For referring doctors: finding sedation-free MRI programs for children

A short guide for pediatricians and other clinicians who order MRIs for children. It points to what programs say on their own pages. It is not clinical guidance. Whether a child can have an MRI without sedation is your clinical decision and the imaging team's.

Not medical advice. This page is general information from public sources. Your care team and the imaging center decide what is right for you or your child, and the facility's own rules come first. If something here does not match what your hospital tells you, follow the hospital and let us know.

Why look

Sedation or general anesthesia can help a child stay still and improve image quality. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021) The AAP notes that sedation also carries risks and adds time and cost, so the clinical team weighs these for each child. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021) The AAP says it is worthwhile for pediatricians to find out what techniques their local centers offer, because not every center has resources for imaging without sedation. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021)

How to find options

• Search the AwakeMRI directory by state. Each listing shows a program name, age notes, mock scanner, child life and video options, with a source link. Items that are not on an official page show "Not confirmed yet".
• Look for child life or "try without" programs. Child life specialists often prepare children for what to expect and help them cope. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021)
• Open and upright centers are on a separate page. They may not be pediatric-specific, so call to ask about children.
• For anxious patients, some centers have several scanner types and can use one that is less confining or more open. (Source: RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR): MRI Safety) Check each listing's bore type and magnet strength. Bore size and weight limits vary by scanner, so check each listing and ask the facility. (Source: RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR): Body MRI)

How to request the awake option: examples

Programs differ in how a child gets enrolled. A few examples, in their own words:

• Vanderbilt PAWS: families are told to ask their child's doctor to request the program when ordering the MRI. (Source: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital: PAWS program)
• Children's Hospital Colorado, MR-I Can Do It: when the child's doctor or specialist orders an MRI, they can enroll the child. (Source: Children's Hospital Colorado: MR-I Can Do It)
• UF Health Shands, Let's Try MRI: after the physician orders the MRI, a child life specialist calls the caregiver to decide whether the child is a candidate. (Source: UF Health Shands: Let’s Try MRI)
• Texas Children's: an order from the doctor is needed to make an appointment. (Source: Texas Children's Hospital: pediatric MRI)

What programs and the AAP say matters

Hospital criteria vary, so check the program page first. Things programs and the AAP say matter:

• How programs take the request. Vanderbilt tells families to ask the child's doctor to request the program when ordering the MRI. Colorado says the child's doctor or specialist can enroll the child when ordering the MRI. (Source: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital: PAWS program; Children's Hospital Colorado: MR-I Can Do It)
• Age and development. The AAP says typically developing children ages 7 and older may be considered candidates for scans without sedation, with success increasing with age. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021) Programs set their own minimums. For example, UF requires the patient to be at least 6. (Source: UF Health Shands: Let’s Try MRI) See the age notes on each listing. Programs and children vary; this is not a cutoff.
• Scan length and number of scans. UF requires a single scan under 60 minutes. (Source: UF Health Shands: Let’s Try MRI)
• Contrast and IV. The AAP lists whether a child can cooperate with IV placement as an additional consideration for studies ordered with contrast. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021)
• Anxiety, coping, past experiences, temperament and special needs. The AAP lists these as things to consider. (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021)
• When sedation may still be needed. A failed non-sedated scan, or a condition that makes lying flat or being in an enclosed space hard (for example anxiety, claustrophobia or pain). (Source: AAP News (American Academy of Pediatrics), 2021) A question to ask the program: is a sedated backup available if the awake attempt does not work?
• Implants and devices. RadiologyInfo.org asks that the device name and manufacturer be given to the MRI technologist before the exam. (Source: RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR): MRI Safety) The FDA says to assume any device with an unknown MRI safety status is MR Unsafe. (Source: FDA: MRI benefits and risks)

Families can fill out our printable screening checklist to bring to the appointment. It does not replace the facility's own screening.

Tell us if a listing is out of date

Program details change. If you know of an awake MRI program we are missing, or a listing is wrong, please send us a correction with a link to the official page.