As a result, improvements in the accuracy of attenuation correction in the abdomen are considered a work in progress. Another challenge in attenuation correction in PET–MRI is to account

for attenuation due to the radiofrequency Selleckchem MLN8237 (RF) coil (required for all MR acquisitions) which has been shown to adversely affect the quantitative accuracy of PET emission data by significant amounts [46]. As the coil does not appear in the MR image, its attenuation must be accounted for separately in an MR-based approach. One recent study provided evidence that a using a high-exposure CT to obtain a model of (in this particular case) a head coil could be used in a model-based correction that gave attenuation-corrected PET images that

were comparable to the reference PET–CT reconstruction [47]. The authors noted that if there were errors in the positioning of the coil (on the order of a few millimeters), then artifacts emerged in the reconstructed PET image. Tellman et al. found similar results on the importance of coil alignment [48]. selleck compound Though challenging, careful engineering should adequately address this problem, as the geometry and composition of MR RF coils can be fixed for most, though not all, coil designs. Integration of PET/MR systems with advanced flexible coil designs, or endoscopic coils such as endorectal coils for prostate imaging, may require additional materials engineering work in reducing Phloretin net attenuation of such designs, or real-time feedback on their location. Besides the use of MR data to correct for the effect of attenuation on PET data, simultaneously acquired MR images also offer the potential to improve PET images by providing anatomical information that can be incorporated into the PET image reconstruction process. Statistical reconstruction

algorithms are replacing filtered backprojection as the method of choice for generating PET images from coincidence data, primarily because they provide a framework in which the physical properties of the data collection process can be modeled [49]. We expect different tissue types to exhibit different tracer uptake levels, so knowledge of tissue boundaries can be incorporated into the PET image reconstruction process to reduce blurring at those boundaries [50], [51] and [52]. While these methods have been applied to PET–CT as well as retrospectively co-registered PET–MRI data, simultaneously acquired MRI data offer superior soft-tissue contrast with the most accurate spatial registration. There are three major types of motion that must be considered during PET acquisition: gross motion (e.g., head movement or subtle patient repositioning due to discomfort), periodic movement (e.g., cardiac and respiratory motion), and internal shifting and distortion in the pelvic and abdominal regions (e.g., peristalsis).