Magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric epilepsy patients: two different protocols

Abstract

Aim The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a crucial position in the diagnostic routine of epilepsy patients. The aim of this study is to demonstrate, in pediatric epilepsy patients, the greater effectiveness of the HARNESS-MRI Protocol compared to the Standard 3 mm-MRI Protocol, in terms of acquisition times. Materials and methods In this study, 30 pediatric patients (17 males and 13 females) with clinical suspicion of epilepsy who underwent MRI (Achieva Philips 1.5 T) at the University Clinics of Sassari in the years 2021–2023 were evaluated. The duration of both MRI protocols was analyzed, and they were composed of specific MRI sequences characterized by three-dimensional (3D) volumetric and isotropic voxels, using the 1.5/3 Tesla (T) MRI scanners. If present, the epileptogenic focus has been highlighted. Results The statistical analysis demonstrates a different time and standard deviation (sd) between the two study protocols: 36.93 ± 16.46 sd for “Standard 3 mm-MRI Protocol” and 29.93 ± 10.41 sd for the “HARNESS-MRI Protocol”. This analysis showed a difference between the acquisition times of 7 min in favor of the HARNESS-MRI Protocol, with the same diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion The HARNESS-MRI Protocol would guarantee a greater patient comfort and the possibility of performing more MRI with reduced healthcare costs. Furthermore, the routine use of the same protocol and MRI sequences could guarantee better standardization and homogeneity of diagnostic procedures and the follow-up of epilepsy pediatric patients.