Current Trends in PET and Combined (PET/CT and PET/MR) Systems Design

Molecular imaging using high-resolution PET instrumentation has a pivotal role in basic and clinical research. The development of optimized detection geometries combined with high-performance detector technologies and compact designs of PET tomographs has become the goal of active research groups in academic and corporate settings. More recently, the introduction of dual-modality PET/CT imaging systems in clinical environments has revolutionized the practice of diagnostic imaging. This article discusses recent advances in PET instrumentation and the advantages and challenges of multimodality imaging systems including PET/MR. Future opportunities and the challenges facing the adoption of multimodality imaging instrumentation and its role in biomedical research are also addressed.