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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function
07:31

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function

Published on: March 10, 2026

[Structural and functional imaging: particularities in children]

C Chiron1, L Hertz-Pannier

  • 1U663, Inserm, Service de neuropédiatrie, hôpital Necker-Enfants-Malades, 149, rue de Sèvres, 75015 Paris, France. catherine.chiron@nck.aphp.fr

Neuro-Chirurgie
|April 29, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Advanced imaging techniques aid in the surgical treatment of childhood partial epilepsies by localizing seizure origins and mapping brain function. These methods improve patient selection and surgical planning for better outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Imaging
  • Pediatric Neurology

Background:

  • Childhood partial epilepsies present unique diagnostic challenges.
  • Surgical intervention is a key treatment for refractory cases.
  • Accurate localization of the epileptogenic zone is crucial for successful surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of advanced neuroimaging in the presurgical evaluation of pediatric partial epilepsies.
  • To highlight the benefits of multimodal imaging in improving diagnostic accuracy.
  • To discuss the integration of imaging findings with clinical and electrophysiological data.

Main Methods:

  • Review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, including advanced sequences for early childhood.
  • Discussion of functional imaging modalities such as ictal SPECT and PET.
  • Integration of functional MRI (fMRI) for noninvasive cortical mapping of eloquent areas.
  • Comparison of noninvasive imaging with invasive methods like SEEG and cortical stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Advances in MRI enhance detection of subtle lesions in young children.
  • Functional imaging (SPECT, PET) aids in electrode placement and clarifies ambiguous cases.
  • Multimodal imaging significantly increases diagnostic sensitivity.
  • fMRI provides essential functional mapping in cooperating children aged 5-6 years.

Conclusions:

  • Advanced neuroimaging is indispensable for presurgical workup in pediatric epilepsy surgery.
  • A multimodal approach combining MRI, functional imaging, and clinical data optimizes patient selection and surgical planning.
  • Invasive techniques remain vital for cryptogenic epilepsies or complex cases.

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