PET/MR imaging of sigma-1 receptor pinpoints previously undetectable abnormalities in chronic pelvic pain

Conclusions: In this preliminary study, our S1R PET/MRI method showed previously undetected abnormalities in chronic pelvic pain patients, yielding stronger evidence to support treatment decisions. S1R PET images revealed abnormalities in conditions difficult to identify by MR imaging alone, including adhesive disease or late stage endometriosis. In a subset of patients, our results suggest the presence of abnormally increased expression of S1R in tissues without any noticeable abnormalities on MRI. Therefore, S1R PET combined with high-resolution structural MRI can be a promising method to uncover a wide variety of painful pathologies in chronic pelvic pain. Acknowledgement: GE Healthcare, NIH P41 EB015891.
Source: Journal of Nuclear Medicine - Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Tags: Musculoskeletal Source Type: research