What are the alternatives?
Alternative imaging methods are mainly ultrasound and MRI. However, both are more suitable for the examination of soft tissues such as organs and less for the assessment of bones. In very young children, however, much of the skeleton is not yet ossified and still consists of cartilage.
This means that ultrasound in particular can replace X-rays to a certain extent. During an MRI, the patient must lie completely still for at least a few minutes in order to obtain a suitable image. This is a problem for restless children. For this reason, X-ray examinations such as CT are often still performed with the lowest possible radiation dose.
