After Your Child's Visit

Reminders and What to Expect After the Test

• Delays in our department are common, but we try to stick to appointment times and keep families updated regarding delays.
• If sedation is used for the exam, the patient is monitored in the recovery area after the MRI according to medication and policy.  Patients are often given a drink and snack during this recovery, and a regular diet can resume after discharge. Grogginess often lingers even after discharge, so regular activities should resume the following day with relative relaxation for the rest of the exam day. A patient’s family typically can join the patient during recovery, but space is limited, and this is at the discretion of the radiology nursing staff. Some children wake from sedation very agitated, and although adverse reactions to our sedation are uncommon, our nursing staff is trained to help patients through this transition.
• If residual side effects of sedation are experienced for more than 24 hours after the exam, or if there are changes in the patient that are concerning to the patient’s family, we advise families to call their own physician, call our department, or present to our emergency department, depending on the nature of the concern. The family will receive a call the next day.
• Images are reviewed by a pediatric radiologist after the exam with results being reported and sent to referrers usually within 48 hours. Urgent findings will lead to immediate contact with referring physicians. Families are instructed to call the referring physician for results.
• Special requests relating to the patient, the exam itself, the sedation, or the preparation for the exam are best addressed in advance.