PET/MR Machines – A Comparison
Three imaging companies have produced PET/MR technology that are either in the works, or commercially available. Here they are, at a glance.
Three imaging companies have produced PET/MR technology that are either in the works, or commercially available. Here they are, at a glance:
SIEMENS HEALTHCARE BIOGRAPH MMR
How it works: PET and MR technology is housed in one device, providing a single image. A PET ring detector fits inside a 3T magnet combine, simultaneously acquiring MR anatomical data and PET functional data.
Features: patient only gets scanned once
Claims: Can scan the body in 30 minutes (versus one hour or more for sequential exams). Touts speed, lower radiation dose and greater anatomical data.
Space needed: one room
Available in U.S.? Yes, FDA approval on June 10, 2011
PHILIPS INGENUITY TF SYSTEM
How it works: Places MR and PET scanners almost 10 feet apart, with the patient table in the middle. The table rotates so the patient will be scanned in the exact same position in each machine sequentially. Data are merged via specialized software.
Features: The PET and MR machines can also work independently.
Claims: industry’s first commercially available whole body PET/MR imaging system. Also claims to produce up to 70 percent less ionizing radiation than the PET/CT.
Space needed: one room
Available in the U.S.? No, but it received its European CE Mark in January, 2011
Demonstration:
GE PET/CT + MRI
How it works: combines the data, not the equipment. MR and PET exams are performed sequentially, with a shared patient transport gurney system. Patient remains in same position on the table, moving between rooms/devices. After sequential exams, the GE system merges the data set.
Features: Can also use PET/CT and MRI independently.
Company claims: a financially responsible solution
Available in U.S.? Yes
Space needed: two rooms
Demonstration
Newsletter
Stay at the forefront of radiology with the Diagnostic Imaging newsletter, delivering the latest news, clinical insights, and imaging advancements for today’s radiologists.
Large Medicare Study Shows Black Men Less Likely to Receive PET and MRI for Prostate Cancer Imaging
July 31st 2025An analysis of over 749,000 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with prostate cancer over a five-year period found that Black men were 13 percent less likely to receive PET imaging and 16 percent less likely to receive MRI in comparison to White men.
The Reading Room Podcast: A Closer Look at Remote MRI Safety, Part 2
July 31st 2025In the second of a multi-part podcast episode, Emanuel Kanal, M.D. and Tobias Gilk, MRSO, MRSE, share their perspectives on remote MRI safety protocols for ensuring screening accuracy and adherence to conditional implant guidelines as well as a rapid and effective response to adverse events.
Reducing the Interval Breast Cancer Rate of Screening DBT: Can AI Have an Impact?
July 31st 2025In a retrospective review of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) exams for over 200 women with interval breast cancers, researchers found that AI provided accurate localization of cancers in 32.6 percent of the cases.
The Reading Room Podcast: Current and Emerging Insights on Abbreviated Breast MRI, Part 2
July 31st 2025In the second part of a multi-part podcast episode, Stamatia Destounis, MD, Emily Conant, MD and Habib Rahbar, MD, discuss key sequences for abbreviated breast MRI and how it stacks up to other breast cancer screening modalities.
