Diagnostic Imaging for Children

Hasbro Children’s Hospital is helping to make diagnostic imaging more comfortable and less stressful for infants, children and their families. When parents and patients walk through the doors of the Center for Pediatric Imaging, which opens in September, they’ll enter an underwater world. Tranquil shades of blue and green and images of the ocean help put patients’ minds at ease, and three dolphins decorate the floor of the lobby, which features child- and teen-size activity tables. 

The Center for Pediatric Imaging, like Hasbro Children’s Hospital, is unique in Rhode Island, in that it is designed for children and staffed by pediatric specialists. A full-service diagnostic imaging suite, the Center for Pediatric Imaging at Hasbro Children’s Hospital is staffed by  the only board certified, fellowship trained pediatric radiologists and imaging technicians in the area; they perform and interpret pediatric imaging tests and diagnose conditions unique to children. The new spacious facility will allow patients to be seen faster than before and is designed to meet the growing needs for pediatric imaging in southeastern New England.

Michael Wallach, MD, director of the division of pediatric radiology at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, says that the center has been created to make children feel more comfortable and safe in a low stress environment.

To acquire clear, precise images, patients must be still during imaging procedures. Since it’s not always easy for children to stay still, especially when they’re anxious or afraid, the center’s pediatric sedation program offers an appropriate level of sedation to relax children who may not otherwise be able to remain motionless for the duration of the imaging procedure.

The center will be the only facility in the state to provide imaging services for newborns, and will also offer prenatal MRIs to pregnant women.

Each imaging service, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, computed radiography and digital fluoroscopy, is offered in a private room. The MRI scanner in the Center for Pediatric Imaging is a short bore scanner, which means the scanner’s “tunnel” is shorter and wider than traditional scanners, preventing young patients from feeling confined. To further ease anxiety, children may have a family member with them during their MRI exam.

The center’s radiologists are members of the multidisciplinary team at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and work closely with the hospital’s specialists and sub-specialists, including pediatric surgeons, orthopedists, urologists, hematologists, oncologists and gastroenterologists. This collaboration ensures that each patient diagnosed at the Center for Pediatric Imaging is promptly referred to the appropriate physician for care.

Wallach is excited about the opportunity to have all pediatric imaging coordination in one location, allowing the most efficient and effective care for children.

If you have questions about the Center for Pediatric Imaging at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, please call 401-444-6883. For more information on pediatric diagnostic imaging, please visit our website.

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