Has your child had an MRI?

[AnnabelleQ]

Hi, my daughter is 6 and due to have an MRI soon - I’m trying to decide whether to try it without general anaesthetic first. Just wondered if anyone has done it without, and how old your child is. Thanks.

Maybe it depends on the area that needs the MRI? DDs was her head and spine, and she had a lumbar puncture directly after which they needed her sedated for.

My son had mri brain scan when he was 3. Very scary for me but he was fine. They just sedated him and then it was an against the clock race to get him down there and done before he woke up. They gave him an oral medicine to make him sleep which didn't work, so they put one up his bottom and that worked. I was allowed in the scan room and a nurse stayed with me too. We all had to wear ear defenders including my son. It felt like ages while it was being done but I bet it wasn't actually. After he came round they had to make are he could eat and not be sick for a little while after, before we could go home.

Ignore people saying they are terrifying, they really aren't. They're just noisy. If anything, she'll likely be bored and fidgety in there. I've had several and my niece had one at 4. She was in there about 20 minutes and was fine apart from endless reminders to hold still.

It depends on the part of the body being scanned but if its a relatively short scan and they're old enough to understand that you have to keep still even though it's boring, then I'd say do it awake. I wouldn't put a child under for something as simple as a scan without even trying it awake.

I'm surprised you've been offered a GA we don't for children that age at our hospital unless a particular need or previous attempts failed.

My 12 year old still needed me in as fear of the unknown got him despite me being a radiographer and explaining it fully to him.

As long as you're compatible with the magnetic environment you will be allowed in with her. It is very, very noisy and a bit chilly and she needs to keep still. Many children cope better with the claustrophobia as they're smaller anyway and don't feel enclosed as they're used to playing in tunnels. She can keep her eyes closed and an eye mask was useful for my DS as he didn't want to look.

My DS has had multiple from the age of 5 - now 13

At 6, his oncologist suggested trying without a GA as he was going to need MRI's for life so needed to get used to them , and it's safer to do without GA all the time.

He's always been absolutely fine! Amazes me as they look awful.

Ask for support from hospital if you can, our local hospital runs a Saturday service where nurses/play specialists can help to prepare children by showing them equipment and answering questions

Good luck!

My son was four when he had one. There was a hole at the head end and I sat there and stroked his hair. He slept throughout. I couldn’t believe it!

My daughter had one of head unsedated at 9/10 (I can't actually remember which as it was close to her birthday) and couldn't quite lie still enough -- they were needing to look at some very small structures and any movement artifacts at all were unacceptable so she had to go back and do it under a light GA. She's very good at lying still in general and had a CT scan at the same appointment with no problem, but there seemed to be one particular frequency from the MRI that made her twitch.

So I'm with the "it depends which body part and what they are looking for" group.

Ex MRI radiographer here (not what you asked, I know!). We would definitely have scheduled a NT child of 6 for a non GA scan unless it was likely to be very long and complex. You haven’t said what part of the body the scan is of - that will also have a bearing on the experience. Children don’t tend to suffer from claustrophobia but obviously they may be frightened by the appearance and sound of the machinery. Just about all children’s hospitals have scanners where DVDs can be played, DGHs not so much.
Best thing to do is ring the department & discuss what exactly will be involved, there aren’t any hard and fast rules. We’ve successfully scanned a few 3 year olds without GAs (and done GAs on some adults!).

Thanks so much for all the answers so far. It is definitely her head/brain and I think perhaps her spine as well. She has spasticity in one leg. The consultant asked me if she would lie still enough but I really don’t know! It would be at the Portland Hospital potentially.

@MrsFezziwig just tagging you to see the reply above about which body part, thanks

If you would like her to try without a GA (as you know best how she might react) it would be worth trying without a GA. I’m guessing it will be a private scan at the Portland? so they may be able to allocate more time to it. Watching a DVD during the scan definitely helps if they have a DVD player. A standard brain/spine scan can take as little as 30 minutes, but it depends exactly what has been requested by the consultant. Talking to the radiography staff beforehand would definitely be useful.

My daughter’s MRIs have all been head and spine (with one abdomen one thrown in). They do have a sort of frame around her head but it has a mirror on so she can see me (and the TV!)

Mine had one at age 10, no preparation at all, no discussion of GA, I didn't even know it was a thing. I think the play preparation sounds good, if you can avoid a GA it is a good idea but I wouldn't worry if they need it. I wasn't allowed in and this was pre covid.

@horseymum DDs was pre-covid and I wasn't allowed in either. Just two and a half hours of pacing around worrying about her!

Well she had her MRI fully awake and managed to do it. Apparently there is a scar on the right side of her brain (her left leg is affected by spasticity). @MrsFezziwig in your experience, can they tell if the scar is old and damage related or could it be caused by genetic disorders - I’m wondering if this is even possible to tell by MRI? In which case it doesn’t actually diagnose anything at all?! Thanks for any advice you can give!

@AnnabelleQ I’ve PM’d you.