Webinar: Brain scanning children without anaesthesia can become a reality 

In Denmark and many other countries in Europe, children who must undergo a brain scan are almost always anaesthetized. However, with a more playful approach and the latest technology, you can avoid anaesthetizing children altogether. 

Melanie Ganz-Benjaminsen is a researcher at the University of Copenhagen and is working on a new project at Rigshospitalet with the latest technology in medical image analysis – it is about avoiding general anaesthetic on children under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.  

By avoiding anaesthesia you avert the possible side effects that anaesthesia has on the nervous system that is still in development in children. At the same time, scans of high quality are obtained.  

But why are children sedated during MRI exams at all?  

The reason is that many children are afraid of these exams due to the machine’s noises or because they must lie alone in some kind of tunnel and cannot see their parents.  

Further, it is necessary, especially in MRI exams but also in general, that children lie perfectly still during these examinations in order to get a sharp image. 

The new project’s goal is to take advantage of the latest advancement in imaging technology that also gives a playful and learning approach to children and treatment. In this way, children can be scanned without anaesthesia and at the same time obtain scans of sufficiently high quality. 

 

The webinar will take place Monday, April 26, 2021, from 17:00-18:00   

Sign up here.