Preliminary Evaluation of MR Image Quality in a New Clinical ToF-PET/MR System

The goal of the present work was to compare the image quality obtained on a new ToF PET/MR prototype with that of equivalent state-of-the-art standalone systems. The MR image quality of this system was tested by scanning a volunteer with a comprehensive brain protocol. The same exact acquisition was repeated before and after the PET detectors were installed. Furthermore, a baseline measurement was acquired by importing the protocol on a GE Discovery 750 w MR system and repeating the acquisition on the same subject. The obtained datasets were registered and reviewed by medical doctors with experience in both radiology and nuclear imaging. Structure detectability, delineation and noise ratio were considered. MR image quality was shown to be virtually identical between the hybrid (pre- and post-insert) and standalone systems. We conclude that clinical MR sequences are not qualitatively affected by the presence of the PET detector insert.