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Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging: techniques and non-oncologic indications

  • Pediatric Body MRI
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Abstract

Whole-body MRI is increasingly utilized for assessing oncologic and non-oncologic diseases in infants, children and adolescents. Focusing on the non-oncologic indications, this review covers technical elements required to perform whole-body MRI, the advantages and limitations of the technique, and protocol modifications tailored to specific indications. Rheumatologic diseases account for the majority of non-oncologic whole-body MRI performed in pediatric patients at the author’s institution. Whole-body MRI helps in establishing the diagnosis, documenting disease extent and severity, and monitoring treatment response in enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO). Other non-oncologic indications for whole-body MRI include osteomyelitis (usually pyogenic), pyrexia of unknown origin, neuromuscular disorders, inherited and inflammatory myopathies such as juvenile dermatomyositis and polymyositis, avascular necrosis, and fat/storage disorders. Use of whole-body MRI in postmortem imaging is rising, while whole-body MRI in non-accidental injury is considered to be of limited value. Imaging findings for a range of these indications are reviewed with whole-body MRI examples.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Govind Chavhan, Andrea Doria, Jennifer Stimec, Manoj Singh, Sumeet Gupta, Tammy Rayner and Ruth Weiss for their contributions developing whole-body MRI at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Warren Corber for his assistance with the clinical audit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON,, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Mary-Louise C. Greer

  2. Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Mary-Louise C. Greer

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Correspondence to Mary-Louise C. Greer.

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Greer, ML.C. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging: techniques and non-oncologic indications. Pediatr Radiol 48, 1348–1363 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-018-4141-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-018-4141-9

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