Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging is a safe, painless and highly effective test for detecting disease and other abnormalities. MRI scanners produce highly detailed images using a magnetic field and radio waves. Unlike X-rays and CT scans, radiation is not used to obtain these images.

Wolfson Children's is one of very few hospitals in the nation offering the MR-I-Am Ready! program, which is designed to help children complete an MRI without being sedated with anesthesia. This means less wait time for scheduling an MRI, resulting in faster test results and no anesthesia-related risks and side effects.

Wolfson Children’s is the only children’s hospital in the Southeast to have the Swoop® Portable MRI Imaging® System, the world’s first portable MRI for brain imaging, which is safe to use virtually anywhere and allows parents to be nearby while a child undergoes imaging.

An X-ray is a safe and painless imaging test used to see images of internal tissues, bones and organs. A machine sends a small beam of radiation into the body, which produces an image to help diagnose a bone injury or other conditions.

Fluoroscopy tests are like moving X-rays used to view movement of a body part or to watch contrast material, like barium sulfate, as it moves through the body.

Ultrasound is used to diagnose problems with internal organs that are causing swelling, infection and pain. Sound waves are used to create images of the liver, kidneys, abdomen and pelvic organs, with no exposure to radiation.

Computed Tomography (CT) uses special equipment that combines several X-ray images taken from different angles to provide detailed pictures of bones, soft tissues, organs and blood vessels inside your child’s body. At Wolfson Children’s, our equipment enables a whole-body scan in 10 seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional CT scanners. Also, our Computer Tomography Department is accredited by the American College of Radiology, which sets us apart from other radiology imaging centers.

Nuclear medicine imaging uses very small amounts of radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose disease. These radiopharmaceuticals, which are given orally or through an IV, are detected by special types of cameras that work with computers to provide very precise pictures about the area of the body being imaged.

Bone density scanning, also called dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) or bone densitometry, is an enhanced form of X-ray technology that uses low-dose radiation to measure your child’s bone strength and to detect bone loss. DEXA is the established standard for measuring bone mineral density (BMD).

Interventional radiology (IR) is poised to improve patient care using minimally invasive imaging-guided techniques for diagnosis and treatment. At Wolfson Children’s, IR procedures are performed by the state's only dual-trained pediatric diagnostic and interventional radiologist. Because the treatments are image-guided, they can be very precise, greatly reducing the chance of damage to normal tissues, organs and skin.

Here’s how it works

An imaging technique — typically ultrasound, CT scan or fluoroscopy — is used to produce a real-time image that helps precisely guide procedures, such as:

• Inserting long IV lines, like PICCs, ports, dialysis catheters and central lines
• Draining an abscess in the abdomen or other areas
• Placing a feeding tube
• Performing a biopsy
• Treating vascular malformations and tumors, "(AVMs)" including venous malformations, lymphatic malformations, arteriovenous malformations and certain types of hemangiomas