Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Acute Appendicitis

Pediatric appendicitis is one of the most common emergencies presenting in the emergency department. Ultrasonography is a reliable, cost-efficient, and reproducible imaging choice; however, it is highly dependent upon sonographer expertise, body habitus, and underlying bowel gas. When considering imaging using the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle and the increased availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the focus has shifted to using MRI as an alternative to computed tomography to diagnose pediatric appendicitis. There are a growing number of studies, highlighting the use of MRI for diagnosing pediatric appendicitis. This article will provide an overview of MRI technique and a discussion of the available literature on the utility of MRI in the diagnosis of appendicitis.