title: Whole-body MRI in children: Would a 3D STIR sequence alone be sufficient for investigating common paediatric conditions? A comparative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the performance of a single 3D IR T2-Weighted sequence compared to a Whole-body MRI protocol including DWI, T1-Weighted and STIR 3D IR (3S) in a pediatric population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two radiologists (15 and 30 years of experience),reviewed WBMRIs: first the STIR alone and 2 weeks later the 3S protocol. The indications were variable. Only positive findings were explicitly reported. A third reader compared the results to gold standard (GS) exams specific for the pathology. Agreement between the two readers, sensitivity and positive predictive value of STIR were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  fifty-four WBMRIs were included (16 suspected child abuse, 8 chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), 11 lymphomas, 4 osteosarcomas, 9 neuroblastomas, 6 histiocytosis). The mean age was 6 years 10 months, range: 1 month to 15 years. Agreement between readers was of 0.87 [0.82-0.91] for 3D STIR, and 0.89 [0.83-0.93] for the 3S protocol. For reader 1 sensitivity of 3D STIR was 81.6% and of 3S 81.0%. For reader 2 it was 74.1% for 3D STIR and 74.7% for 3S. For both readers and for both protocols, the positive predictive value (PPV) depended on the type of disease (for example 100% histocytosis and osteosarcomas, >90% for child abuse, >85% CRMO but <70% for lymphoma and neuroblastoma).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sensitivities were not different between the 2 protocols, for each reader and were different between the 2 readers for each protocol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Unit of Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: laura.merlini@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Merlini
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University Hospital, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Unit of Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Solène
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Unit of Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mehrak
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anooshiravani
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pierre-Alexandre
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Poletti
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Unit of Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sylviane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanquinet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*
keywords: 3D short tau inversion-recovery sequence; Accuracy; Children; Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging