[Clinical practice guideline for integrated PET/MRI in Parkinson's disease (2026 edition)].
[Clinical practice guideline for integrated PET/MRI in Parkinson's disease (2026 edition)].
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Original abstract
To advance the precise diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) and related movement disorders, standardize the clinical application of integrated PET/MRI, enhance diagnostic efficacy, and optimize patient management, the Clinical Practice Guideline for Integrated PET/MRI in Parkinson's Disease (2026 Edition) was developed jointly by multiple expert groups. This initiative was led by the Chinese Society of Medical Imaging Technology, the Radiological Society of Chinese Medical Association, the Chinese Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Beijing Society of Nuclear Medicine, and the Beijing Society of Radiology, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary panel of experts from Nuclear Medicine, Radiology, Neurology, and Functional Neurosurgery, following several rounds of consensus meetings. Compared to previous consensus statements or technical specifications, the key updates of this guideline include: in the clinical application pathway, it clarifies the advantages and appropriate scenarios for utilizing integrated PET/MRI over single-modality imaging when the clinical diagnosis of PD is uncertain; it emphasizes the value of simultaneous acquisition and fusion analysis in assessing both the function of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway (e.g., via PET tracers) and structural alterations (e.g., via MRI neuromelanin imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, etc.). With the development and validation of novel tracers, the guideline provides a hierarchical recommendation for the differential diagnosis between PD and atypical parkinsonian syndromes (such as multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration), based on multimodal imaging biomarkers. Based on the premise of the accessibility of current integrated PET/MRI equipment and tracers in China, and grounded in the latest international and domestic evidence-based research, this guideline is meticulously aligned with the realities of Chinese clinical practice. It systematically delineates the technical specifications, clinical indications, and image interpretation criteria for the use of integrated PET/MRI in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, disease severity assessment, and therapeutic decision support for PD. The aim is to provide systematic and practical evidence-based guidance for clinicians and imaging specialists involved in the care of patients with Parkinson's disease.