The Image Gently campaign has resulted in increased awareness of radiation risks in the pediatric population. A major effect of this is a reduction in computed tomography in pediatric hospitals. While MRI may be able to achieve many of the goals of CT, risks related to sedation and the need for increased resources to perform sedated MRI must also be considered for children with conditions known to require follow-up imaging. In cases where children have external ventricular shunts in place over a long term, rapid sequence MRI has been well-described in its role to assess ventricular size while avoiding both ionizing radiation and sedation. Here we describe the use of our version of the rapid sequence MRI to assess additional indications, as more than half of the patients undergoing this study in our facility do not have indwelling ventricular shunt catheters at the time of imaging. Limitations of this technique are also discussed.
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