Impact of a fast free-breathing 3-T abdominal MRI protocol on improving scan time and image quality for pediatric patients with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen can be especially challenging in pediatric patients because of image quality degradation from respiratory motion. Abdominal MR protocols tailored for free-breathing children can potentially improve diagnostic image quality and reduce scan time.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a free-breathing 3-T MRI protocol for renal evaluation in pediatric patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Materials And Methods: A single institution, Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective database query identified pediatric TSC patients who underwent a free-breathing 3-T MR abdominal protocol including radial and respiratory-triggered pulse sequences and who also had a prior abdominal MRI on the same scanner using a traditional MR protocol utilizing signal averaging and Cartesian k-space sampling. Scan times and use of sedation were recorded. MR image quality was compared between the two protocols using a semiquantitative score for overall image quality and sharpness.

Results: Forty abdominal MRI studies in 20 patients were evaluated. The mean scan time of the fast free-breathing protocol was significantly lower (mean: 42.5±9.8 min) compared with the traditional protocol (58.7±11.7 min; P=<0.001). Image sharpness was significantly improved for radial T2-weighted and T1-weighted triggered Dixon and radial T1-weighted fat-suppressed post-contrast images in the free-breathing protocol, while image quality was significantly higher on radial and Dixon T1-weighted sequences.

Conclusion: A free-breathing abdominal MR protocol in pediatric TSC patients decreases scan time and improves image quality and should be considered more widely for abdominal MRI in children.