopsy device that allows for improved identification characterization prostate cancer in individual patients. 

Imaging from the inside out: PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

Another way to image patients is to inject patient with something that is radioactive.  It is a small amount of radiation that has a particular location in the body like tumor, bone marrow, or liver. When radiologists look at the image and a particular part is very bright it indicates a tumor, as the tumor has taken up the FTG sugar that is tagged.  Using this method radiologists can localize where the tumor is since tumors like sugar. The brain loves sugar so the tag will be found there, and bladder excretes sugar.

When two images are better than one: Fusing CT and PET images

Radiologists can fuse high resolution images of CT scans as well of PET scans or nuclear med scan to localize the tumor.  It is hard to make out other structures if we don’t have fine details of CT or MR scan. By combining our methods we can help the surgeon or the radiation oncologist and person doing the intervention to figure out best to treat the patient.