Combined PET/MRT unit and method for simultaneously recording PET images and MR images

US8073525B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Ralf Ladebeck · Erlangen, DE
• Wolfgang Renz · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 23, 2006
• Grant date: Dec 6, 2011
• Expiry date: Oct 6, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01T1/2985
• WIPO field: Environmental technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A combined PET/MRT unit is disclosed that includes a PET detector which is reduced by comparison with the prior art, and that consists, for example, of a PET detector with a polygonal arrangement of the detector elements or with a PET detector ring. The PET detector is reduced in an axial direction by comparison with the detectors of the prior art, as a result of which the costs for producing the expensive PET detectors are lowered. The reduction of the PET detector is possible because the MR measurement usually lasts longer than the PET measurement, and so a reduced PET detector can be used for the temporally sequential recording of a number of PET tomograms by mechanical displacement of the PET detector. Since the MR measurement lasts substantially longer, this mechanical displacement does not lead to a lengthening of the measuring time. The invention also relates to methods for simultaneously recording MR and PET tomograms in which the PET/MRT units according to the invention are used.