Whole-Body PET/MRI Applications in Pediatric Oncology

OBJECTIVE. Fluorine-18-labeled FDG PET/CT and MRI are current imaging standards for staging and assessing tumor response and recurrence of pediatric extracranial solid tumors. PET/ MRI combines anatomic and physiologic imaging in a single session with reduced radiation compared with CT. Pediatric protocols are primarily whole-body protocols because of the behavior and type of cancers unique to children. This article will focus on the practice and utility of whole-body PET/MRI for pediatric oncologic imaging. CONCLUSION. The strengths of PET/MRI over PET/CT are compelling and include decreased radiation exposure, decreased number of sedation and general anesthesia events, single-day one-stop visits, and simultaneous imaging with two stand-alone advanced imaging techniques essential to staging and assessing treatment response in pediatric oncology.