Consensus Recommendations Released for PET/MRI in Oncology

The Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) have released a consensus recommendation for the use of positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) in oncologic imaging in adults.

The objective of the new recommendation is to share basic technical acquisition groundwork and to provide a minimum agreeable standard imaging protocol for the main PET/MRI

indications in oncology. Rather than providing fixed recommendations, the guideline suggests where PET/MRI should be used instead of PET/CT or MRI+PET/CT.

“The purpose of this guideline is also to provide PET/MRI users with a common denominator for recommending, performing, interpreting, and reporting the results of the most used PET/MRI indications,” the authors said. It is meant to “describe the technological possibilities and how to properly adapt the combined acquisition techniques according to clinical indications.”

The recommendation covers PET/MRI technology fundamentals, quality controls, qualifications and responsibilities of personnel, quality

assurance/control of PET and MRI, procedures/specifications for the examination, and PET/MRI protocols based on clinical indications. It also includes discussion of image interpretation, quantification, and reporting.