PET/MRI and the revolution of the third eye

The 20th century diagnostic imaging scenario almost for the whole of its existence was divided into two well-separated universes: (1) the morphostructural, in which information on anatomy and structures are acquired, with pathology as the gold standard, and (2) the functional, in which normal and altered functions are analysed, with pathophysiology as the reference. Morphostructural techniques show differences in density, as observed in a picture taken in a steady state as a freezeframe effectively not allowing distinction between a living and a dead body. Functional techniques, which can only be applied in a living being, show dynamic changes as in a movie where “time” is a major element, taking information from parameters such as differences in concentration and movement. This category includes techniques such as urography and cardio-CT, in which increasing doses in dynamic scans and the number of acquisitions are important considerations [1]. To avoid a high radiation dose, the lowest number of frames are acquired, and this is a major disadvantage with respect to nuclear medicine and MRI, which are queens in “clinical” functional imaging because of their superiority in studying pathophysiology. Nuclear medicine as molecular imaging