To reduce patient exposure to the ionizing radiation of CT, hospitals are increasing MRI usage in the evaluation of suspected acute appendicitis, particularly in the pediatric population. Our retrospective review of 84 pediatric patients assessed contrast-enhanced conical Ultrashort TE (UTE) of the pelvis. UTE demonstrated better qualitative Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), fewer artifacts, and better overall image quality than both a 3D dual-echo SPoiled GRadient echo (SPGR) sequence and a free-breathing high-resolution 3D SPGR. Our study concluded that UTE is feasible in the evaluation of the pelvis for pediatric acute appendicitis.
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