The use of whole-body MRI (WBMRI) in children, from infancy to adolescence, has expanded rapidly over the past decade, with increasing uptake and a broadening range of clinical indications. Current indications include screening for presymptomatic lesions in cancer predisposition syndromes; tumor staging in known malignancies; investigating fevers of unknown origin; as well as diagnosing and monitoring rheumatologic diseases, vascular anomalies and neuromuscular disorders. This AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review aims to offer a comprehensive discussion of WBMRI in pediatric patients, exploring protocols and other technical considerations, clinical indications, implementation challenges and troubleshooting, as well as controversies in widespread adoption, while considering emerging trends and directions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantitative abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers non-invasive, objective assessment of diseases in the liver, pancreas, and other organs and is increasingly being used in the pediatric population. Certain quantitative MRI techniques, such as liver proton density fat fraction (PDFF), R2* mapping, and MR elastography, are already in wide clinical use. Other techniques, such as liver T1 mapping and pancreas quantitative imaging methods, are emerging and show promise for enhancing diagnostic sensitivity and treatment monitoring.
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