Challenges in pediatric neuroimaging

Pediatric neuroimaging is challenging due the rapid structural, metabolic, and functional changes that occur in the developing brain. A specially trained team is needed to produce high quality diagnostic images in children, due to their small physical size and immaturity. Patient motion, cooperation and medical condition dictate the methods and equipment used. A customized approach tailored to each child's age and functional status with the appropriate combination of dedicated staff, imaging hardware, and software is key; these range from low-tech techniques, such as feed and swaddle, to specialized small bore MRI scanners, MRI compatible incubators and neonatal head coils. New pre-and post-processing techniques can also compensate for the motion artifacts and low signal that often degrade neonatal scans.