Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Aug;35(4):525-535.
doi: 10.1007/s00540-021-02946-4. Epub 2021 May 18.

Effects of dexmedetomidine sedation for magnetic resonance imaging in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ji Yoon Kim  1 , Kyu Nam Kim  2 , Dong Won Kim  1 , Hyun Jin Lim  1 , Bong Soo Lee  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of dexmedetomidine sedation for magnetic resonance imaging in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ji Yoon Kim et al. J Anesth. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Pediatric sedation is commonly required to obtain high-quality images in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of dexmedetomidine sedation for MRI in children.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to find all randomized controlled trials concerning dexmedetomidine sedation for MRI in children. We searched databases using the Ovid platform in the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. This study was registered in the PROSPERO database: CRD42020198368.

Results: Seven studies and 753 participants were included. Dexmedetomidine sedation showed a significantly delayed onset time [weighted mean differences (WMD) = 8.13 min, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.64 to 11.63, I2 = 98%] and recovery time (WMD = 5.22 min, 95% CI 0.35 to 10.09, I2 = 92%) compared to propofol, ketamine, and midazolam sedation. There was no difference in quality of sedation [risk ratio (RR) = 1.25, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.69, I2 = 89%], or incidence of sedation failure (RR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.53 to 3.66, I2 = 83%) between groups. Although a significantly decreased heart rate (WMD = - 17.34 beats/minute, 95% CI - 22.42 to - 12.26, I2 = 96%) was observed, bradycardia that required treatment was not increased (RR = 8.00, 95% CI 1.02 to 62.64, I2 = 0%). Dexmedetomidine sedation had a lower incidence of desaturation events (RR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.86, I2 = 4%). However, there was no difference in incidence of postoperative vomiting (RR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.17, I2 = 17%) between groups.

Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine sedation provided a similar sedation quality with a reduced incidence of desaturation events. However, the delayed onset and recovery times were drawbacks. The clinical significance of bradycardia is considered to be low. GRADE assessment revealed the quality of the evidence in this meta-analysis ranged from very low to moderate.

Keywords: Child; Dexmedetomidine; Hypnotics and sedatives; Magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Schulte-Uentrop L, Goepfert MS. Anaesthesia or sedation for MRI in children. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2010;23(4):513–7. - DOI
    1. Ahmad R, Hu HH, Krishnamurthy R, Krishnamurthy R. Reducing sedation for pediatric body MRI using accelerated and abbreviated imaging protocols. Pediatr Radiol. 2018;48(1):37–49. - DOI
    1. Hallowell LM, Stewart SE, de Amorim ESCT, Ditchfield MR. Reviewing the process of preparing children for MRI. Pediatr Radiol. 2008;38(3):271–9. - DOI
    1. Arthurs OJ, Sury M. Anaesthesia or sedation for paediatric MRI: advantages and disadvantages. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2013;26(4):489–94. - DOI
    1. Hall JE, Uhrich TD, Barney JA, Arain SR, Ebert TJ. Sedative, amnestic, and analgesic properties of small-dose dexmedetomidine infusions. Anesth Analg. 2000;90(3):699–705. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources