PET/CT and PET/MRI in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Current Role and Future Outlook

Hybrid PET/CT and PET/MRI are emerging as adjunctive tools in IBD: FDG-PET quantifies inflammation, while FAPI-PET helps distinguish fibrotic strictures. PET/MRI offers lower radiation for pediatric monitoring. Consensus protocols are lacking.

• FDG-PET quantifies inflammatory burden; FAPI-PET characterizes fibro-inflammatory remodeling and distinguishes fibrotic strictures.
• PET/MRI combines high metabolic sensitivity with multiparametric soft-tissue characterization, showing potential advantages in penetrating complications and longitudinal monitoring, with reduced radiation exposure benefiting pediatric patients.
• Currently, these advanced modalities serve as adjunctive, problem-solving tools—not routine replacements for endoscopy or conventional cross-sectional imaging—and standardized multicenter protocols are urgently needed.

Automated summary

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