Should i do an mri or ct scan for my child's headache?

It depends.: If your pediatrician thinks there could be a serious explanation for the headaches, they will make that decision. An MRI is better at finding abnormalities of the brain itself, such as a tumor. A CT is better for discovering bleeding or abnormalities of bony structures.

MRI: Mri is more expensive than CT scan, but research has recently suggested that infants and children who get CT scans of any type have an increased lifetime risk of getting cancer. A CT is quicker and cheaper, but may not give good enough information. The downside to an MRI is that infants and children may require sedation in order to get a good study.

Minimize radiation: If your insurance will cover it, i would do MRI in order to minimize the radiation.

Both have benefits: Hi, great question. Mri and ct often complement each other. Many times we need to get both of them to have a final answer or the best answer we can get. Bottom line MRI and ct each have benefits and risks. Each supplies us good information but the best way to determine which is the right one to start with is to do a thorough review of the history and physical exam. Then the doc should decide.

MRI scan: At a pediatric hospital they do sedation.