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Physical and organizational provision for installation, regulatory requirements and implementation of a simultaneous hybrid PET/MR-imaging system in an integrated research and clinical setting

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Abstract

The implementation of hybrid imaging systems requires thorough and anticipatory planning at local and regional levels. For installation of combined positron emission and magnetic resonance imaging systems (PET/MRI), a number of physical and constructional provisions concerning shielding of electromagnetic fields (RF- and high-field) as well as handling of radionuclides have to be met, the latter of which includes shielding for the emitted 511 keV gamma rays. Based on our experiences with a SIEMENS Biograph mMR system, a step-by-step approach is required to allow a trouble-free installation. In this article, we present a proposal for a standardized step-by-step plan to accomplish the installation of a combined PET/MRI system. Moreover, guidelines for the smooth operation of combined PET/MRI in an integrated research and clinical setting will be proposed. Overall, the most important preconditions for the successful implementation of PET/MRI in an integrated research and clinical setting is the interdisciplinary target-oriented cooperation between nuclear medicine, radiology, and all referring and collaborating institutions at all levels of interaction (personnel, imaging protocols, reporting, selection of the data transfer and communication methods).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the German Research Society (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft) for funding the PET/MRI system (grant-code: SA 669/9-1). The Max Planck Society is acknowledged for co-funding the system. Moreover, the contribution of Ellinor Busemann Sokole, Amsterdam, to the acceptance testing and quality control part is greatly appreciated. Regine Kluge, Marianne Patt and Peter Werner, University Hospital Leipzig, Department of Nuclear Medicine as well as Wolfgang Hirsch, University Hospital Leipzig, Department of Pediatric Radiology are acknowledged for their help in the fine adjustment of the text passages with respect to their areas of expertise. Finally, the authors thank Wendy Waddington, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, UCL Hospitals London, for the review of the document as a native speaker.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstrasse 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Bernhard Sattler, Thies Jochimsen, Henryk Barthel & Osama Sabri

  2. Department of Project Development and Technical Planning, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Kerstin Sommerfeld

  3. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Patrick Stumpp & Thomas Kahn

  4. Department of Neuroradiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Karl-Titus Hoffmann

  5. Department of Radiology, Heart Center Leipzig, University Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Matthias Gutberlet

  6. Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

    Arno Villringer

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  1. Bernhard Sattler
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Correspondence to Bernhard Sattler.

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Bernhard Sattler and Thies Jochimsen contributed equally.

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Sattler, B., Jochimsen, T., Barthel, H. et al. Physical and organizational provision for installation, regulatory requirements and implementation of a simultaneous hybrid PET/MR-imaging system in an integrated research and clinical setting. Magn Reson Mater Phy 26, 159–171 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-012-0347-2

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