MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children's Hospital provides comprehensive pediatric radiology and diagnostic imaging services in a safe, kid-friendly environment.
Specialized imaging services just for kids
Some diagnostic imaging procedures can be scary for young patients. Our compassionate and experienced team is specially trained to help kids overcome any fears or anxiety. We produce highly-accurate results using advanced diagnostic imaging technology that has been tailored to children’s developing bodies.
Program Highlights
- We offer Maine's largest and most comprehensive team of board-certified, fellowship trained pediatric diagnostic imaging specialists
- Caring nurses and technologists with years of pediatric experience to ensure high-quality care
- The expertise to carefully tailor imaging tests to the special needs of children, minimizing radiation exposure as much as possible
- Open communication with parents and referring providers
- A team of pediatric radiologists actively involved in teaching and clinical research keeping them on the leading edge of their field – ensuring that your child benefits from the most current knowledge and the latest diagnostic imaging advances
Conditions and Services
Pediatric radiologists are involved in diagnosing the full range of illnesses and injuries affecting children, such as disorders of the abdomen, chest, head, extremities and spine, including congenital or genetic abnormalities.
Imaging procedures can rule out diseases, diagnose conditions and help your child’s doctor make the most effective treatment decisions. Your child’s doctor and the pediatric radiologists can determine which method or combination of methods will be most appropriate and effective. We perform imaging for pre-surgical planning as well as image-guided biopsies and other procedures. Services include:
- X-ray — Takes images of bones, lungs and some other organs
- Computerized tomography (CT) — Uses x-rays from different directions to create 2-D and 3-D images of internal organs such as lungs, liver and kidneys
- Fluoroscopy — Uses short pulses of radiation to produce a moving picture of a body system such as the gastrointestinal or urinary tract
- Ultrasound — Uses sound waves to create images of internal organs
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — Uses magnetic and radio waves to produce clear pictures of soft tissue such as the brain and other organs
- Nuclear medicine — Uses radioactive isotopes to see how an organ is functioning or determine the extent of a tumor
- Positron emission tomography (PET) — A nuclear medicine procedure that enables evaluation of the metabolic activity of various organs and tumors