The demand for drug-induced sedation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have substantially increased in response to increases in MRI utilization and growing interest in anxiety in children. Understanding the pharmacologic options for deep sedation and general anesthesia in an MRI environment is essential to achieve immobility for the successful completion of the procedure and ensure rapid and safe discharge of children undergoing ambulatory MRI. For painless diagnostic MRI, a single sedative/anesthetic agent without analgesia is safer than a combination of multiple sedatives. The traditional drugs, such as chloral hydrate, pentobarbital, midazolam, and ketamine, are still used due to the ease of administration despite low sedation success rate, prolonged recovery, and significant adverse events. Currently, dexmedetomidine, with respiratory drive preservation, and propofol, with high effectiveness and rapid recovery, are preferred for children undergoing ambulatory MRI. General anesthesia using propofol or sevoflurane can also provide predictable rapid time to readiness and scan times in infant or children with comorbidities. The selection of appropriate drugs as well as sufficient monitoring equipment are vital for effective and safe sedation and anesthesia for ambulatory pediatric MRI.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Abdominal ultrasound screening for abdominal manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1 in the pediatric population: A case series Tuzger N, Milani D, Grilli F, Pavesi MA, Vespro V, Carnevali A, Chiaraviglio MF, Natacci F, Fabiano V Global Pediatrics.2026; 15: 100311. CrossRef
Advances in pediatric MRI: Reducing risks and improving imaging outcomes Live Sørbø, Victoria Lie Fredriksen, Morteza Esmaeili Next Research.2026; 4: 101272. CrossRef
MRgLITT under general anesthesia using extended non-ferromagnetic components in a non-MR-compatible environment-a case report Zhijing Yang, Ruibo Zhang, Yi Su, Lu Li, Long Chen, Yong Chen, Jinqi Lin, Yan Huang, Jun Xiong BMC Anesthesiology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Meta-analysis study on anesthetic sedation recovery and onset times in pediatric and elderly patients undergoing CT and MRI Qiong Zhao, Fei Meng, Huimei Han, Lili Han Biomedical Papers.2025; 169(2): 82. CrossRef
Is imaging necessary in pediatric patients with isolated tinnitus? Zainab Balogun, Tracy Cheng, Amber D. Shaffer, David Chi, Dennis Kitsko International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.2025; 188: 112196. CrossRef
Anesthesia in PET/MRI. Challenges for the Anesthesiologist: A Narrative Review Sudhir Venkataramaiah, Ramesh J. Venkatapura, Chandana Nagaraj Journal of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care.2025; 12(02): 89. CrossRef
Study on the sedative effect and safety of oral midazolam combined with dexmedetomidine nasal drops in children during magnetic resonance imaging examination Yuancui Li, Rongzhu Lei Frontiers in Pediatrics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Safety of a higher thiamylal induction dose in pediatric sedation for magnetic resonance imaging scans Yi-Shiuan Li, Shih-Pin Lin, Wen-Kuei Chang, Ting Chien-Kun European Journal of Medical Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Combined With Oral Chloral Hydrate for Sedation in Neonatal MRI Procedures: A Single‐Center Retrospective Study Wenyan Dong, Lingdi Zhu, Linlin Xu, Zhenkun Yang, Shuoxiong Wu, Fortofoiu Mircea-Catalin Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Manejo da sedação e anestesia em imagens pediátricas: particularidades e riscos em neonatos Raphaela Nogueira Dutra, Elba Tania Ramos Oliveira, Jacqueline de Almeida Freitas, Ramon Magro Ferreira, Sérgio Mendes Dutra, Beatriz de Melo Lacerda Alves, Gabriel Franco Viana, Ieda Maira de Lima e Machado, Cristiane Barbosa Mendes STUDIES IN HEALTH SCIENCES.2025; 6(2): e15764. CrossRef
