Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure
Published on: July 30, 2009
Parameters of anesthesia/sedation in children receiving radiotherapy
Kevin P McMullen1,2, Tara Hanson3, Jennifer Bratton4
1IU Health Proton Therapy Center, Bloomington, Indiana. kpmcmull@iupui.edu.
Insights
Pediatric proton radiotherapy patients aged 3 and under invariably require anesthesia/sedation (A/S). Requirement for A/S decreases with age, with no gender difference observed in this study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Anesthesia and Sedation
Background:
- Previous studies indicate a low risk of complications for pediatric treatments under anesthesia/sedation (A/S) in outpatient settings.
- This study examines institutional experience with A/S in children undergoing daily proton radiotherapy (RT).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the requirement for A/S in pediatric patients receiving proton RT, analyzing data by age and gender.
- To understand trends in A/S needs throughout childhood and adolescence in this specific treatment context.
Main Methods:
- Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.
- A retrospective review of pediatric patients (≤18 years) records was conducted between September 2004 and June 2013.
- Data collected included age, gender, and A/S requirement for proton RT.
Main Results:
- Of 390 patients, 182 were girls.
- Children aged 3 and under invariably required A/S.
- By age 7-8, approximately 50% of patients did not require A/S, and about 10% of patients aged 12 and older required it.
- No significant difference in A/S requirement was found based on gender.
Conclusions:
- The need for A/S in pediatric proton RT decreases with age beyond 3 years.
- A small number of older children may still require A/S due to difficulties with sustained immobilization.
- Gender does not appear to influence the requirement for A/S in this pediatric patient cohort.
Background:
Previous reports establish low risk of complications in pediatric treatments under anesthesia/sedation (A/S) in the outpatient setting. Here, we present our institutional experience with A/S by age and gender in children receiving daily proton RT.
Methods:
After Institutional Review Board approval, we reviewed our center's records between 9/9/2004 and 6/30/2013 with respect to age and gender of A/S requirement in our pediatric patients (defined as patients ≤18 years of age).
Results:
Of 390 patients treated in this era, 182 were girls. Children aged ≤3 invariably required A/S; and by age 7-8, approximately half of patients do not. For pediatric patients ≥ 12 years of age, approximately 10% may require A/S for different reasons. There was no difference by gender.
Conclusions:
Beyond age 3, the requirement for A/S decreases in an age-dependent fashion, with a small cadre of older children having difficulty enough with sustained immobilization that A/S is necessary. In our experience, there is no difference in A/S requirement by gender.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview
01:20Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview
01:22Stages of General Anesthesia
01:24General Anesthesia: Overview
General anesthesia induces unconsciousness in the whole body, while the others target specific areas or sensations. It is administered to minimize adverse effects, maintain...
01:13Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan
Pulmonary Angiogram
A Pulmonary Angiogram is an invasive procedure involving injecting a contrast medium through a catheter threaded into the pulmonary artery or the right side of the heart to visualize the pulmonary vasculature. Computed Tomography (CT) scans have mainly replaced this...
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children