Pediatric Radiology

Common pediatric radiology procedures:

• Children’s computed topography (CT) is a fast, painless scan that produces detailed, cross-sectional images of the inside of the body. In children, CT is typically used to search for causes of abdominal pain, evaluate traumatic injuries, and diagnose and monitor cancer and infectious or inflammatory disorders.

• Children’s nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities. These imaging procedures are noninvasive and, with the exception of intravenous injections, usually painless. Nuclear medicine scans are typically used to diagnose and evaluate: urinary blockage or backflow in the kidney, bone cancer, infections and trauma, gastrointestinal bleeding and motility, tumors and the spread of cancerous cells, jaundice, epilepsy and thyroid gland conditions.

• Children’s abdominal ultrasound is a safe and painless ultrasound that produces pictures of the internal organs and blood vessels within a child's abdomen. Ultrasound imaging can: help a physician determine the source of abdominal pain, such as gallstones, kidney stones, abscesses or an inflamed appendix, guide procedures such as biopsies or catheter insertion, help identify the presence and cause of an apparent enlarged abdominal organ, identify the location of abnormal fluid in the abdomen, and help identify causes of vomiting in young infants

• Children’s voiding cystourethrogram is an X-ray of a child's bladder and lower urinary tract to assess anatomy and function. A voiding cystourethrogram detects abnormalities in the flow of urine through the lower urinary tract and is often recommended after a urinary tract infection to check for a condition known as vesicoureteral (VU) reflux.

• Therapeutic enema for intussusception is used to help identify and diagnose a serious disorder in which one part of the intestine slides into another and causes inflammation and obstruction. Intussusception most commonly occurs in children three to 24 months (about two years) of age. A therapeutic enema using air, or a contrast material solution may be performed to create pressure within the intestine and “un-telescope” the intussusception while relieving the obstruction. This exam is usually performed on an emergency basis.