“Is an MRI with contrast safe for kids?”
My son needed to have an MRI with contrast to diagnose his kidney stones, but I'm worried that this is going to have some type of negative side effect on him. He's not experiencing anything yet, and it's been a day. Is this type of scan safe, or am I overthinking it?
3 Answers
Usually very safe if kidney function is normal
MRI contrast is a salt solution of gadolinium. It is rare for a person to have an allergy, but this can happen. In addition, gadolinium is not safe in patients with a depressed creatinine clearance of less than 30. Creatinine clearance can be calculated based on blood work. Because of the powerful magnets involved, people with metal implants and most pacemakers should avoid the MR environment. Otherwise, MRI is perfectly safe. An MRI is an unusual way to evaluate kidney stones. Usually Ultrasound or CT is used.
Generally, a child’s medical condition is reviewed prior to administering contrast. Chronic renal failure and severe disability may cause reactions from contrast. There should be no side effects in your son’s case. The has been some concern about the contrast staying around for a long time, but definite causality of problems has not been established.
