Whole-Body MRI

The introduction of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) has fundamentally changed diag­nostic concepts for imaging of various systemic diseases in recent years. As an alternative to multi-modal­ity imaging approaches, whole-body techniques are now increasingly applied in clinical routine, especially for an integrated imaging of malignant disease. However, the crucial problem for implementing WB-MRI in the past has been to integrate substantially different requirements in coil setup, contrast media application, slice positioning, and sequence design into one single comprehensive scan. Significant improvements in hardware, from pioneering approaches using a rolling platform system mounted on top of a conventional MRI scanner to the essential introduction of state-of the-art multi-channel whole-body scanners with automated free table movement, have cleared the way for clinically feasible and efficient total body imaging concepts. Furthermore, important innovations in sequence design and image acquisition physics, such as parallel acquisition techniques (PATs), have helped to significantly reduce overall examination times without compromising spatial resolution, and have increased patient comfort and acceptance. Now a dedicated assessment of various organs by sequences with adequate soft tissue contrast, image orientation, spatial resolution, and contrast media dynamics can be combined with whole-body anatomic coverage.