Researchers create more child-friendly MRI technology

Efforts have been made by researchers in the US to adapt magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and technology to make them more suitable for children.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering research involved collaborators from the universities of Stanford and Berkeley and saw the team modifying MRI equipment for paediatric use, developing better motion correction strategies and implementing new image reconstruction techniques.

MRI signal-receiving coils tailored to a child's body were created in partnership with GE Healthcare, improving image clarity and scan times. Compressed sensing techniques were also used to speed the process up even further.

The team is also looking at other ways of minimising the stress caused by MRI scans, such as a free breathing approach involving light sedation, rather than inserting a tube down the throat.

Dr Shreyas Vasanawala, an associate professor of radiology at Stanford University, said: "Despite being most vulnerable to the potential negative effects of ionising radiation caused by CT, children are often an overlooked population when it comes to technological developments for medical imaging."

MRI scans use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. They can be used to examine almost any part of the body, making them a vital diagnostic tool.