Non-Sedative Quick-Brain MR Imaging for the Evaluation of Pediatric Patients with Hydrocephalus

Abstract

The potential adverse effects of ionizing radiation exposure during imaging studies are particularly relevant to the pediatric population. To reduce radiation exposure, quick‒brain(or rapid sequence)MR imaging has been used to evaluate cerebral ventricle size in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus in Western countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of images obtained using non‒ sedative quick‒brain MR imaging and consider its merits and limitations. We retrospectively analyzed a series of quick‒brain MRI studies performed without sedation for pediatric patients with hydrocephalus. A total of 41 quick‒brain MRI examinations were performed without sedation for pediatric patients with hydrocephalus with a median age of 9 months at the time of examination. The duration of each study was less than 30 s. The catheter visualization was good, and the image quality was excellent enough for evaluating the cerebral ventricle size. Non‒sedative quick‒brain MR imaging is reliable for evaluating the ventricle size and ventricular catheter in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus. (Received February 10, 2021;accepted April 27, 2021)