Patent ID: 8073525

Claim:
A combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance tomography (PET/MRT) unit, comprising: a magnetic resonance (MR) tomography unit including at least one basic field magnet, a system of gradient coils, and a high-frequency (HF) system, including an MR antenna, to generate HF excitation pulses and to detect emitted resonance signals, a measurement object being movable into the MR tomography unit in an axial direction; a PET detector including at least two detector elements to detect gamma radiation emitted from the measurement object, the at least two detector elements being arranged about the measurement object at a circular periphery and having at least a size such that gamma radiation formed on a line between the at least two detector elements in the measurement object and emitted in the direction of the at least two detector elements is detected; and at least one unit computer, including control software to process the emitted resonance signals detected by the MR antenna, and the gamma radiation detected by the PET detector, to store MRT data and PET data and to display MR images and PET images; wherein the PET detector is displaceable in the axial direction and is narrower than the MR antenna in the axial direction, a width of the PET detector in the axial direction is selected such that the PET detector must be displaced in the axial direction in order to detect a same number of at least one of layers and cross-sectional surfaces of the measurement object as the MR antenna, the MR antenna is installed to be movable in the axial direction, and the MR antenna and the PET detector include at least one of a common drive unit and separate drive units, enabling independent movement of the MR antenna and the PET detector in the axial direction.