MRI / CAT SCANS

[Josh'smom]

Wanted to know for all of you that have had these for your children--how did you do it? Sedation/no sedation. I have been trying to get an MRI for my son and have found lots of problems--lots of places do not like to do them on children because they have to sedate them. I also found the waiting is 4 months if the hospital will do it. Its crazy. My dr suggested we get a cat scan instead--but that still takes 45 minutes so can't imagine him staying still for that either. He's 5 1/2---have a call into my pediatrician to see if there is a pill I can give him just for this. Anyone have any ideas/experiences let me know. Thanks

[JaimeC]

Hi, I'm a radiology nurse.....there is an oral medication (a couple of choices) that your doc can prescribe to give to your child ahead of time to make him sleepy. I can't imagine the CT scan taking 45 minutes, perhaps from beginning to end, but not 45 minutes actually IN the CT scanner. MRI's DO take that long, but not usually CT's. If the oral medication doesn't work (it usually does), there's always IV sedation, but I would make sure you have it done at either a children's hospital or a place with experience in sedating children. My son hasn't had these tests done so I don't have personal experience, other than that as a nurse. If you want to get scheduled in MRI at a hospital and it's a 4 month wait, as you say, go ahead and schedule it and call periodically and ask if there are any openings. Ask them to put you on a list to call if there's an opening. 4 months sounds like an awfully long time. I can't imagine that..... (

[Francine_Litz]

We have this steadfast rule.... if you are getting sedated, you only do it in a hospital. Talking from someone who has had two pulmonary embolisms - if you get sedated you gotta be in a place that has doctors and specialists ready in case something goes wrong. It's truly a matter of life and death.

Maia had an MRI and CT scan done on the same day - she took oral sedation and it tasted so bad they introduced it with a very narrow enema tube instead - which worked fine but mortified her completely. She had to have the MRI done twice because she was breathing to heavily. That took about 3 hours. Then she was moved into the next room and had a CT scan done. The prep took about 15 minutes just to position her - get her wrapped and comfortable. The scan itself took about 5 minutes - they scanned her one shoulder joint. It was quick and easy. She was actually awake during the CT scan but she was a bit panicky - music in the room helped calm her down and I was right there almost on top of her in the CT scanner (LOL).

I'm glad we did both scans as they both showed different things. MRI showed atrophy of the left shoulder girdle and the CT scan showed posterior dislocation.

If Josh were to have IV sedation - don't forget the EMLA numbing cream. It'll make a great deal of difference.

[julie715]

My son has had a CT scan. We tried it at first without sedating him because the radiologist said it would only take a few minutes to do the actual scan. He was far too wiggly, so they gave him an oral sedative that made him deeply relaxed. He did actually go to sleep for about 10 minutes. They wouldn't let me leave until he woke up, which he did reluctantly. He was about 14 months old at the time. He did not have a problem swallowing the oral sedative.

One important thing I found out AFTER he had the CT scan is that I should have asked about the dose of radiation. A CT scan is many times the strength of a regular x-ray. Apparently there is a child dose and an adult dose. Be sure to ask about this because the effects of radiation are cumulative over a lifetime, and if the child will require these scans with any frequency (to diagnose shoulder dislocations for example) it could add up.

I don't have any experience with an MRI. I will vouch for the EMLA cream, which was used during my son's EMGs and REALLY helped.

Julie

[Francine_Litz]

Julie -I did not know that (about the dose).... but wouldn't the radiologist take that into consideration automatically?

[happymomof6]

I have two daughters who have had mri's. They have had them in the last month and they are 8mo. and 2 yo. They were both given gas to make them fall asleep and then the iv was put in to knock them out. They were both awake within 15 min of the procedure and didn't seem out of sorts at all. The doc told us it was a new drug, sorry can't remember the name but was great for kids because it wears off so fast and with hardly any sideeffects. He said it is very expensive though so a lot of places don't use it. We go to Children's Hospital in San Diego.
Jenny

[Francine_Litz]

Jenny - can you check with them and possibly find out the name of the drug? Thanks!
-francine

[julie715]

Francine,
Maybe they did take it into consideration automatically, but apparently that is not always the case. The day I came home from the appointment, I was reading an article on MSN.com Health about how important it is to ask the radiologist to use a child dose. You would think it would be common sense, but we all know how well we can trust medical staff to use common sense! LOL

Julie