An Epidemiological Study on Paediatric Brain MRIs with a Focus on Contextual Reporting

Abstract

Objectives: Paediatric neuroradiology is one of the most challenging areas in the wide gamut of disciplines that modern radiology encompasses. There is a paucity of literature on the epidemiology of paediatric neuroimaging and contextual reporting in this field. The objectives of this study were to study the epidemiology of the paediatric neurological disorders and to study the role of contextual reporting in this field. Materials and methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in Southwestern India over 1 year. It was a retrospective epidemiological study. The authors studied 112 patients referred as in- or outpatients for a brain MRI for a wide range of indications. The authors analysed the reports issued by their radiologists and reformatted them into a newly proposed contextual reporting template for the paediatric brain. Then, the authors conducted an epidemiological analysis of the compiled data. Results: The authors found that the most common indication for paediatric neuroimaging was seizures or seizure-like episodes, followed by developmental delay. The most common abnormality on imaging was sequelae to hypoxic or hypoglycaemic insult followed by brain atrophy. The authors found a wide range of other abnormalities illustrating the wide spectrum of paediatric neuroradiology. Conclusion: The authors’ study fills a gap in current literature regarding the epidemiology of conditions encountered in paediatric neuroradiology. The authors also propose a novel reporting format for contextual reporting in this field, which may help in reducing errors in reporting and reduce reporting time.