ADVANCES IN PEDIATRIC NEUROIMAGING

Magnetic resonance evaluation of the pediatric central nervous system is rapidly improving in a number of ways: (1) anatomically with higher resolution; (2) with greater sensitivity to pathological processes ch aracterized by increased water content utilizing fluid attenuated inve rsion recovery imaging (FLAIR); (3) with greater speed of acquisition with ultrafast (1 s/image) and echo planar imaging techniques (50 ms/i mage); (4) with measurement of cerebral blood flow as perfusion; (5) w ith measurement of water proton dispersion (e.g. diffusion imaging); ( 6) with measurement of biochemical components within tissues with prot on spectroscopy; and (7) with evaluation of cortical activation with f unctional magnetic resonance imaging. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.