Meningiomas are typically diagnosed by their characteristic appearance on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, detailed image findings regarding peri- and intra-tumoral anatomical structures, tumor consistency and vascularity are very important in pre-surgical planning and surgical outcomes. At the 7.0 T MRI achieving ultra-high resolution, it could be possible to obtain more useful information in surgical strategy. Four patients who were radiologically diagnosed with intracranial meningioma in 1.5 T MRI underwent a 7.0 T MRI. Three of them underwent surgery afterwards, and one received gamma knife radiosurgery. In our study, the advantages of 7.0 T MRI over 1.5 T MRI were a more detailed depiction of the peri- and intra-tumoral vasculature and a clear delineation of tumor-brain interface. In the safety issues, all patients received 7.0 T MRI without any adverse event. One disadvantage of 7.0 T MRI was the reduced image quality of skull base lesions. 7.0 T MRI in patients with meningiomas could provide useful information in surgical strategy, such as the peri-tumoral vasculature and the tumor-brain interface.

A positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hybrid system has been developed to improve the accuracy of molecular imaging with structural imaging. However, the mismatch in spatial resolution between the two systems hinders the use of the hybrid system. As the magnetic field of the MRI increased up to 7.0 tesla in the commercial system, the performance of the MRI system largely improved. Several technical attempts in terms of the detector and the software used with the PET were made to improve the performance. As a result, the high resolution of the PET-MRI fusion system enables quantitation of metabolism and molecular information in the small substructures of the brainstem, hippocampus, and thalamus. Many studies on psychiatric disorders, which are difficult to diagnose with medical imaging, have been accomplished using various radioligands, but only a few studies have been conducted using the PET-MRI fusion system. To increase the clinical usefulness of medical imaging in psychiatric disorders, a high-resolution PET-MRI fusion system can play a key role by providing important information on both molecular and structural aspects in the fine structures of the brain. The development of high-resolution PET-MR systems and their potential roles in clinical studies of psychiatric disorders were reviewed as prospective views in future diagnostics.

A 45-yr-old female patient was admitted with one-month history of headache and progressive left hemiparesis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a mass lesion in her right frontal lobe. Her brain tumor was confirmed as a small cell glioblastoma. Her follow-up brain MRI, taken at 8 months after her initial surgery demonstrated tumor recurrence in the right frontal lobe. Contrast-enhanced 7.0T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was safely performed before surgery and at the time of recurrence. Compared with 1.5T and 3.0T brain MRI, 7.0T MRI showed sharpened images of the brain tumor contexture with detailed anatomical information. The fused images of 7.0T and 1.5T brain MRI taken at the time of recurrence demonstrated no significant discrepancy in the positions of the anterior and the posterior commissures. It is suggested that 7.0T MRI can be safely utilized for better images of the maligant gliomas before and after surgery.