AI in Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging: Transforming Safety, Quality, and Clinical Practice
Description
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping diagnostic imaging, with pediatric applications standing out as both uniquely challenging and uniquely impactful. Pediatric imaging is not simply a scaled-down version of adult imaging. For example, pediatric imaging faces distinctive challenges: children’s heightened radiosensitivity, variable physiology, and the frequent need for cooperation or sedation. These factors demand imaging approaches that are fundamentally different from adult practice. As a result, the integration of AI into pediatric imaging requires careful attention to validation, ethics, and clinical translation. The intention of this session is to bring together experts in pediatric radiology, physics, and regulatory science to highlight recent advances in AI across the full spectrum of pediatric diagnostic imaging—including CT, MRI, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine. Topics will include AI-driven dose reduction strategies in CT and nuclear medicine; automated motion correction and reconstruction in MRI; real-time decision support in fluoroscopy and ultrasound; workflow optimization to minimize sedation; and automated quantitative tools for pediatric growth, development, and disease monitoring. Attendees will learn how physicists can evaluate and implement AI tools in children’s hospitals and community practice settings, ensuring safe, equitable, and clinically meaningful use of these technologies. This session will provide practical strategies, case studies, and regulatory perspectives to equip participants for the next generation of pediatric imaging practice.