A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis of a Standardized Sedation Protocol for MRI in Children with Achondroplasia: Minimal Complications and Excellent Imaging Quality Barbora Nedomová, Lucia Babulicová, Ľubica Tichá, Salome Jakešová, Ladislava Wsólová, Rudolf Riedel Children.2025; 12(6): 662. CrossRef
Sedation Methods in Paediatric Auditory Electrophysiologic Testing: A Narrative Review Violeta Necula, Maria Eugenia Domuta, Raluca Olariu, Madalina Gabriela Georgescu, Ioan Florin Marchis, Mirela Cristina Stamate, Cristina Maria Blebea, Maximilian George Dindelegan, Alma Aurelia Maniu, Sever Septimiu Pop Audiology Research.2025; 15(4): 82. CrossRef
A–Z of prescribing for children Kate Davies Journal of Prescribing Practice.2025; 7(8): 330. CrossRef
Nomogram for predicting the success rate of sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine in paediatric nonpainful diagnostic procedures: a retrospective study Huatian Lin, Lihua Gao, Ningning Cui, Guangwu Liao, Xueqing Wang, Taohua Peng, Yuetao Xie Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Intranasal Dexmedetomidine with Propofol Provides Superior Sedation for Pediatric Contrast-Enhanced CT: A Randomized Controlled Trial Su-Jing Zhang, Yan-Jun Weng, Qian Lei, Min-Yi Lin, Hua-Lin Chen, Tuan-Fang Fang, Guo-Lin Lu Drug Design, Development and Therapy.2025; Volume 19: 9523. CrossRef
Relation of Visual Function, Retinal Thickness by Optical Coherence Tomography, and MRI Brain Volume in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis Anna Sosa, Kimberly A. O'Neill, Ruben Jauregui, Ugo Nwigwe, Thibo Billiet, Rachel Kenney, Lauren B. Krupp, Steven L. Galetta, Laura J. Balcer, Scott N. Grossman Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Serotonin Syndrome in a Toddler from Sibutramine Adulterant Sadesvaran Muniandy, Darshana Ghandi Bal, Munawwarah Kamal, Kamarul Aryffin Baharuddin Turkish Journal of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Age dependent morphological changes of the normal meniscus in children based on large scale MRI analysis Tianfeng Zhu, Chao Deng, Yibiao Zhou, Hansheng Deng, Xinyue Zhang, Yiyuan Sun, Jiachen Tang, Xiaohui Qi, Zhengyu Wu, Qisong Yang, Carlo Doria, Gianfilippo Caggiari, Chao You Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Triage and workflow optimization with artificial intelligence in pediatric imaging Harsimran Bhatia, Anmol Bhatia, Arhanjit Singh, Shubham Saini, Kushaljit Singh Sodhi Pediatric Radiology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Empowering Children Through Virtual Reality: A New Alternative to General Anesthesia for MRI Tania Dafer, Matt Head, Cassandra Kapoor, Daniela Pohl, Ewa Sucha, Nick Barrowman, Neetika Gupta, Hillel Maresky, Elka Miller Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Chloral Hydrate’s Impact on Brain Development: From Clinical Safety to Molecular Mechanisms Pengyi Deng, Chenghao Zhu, Jie Zhang, Liling Zhu, Ting Xiao, Shuangquan Qu Drug Design, Development and Therapy.2025; Volume 19: 10149. CrossRef
Prioritisation of data-poor pharmaceuticals for empirical testing and environmental risk assessment Cristiana Cannata, Thomas Backhaus, Irene Bramke, Maria Caraman, Anna Lombardo, Rhys Whomsley, Caroline T.A. Moermond, Ad M.J. Ragas Environment International.2024; 183: 108379. CrossRef
Review of pediatric sedation and anesthesia for radiological diagnostic and therapeutic procedures Mohammed Ageel Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences.2024; 17(1): 100833. CrossRef
