the pediatric difference

In medical imaging, one size does not fit all. Dayton Children’s is a strong advocate for safe and low dose imaging for children. When possible, Dayton Children’s will use non radiation producing imaging tools to assess a patient’s condition, like ultrasound or MRI.

Sedation specialists are available for patients requiring sedation. Child life specialists specifically trained in distraction techniques are also available.

Image Gently pledge

We are strong advocates for safe and low dose imaging. In order to ensure safe imaging of our patients, Dayton Children’s:

• Requires all radiologists to be board certified in pediatrics
• Uses child-size radiation doses and follows American College of Radiology’s “Image Gently” guidelines
• Works together with a child’s physician to ensure the correct procedure to minimize radiation. We may suggest an alternate way to image the child first without radiation if possible.
• Scans only the indicated area
• Reviews each order before scanning and assigning a specific protocol for the scan
• Uses shielding when it does not interfere with the area that we are imaging
• Routinely reviews our CT dose techniques to be sure we are using the smallest amount of radiation possible

child life

For a kid, coming to the hospital can be very scary. There are new people, new machines and many new sounds. But at Dayton Children's we work hard to make sure everything is "just right for kids." This means we have people working around the clock to ensure your child not only feels safe at the hospital, but that they can focus on their most important job... being a kid!

Our child life specialists focus on the emotional support and developmental needs of Dayton Children's patients and families. As part of a patient's healthcare team, child life specialists help a patient cope with illness, injury, treatment and procedures. The child life staff uses play, preparation, education and self-expression activities to help children understand why they are receiving medical care. Learn more about our child life specialists. 

STAR program

At Dayton Children’s we try and avoid using sedation as having sedation always comes with risks. To help our patients complete their MRI without the need for sedation, our medical imaging and child life departments collaborated to create the STAR program, soaring towards anxiety reduction. Learn more about how our child life specialists help your child avoid a sedated MRI. 

3T MRI

Dayton Children’s offers 3T MRI. This scanner is the region’s first 3T MRI scanner to be implemented.  An MRI is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body's organs and structures.

The “T” in 3T MRI stands for “Tesla” which refers to the strength of the magnet used to produce the diagnostic images. With the 3T MRI, radiologists are able to produce images with twice the quality and clarity as the current scanner. This level of clarity can help to find subtle abnormalities that a 1.5T scanner is unable to detect.

This technology allows our experts to localize areas of brain activity by asking a patient to perform a certain tasks (such as tapping a finger, looking at pictures, or listening to sounds). The scanner can detect minute changes in the blood oxygen level in the areas of the brain activated by the task. This technology is not only great for the children in the region but also for scientists and researchers in the Dayton area working to understand the causes of brain diseases and implementing state of the art procedures for improving cognitive performance.