Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure
Published on: July 30, 2009
Reducing Pediatric MRI Cancellations Through Early Anesthesia Assessment: A Retrospective Analysis at a Tertiary Care
Omar M Kabbani1, Hamad Alshammari2, Ziad A Alzeer3
1Anesthesiology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, SAU.
Insights
Early anesthetic assessment for pediatric MRI, conducted at least 48 hours prior, significantly reduces cancellations. This improves operational efficiency and patient care by preventing delays and rescheduling.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Anesthesiology
- Healthcare Operations
Background:
- Pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under anesthesia is increasing.
- Radiology departments face scheduling challenges, cancellations, and delays for pediatric MRIs.
- Late scheduling without anesthesiologist consultation contributes to cancellations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of early anesthetic assessment (≥48 hours pre-MRI) on reducing pediatric MRI cancellations.
- To identify factors associated with MRI cancellations in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case-control study of pediatric MRIs under general anesthesia (March 2017-December 2018).
- Compared cancelled MRI cases (n=38) with non-cancelled controls (n=220) in patients under 14 years old.
- Analyzed anesthesia assessment timing, demographics, and MRI characteristics.
Main Results:
- Early anesthetic assessment (≥48 hours prior) was associated with a reduced risk of MRI cancellations (P=0.020).
- The study included 258 children, with 38 cancellations and 220 controls.
- This finding was significant when compared to other risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Preanesthetic evaluations ≥48 hours before MRI minimize rescheduling and delays.
- Early assessment enhances operational efficiency, patient safety, and satisfaction.
- Preanesthetic assessment is crucial for reducing MRI cancellations and optimizing MRI service delivery.
Background:
The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under anesthesia or moderate sedation has grown in the pediatric age group. Many radiology departments have scheduling problems for pediatric MRIs, as well as on-site cancellations and delays. A contributing factor could be due to the common practice of scheduling pediatric patients for MRIs at the last minute without first consulting with an anesthesiologist. The literature has relatively little information regarding the causes of cancellation of pediatric MRI performed under anesthesia. We predicted that early anesthetic assessment of children might reduce cancellations.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the reduction of MRI cancellations and the early anesthetic assessment conducted ≥48 hours prior to the MRI.
Methods:
This is a retrospective case-control study reviewing MRI cancellations in a tertiary-level specialized children's hospital during the period from March 2017 to December 2018. All pediatric patients who underwent MRI under general anesthesia during this period were included for analysis. The sample population was restricted to patients under 14 years old. MRI cases that were cancelled were compared as a case group with MRI cases that were not cancelled as a control group regarding anesthesia assessment, type, demographics, MRI study characteristics, and medical factors.
Results:
The study included a total of 258 children, with 38 cases and 220 controls. The median age of the patients was 52 months with an IQR of 46.5 months for the case cohort and 58 months with an IQR of 48 months for the control cohort. Statistical analysis of the data indicates that preanesthetic assessment two days or more prior to the MRI reduces the risk of cancellations when compared to other risk factors (P=0.020, CI: 0.69-1.652).
Conclusions:
Preanesthetic evaluations can reduce MRI rescheduling appointments, additional diagnostic tests, and potential delays in patient care. Operational efficiency can also be improved, along with patient safety and satisfaction. Thus, preanesthetic assessment is vital to reducing MRI cancellations and improving the efficiency of MRI services.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Imaging Studies I: CT and MRI
Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...
01:27Imaging Studies IV: Magnetic Resonance Imaging