PALO ALTO, Calif-- Children at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford will have quicker access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) procedures just for kids when the hospital opens its new $7.5 million imaging suite this summer.

More than that, the new facility will serve as the foundation of a major research effort at the hospital and university, and it will play a role in Web-based continuing education for physicians and radiology technologists.

Construction of the new 5,300-square-foot MRI/CT suite at the hospital began this week. As the first MRI facility in Northern California dedicated to children, the suite will reduce the current weeks-long waiting time while providing state-of-the-art imaging capabilities. The suite includes a sedation and anesthesia area, which was designed in conjunction with the hospital's division of pediatric anesthesia. Unlike adults, most children under the age of 10 must be sedated prior to MRI or CT procedures.

"The number of children needing MRI studies has doubled in the past few years," said Richard Barth, M.D., director of pediatric radiology at Packard Children's Hospital and associate chair for clinical affairs in radiology at Stanford University. "The new facility will assure improved access to the most advanced MRI and CT imaging techniques in an environment dedicated to the care of children. At the same time, research focused on childhood diseases will be advanced by collaboration between clinical and research faculty."

"We are planning to build a database on the normal development of the pediatric central nervous system, using advanced techniques that allow us to visualize the intricate structures of the brain and spinal cord and to observe their physiology, chemistry and metabolism as they function," said Pat Barnes, M.D., pediatric neuroradiologist at Packard and clinical associate professor of radiology at Stanford.

"These data will enable us to develop standards of normal development and provide the controls needed to evaluate children with neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy, birth defects, cancer and neuro-behavioral disorders," Dr. Barnes continued.

Dr. Barnes is currently creating a task force comprising clinicians and scientists from all of the neurosciences departments at the medical school and university "to guide development of clinical services, research and professional education in pediatric neurological imaging."

Packard's radiology department is building a base of advanced digital technology for storage and distribution of images throughout the hospital. This project uses advanced technology to overcome one of radiology's longest-standing limitations.

"The difficulty with film is that it can only be at one place at any given time," Dr. Barth said. "Digital storage will make images available to multiple users at the same time, throughout the hospital and the university. Moreover, CT and MRI images can be transferred to the department's dedicated 3-D imaging lab for advanced processing and conversion into 3-D images, which enhances diagnosis."

Packard's radiology department recently converted all X-ray imaging to computed radiography, a digital technology that replaced old-fashioned film. The digital images are integrated into a picture, archiving and communication (PACS) information management system that transfers them from the imaging device to a storage area and then to computer workstations.

The next step in "Destination Digital," which is being implemented by GE Medical Systems for Packard and the adjacent Stanford University Hospital, will be full integration of the departments into the PACS system. Web-based access for clinical and research purposes throughout the university will follow close behind. After that, access by outside users, such as referring physicians or researchers at other universities, will be offered.

"Patient privacy is an important issue to address before distributing images on the Internet. We're awaiting guidelines from the federal government," Dr. Barth said. "Once we fully address this issue, we're planning to use Web-based image distribution to enhance patient care and further our commitment to educating physicians and technologists anywhere in the world."

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Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is a 240-bed hospital devoted entirely to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric medical and surgical services associated with Stanford University Medical Center, Packard offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health care programs and services - from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury.