TY - JOUR T1 - Workflow and Scan Protocol Considerations for Integrated Whole-Body PET/MRI in Oncology JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO - J Nucl Med SP - 1415 LP - 1426 DO - 10.2967/jnumed.112.109348 VL - 53 IS - 9 AU - Axel Martinez-Möller AU - Matthias Eiber AU - Stephan G. Nekolla AU - Michael Souvatzoglou AU - Alexander Drzezga AU - Sibylle Ziegler AU - Ernst J. Rummeny AU - Markus Schwaiger AU - Ambros J. Beer Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/53/9/1415.abstract N2 - Integrated PET/MRI systems open exciting possibilities for clinical and research applications. However, compared with PET/CT, PET/MRI is a complex technique resulting in new problems and challenges, especially regarding workflow, scan protocols, and data analysis. This complexity applies in particular to examinations in oncology with partial- or whole-body coverage extending over several bed positions. Unlike diagnostic PET/CT, for which the clinical CT protocols can largely be copied from stand-alone CT, the design of a diagnostic MRI protocol for partial- or whole-body coverage is more complex and has to be adapted to the special requirements of PET/MRI to be both time-efficient and comprehensive. Here, we describe basic considerations concerning workflow, imaging protocols, and image analysis for whole-body PET/MRI in oncology, based on our experience with the first integrated PET/MRI scanner. The aim is to fully and optimally make use of the combined PET/MRI measurements in oncology, including identifying and reducing image artifacts as well as optimizing workflow beyond the mere fusion of 2 image datasets. ER -