Invited Lecture Session 01: Normal Ranges and Standardized Protocols-What are normal reference ranges and standard CMR protocols for children? What every CMR imager should know

What are normal reference ranges and standard CMR protocols for children? What every CMR imager should know

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The talk focused on pediatric cardiac MRI reference values and protocols. True “normal values” are hard to define in children because they are still growing, so the speaker preferred the term reference values. For ventricular volumes and mass, several studies showed clear relationships with body surface area, age, and sometimes gender, especially after puberty. Ejection fraction stayed relatively constant during growth. By contrast, quantitative flow data in healthy children are very limited, and normal values for venous and arterial flows remain largely unknown. T1 mapping and other advanced quantitative methods are even less standardized, with small studies and high variability. The speaker also reviewed pediatric CMR protocols and emphasized well-established recommendations for imaging congenital heart disease, including ventricular volumetry, black-blood imaging, SSFP, flow measurements, MR angiography, perfusion, and late enhancement. Main takeaway: pediatric CMR is clinically valuable, but interpretation must account for growth, gender, and inter-institution variability.

Keywords

pediatric cardiac MRI

reference values

ventricular volumetry

flow measurements

congenital heart disease