Potential Pediatric Applications of PET/MR

TLDR

Multimodality imaging has advanced, with PET/MR providing precise molecular and high‑resolution anatomical fusion at lower radiation than PET/CT, making it valuable for noninvasive pediatric diagnostics, especially oncology. This review examines potential pediatric uses of PET/MR, focusing on oncology and neurology and extending to infectious and inflammatory diseases. The authors synthesize existing literature on PET/MR applications in children, summarizing evidence from oncology, neurology, and infectious/inflammatory disease studies.

Abstract

Medical imaging with multimodality and whole-body technologies has continuously improved in recent years. The advent of combined modalities such as PET/CT and PET/MR offers new tools with an exact fusion of molecular imaging and high-resolution anatomic imaging. For noninvasive pediatric diagnostics, molecular imaging and whole-body MR have become important, especially in pediatric oncology. Because it has a lower radiation exposure than PET/CT, combined PET/MR is expected to be of special use in pediatric diagnostics. This review focuses on possible pediatric applications of PET/MR hybrid imaging, particularly pediatric oncology and neurology but also the diagnosis of infectious or inflammatory diseases.