CHOC Children’s Specialists pediatric radiologists provide the only specialized pediatric imaging services in the region. CHOC Children’s uses cutting-edge technologies to obtain the highest quality image, while at the same time reducing the patient’s exposure to radiation. This is especially important for children whose conditions require repeated studies over the years.
Our expert physicians and staff are dedicated to using the lowest dose of radiation necessary, without sacrificing the quality of images required for quick and accurate diagnoses. Many children are imaged in adult facilities where radiation doses can be up to 50 percent higher than at CHOC.
We are accredited by the American College of Radiology and follow the guidelines of the Image Gently® campaign, so you can rest assured that your child will receive the safest radiology services available.
The CHOC Children’s Radiology Department is one of only a handful of hospital radiology departments in the country to offer a child life specialist. Child life specialists have been shown to decrease the amount of sedation necessary for children undergoing imaging tests. From the imaging suites to our family lobby, the Imaging Department has been designed to be a calm and inviting unit for children of all ages—from infants to teens and young adults. The unit features a number of private areas that allow child life specialists, caregivers and doctors the opportunity to interact with patients as need before or after an exam. CHOC Children’s offers patients special goggles to use during MRI scans. These video goggles allow the patient to watch their favorite movie or television show while undergoing their MRI scan and have been proven to reduce the number of patients needing sedation for MRI procedures.
Services and State-of-the-art Equipment
- 3T and 1.5T MRI
- CT, X-ray, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, MRI, nuclear medicine
- 3D modeling for cardiac, orthopaedic and brain imaging
- Only hospital in Orange County that does pediatric brain mapping using functional MRI (fMRI) and offers pediatric nuclear medicine services
- 50 percent lower CT radiation dose than many community facilities. For example, American College of Radiology recommends a dose of no more than 50 CTDI for pediatric heads, and CHOC is averaging 8-15 CTDI for pediatric heads
- 90 percent radiation reduction on fluoroscopic procedures by using pulse dose technique and image capture, compared to the more commonly used continuous fluoroscopy and full image acquisition
- Techs on site 24/7
- Board-certified pediatric radiologists and specially trained pediatric radiology technologists, nurses and child life specialists
- Distraction techniques, toys and devices, such as iPads and MRI movie goggles, are used for patient’s comfort
- ACR accredited – MRI, CT and ultrasound (pediatric accreditation)
- CT Scans entire body in less than 5 seconds, drastically reducing the need for anesthesia and repeat scans due to motion