Comparison of airway collapsibility following single induction dose ketamine with propofol versus propofol sedation in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging: A randomised controlled study Pooja Bhardwaj, Sakthirajan Panneerselvam, Priya Rudingwa, Kirthiha Govindaraj, M.V.S. Satya Prakash, Ashok S. Badhe, Krishnan Nagarajan Indian Journal of Anaesthesia.2024; 68(2): 189. CrossRef
A Narrative Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Ketamine in Pediatric Sedation: A Critical Analysis of Current Evidence Lakshmi Naga Sai Sivani Dasari, Sanjot Ninave Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Evaluating Sedation Strategies for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Comprehensive Review of Intravenous Fentanyl, Butorphanol, and Midazolam in Adult and Pediatric Populations Neeta Verma, Janhavi S Dahake Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Efficacy and Safety of Dexmedetomidine Compared to Other Needle-Free Pharmacological Sedation Methods in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Imaging Procedures Mohammed Alsabri Hussein Alsabri, Abdelrahman Abdelshafi, Ahmed Bostamy Elsnhory, Noha Samir Selim, Alaa Bostamy Elsnhory, Douaa Albelal, Fatima Akram, Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary Pediatric Emergency Care.2024; 40(9): e233. CrossRef
Adverse events and sedation characteristics of propofol and dexmedetomidine during magnetic resonance imaging: An observational study in neuropsychiatric population Shyamala Narayanan, Sriganesh Kamath, Dhritiman Chakrabarti Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice.2024; 15: 545. CrossRef
Sedation and anesthesia for imaging of the infant and neonate—a brief review Forrest P. Beaulieu, Gabriel Zuckerberg, Kristen Coletti, Emily Mapelli, John Flibotte, Spoorthi Sampath, Misun Hwang, Elizabeth T. Drum Pediatric Radiology.2024; 54(10): 1579. CrossRef
A Comprehensive Review on the Role of MRI in the Assessment of Supratentorial Neoplasms: Comparative Insights Into Adult and Pediatric Cases Paritosh N Bhangale, Shivali V Kashikar, Paschyanti R Kasat, Priyal Shrivastava, Anjali Kumari Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Clinical Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine and Propofol in Children Undergoing MRI for Urological Diseases: A Systematic Review Pakeeza Shafiq, Muhammad Umer Iqbal Butt, Hafiz Wajih Ul Hassan, Saba Maqsood, Syed Imtiaz Ali Zaidi, Aftab Ahmed, Ehsan Ul Haq Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Comparison of oral triclofos and intranasal midazolam and dexmedetomidine for sedation in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): an open-label, three-arm, randomized trial Shyam Chandrasekar, Bhagirathi Dwibedi, Rashmi Ranjan Das, Biswa Mohan Padhy, Bikram Kishore Behera European Journal of Pediatrics.2023; 182(3): 1385. CrossRef
Correlation between the actual sleep time 24 hours prior to an examination and the time to achieve chloral hydrate sedation in pediatric patients in South Korea: a prospective cohort study Mijung Park, Ji Um, So Hyun Kim, Jiseon Yoon, Yeonjae Lee, Jiyeong Kwon, Seonhee Baek, Dong Yeon Kim Child Health Nursing Research.2023; 29(1): 51. CrossRef
COMPARISON OF INTRAMUSCULAR VERSUS INTRAVENOUS KETAMINE FOR SEDATION IN CHILDREN UNDERGOING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING EXAMINATION Jasim M. Salman, Jasim N. Al-Asadi, Husham H. Abdul-Ra’aoof, Jawad H. Ahmed, Ali H Reshak Wiadomości Lekarskie.2023; 76(1): 198. CrossRef
Does sevoflurane sedation in pediatric patients lead to “pseudo” leptomeningeal enhancement in the brain on 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging? Kiran Hilal, Kumail Khandwala, Saima Rashid, Faheemullah Khan, Shayan Sirat Maheen Anwar World Journal of Radiology.2023; 15(4): 127. CrossRef
Intranasal dexmedetomidine versus intranasal midazolam as sole sedative agents for pelviabdominal magnetic resonance imaging in pediatrics: A randomized double-blind trial TaysserM Abdelraheem, HamdyA Hendawy, AmiraM Elkeblawy Bali Journal of Anesthesiology.2023; 7(2): 99. CrossRef
Prospective, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of intranasal dexmedetomidine to oral midazolam as premedication for propofol sedation in pediatric patients undergoing magnet Olivia Nzungu Wabelo, Denis Schmartz, Mario Giancursio, Françoise De Pooter, Giulia Caruso, Jean-François Fils, Philippe Van der Linden Trials.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
The effect of age on outpatient pediatric procedural sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine and oral midazolam Xiaqing Zhou, Jialian Zhao, Haiya Tu, Kunwei Chen, Yaoqin Hu, Yue Jin European Journal of Pediatrics.2023; 183(1): 169. CrossRef
Determination of the normal conus medullaris level in term infants: the role of MRI in early infancy Mengchun Sun, Benzhang Tao, Gan Gao, Hui Wang, Aijia Shang Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.2022; 29(1): 100. CrossRef
Patient background related to success and adverse event in pediatric sedated MRI Yutaka Konda, Hajime Mihira, Louis Akiyama, Yuki Shiko, Yoshihito Ozawa, Yohei Kawasaki, Katsunori Fujii, Ryugo Hiramoto Pediatrics International.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Analysis of Risk Factors for Chloral Hydrate Sedative Failure with Initial Dose in Pediatric Patients: a Retrospective Analysis Yu Cui, Langtao Guo, Qixia Mu, Lu Kang, Qin Chen, Qunying Wu, Yani He, Min Tang Pediatric Drugs.2022; 24(4): 403. CrossRef
Using intranasal dexmedetomidine with buccal midazolam for magnetic resonance imaging sedation in children: A single-arm prospective interventional study Bi Lian Li, Hao Luo, Jun Xiang Huang, Huan Huan Zhang, Joanna R. Paquin, Vivian M. Yuen, Xing Rong Song Frontiers in Pediatrics.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
A Novel Propofol Dosing Regimen for Pediatric Sedation during Radiologic Tests Ji-Young Min, Jeong-Rim Lee, Hye-Mi Lee, Ho-Jae Nam, Hyo-Jin Byon Journal of Clinical Medicine.2022; 11(17): 5076. CrossRef
Psychiatric outcomes following ketamine administration for orthopedic surgical anesthesia Alec E. Mansour, Elijah W. Hale, Daniel S. Saks Frontiers in Anesthesiology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Artificial intelligence in paediatric radiology: Future opportunities Natasha Davendralingam, Neil J Sebire, Owen J Arthurs, Susan C Shelmerdine The British Journal of Radiology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections are a rare, but clinically important cause of infections in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. This is typically suspected when a patient does not respond to treatment with the usual antibiotics. We describe here a case of Mycobacterium abscessus exit site infection with abdominal wall abscess formation that was associated with CAPD, which required peritoneal catheter removal, surgical debridement of the abscess and long term antibiotic therapy.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A Case Report ofMycobacterium abscessusPeritonitis in a Patient on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Seon Joo Kang, Heungsoo Kim, Kyoung Un Park, Young Ae Lim, Wee Gyo Lee Annals of Clinical Microbiology.2013; 16(2): 101. CrossRef
A Case of Continuous Ambulatory Peritonitis Dialysis Peritonitis Due toStenotrophomonas maltophiliaUsing Antibiotic Combination Hee Sung Ko, Ah Ran Choi, Tae Hoon Kim, Chan Hee Kyung, Jang Ho Cho, Yong Hoon Kim, Jung Eun Lee Yeungnam University Journal of Medicine.2013; 30(2): 109. CrossRef