Superimposition of MR-Images and Scintigrams as an Application of PACS

Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) were originally designed to enable widespread use of radiographic images at various locations utilizing central archives and network communication. We consider one further application of a PACS even more important, i.e. the superimposition of images of different imaging modalities for synoptic interpretation. We integrated the equipment of the Nuclear Medicine Department in our existing PACS to facilitate the superimposition of magnetic resonance images and scintigrams for the diagnosis of suspect recurrencies after rectal cancer. The synoptic interpretation by this image fusion enhanced the specificity of the investigation to the value of 1.