MR enterography in children: Principles, technique, and clinical applications

MR enterography is a constantly advancing technique for assessment of bowel with newer technology and sequences. It is being increasingly used for the assessment of inflammatory bowel disease and has almost replaced barium follow through examinations in many institutions. Its lack of radiation makes it an attractive alternative for bowel evaluation in children. It has been proved to be highly sensitive in the detection of Crohn disease in adults and children. It is also superior to barium studies in showing extra-enteric findings and detecting complications such as fistulas and abscesses. Even though at present it is almost exclusively used for the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease, it has the potential to be used in other conditions affecting the bowel. The principles, MR enterography technique pertinent to children, and its utility in the assessment of Crohn disease in children are discussed in this review.