ReviewPET/MRI in children

- Combined PET/MRI is a versatile diagnostic modality that can be used for oncologic and non-oncologic applications in paediatric medicine.
- Using PET/MRI, diagnostic advantages of PET and MRI can be combined providing additional insight into pathological processes.
- PET/MRI may help reduce the number of necessary examinations and thereby diagnostic radiation exposure and patient sedations.

During the past decade, combined PET/MRI has been translated from a basic technical concept to a clinical research tool and a clinically applied hybrid imaging modality. Numerous clinical and scientific applications have been proposed for this novel hybrid modality including oncologic, neurologic and cardiovascular imaging. Among these, PET/MRI in children has emerged as a key application, not only due to possible diagnostic advantages but also because of reduced radiation exposure compared to alternative techniques. A variety of clinical indications exists for the use of PET/MR imaging in children mainly in but not limited to the field of paediatric oncology. The purpose of this review article is to discuss possible applications of combined PET/MR in paediatric imaging and to illustrate these by presenting cases from clinical practice.