Animated Video Intervention Enhances Image Quality and Compliance in Pediatric Cranial MRI

Objective: Pediatric MRI examinations face numerous challenges due to anxiety and motion artifacts. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an animated video intervention in improving cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination outcomes among pediatric patients aged 2 ~ 11 years. Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 207 outpatient children scheduled for cranial MRI at Ganzhou People’s Hospital, China, from January 2022 to January 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=102, watching preferred animated videos during scans) or the control group (n=105, standard procedures). Primary outcome was image quality (three-tier ordinal scale: high, moderate, low). Secondary outcomes were participants’ compliance (four-level scale: Liked to Fearful), number of repeated scans, and examination success status (five categories: Highly Successful to Unsuccessful). Multivariate ordinal logistic regression and binary logistic regression were used to assess intervention effects. Results: The intervention group achieved significantly improved image quality (aOR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.63, p <0.001), higher compliance (aOR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.35, p <0.001), fewer repeated scans (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.66, p <0.001), and greater examination success (aOR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.36, p < 0.001) than the control group. Sensitivity analysis excluding incomplete examinations confirmed these findings. Subgroup analysis revealed stronger benefits in boys and children under 7 years, with less consistent effects in older children. Conclusion: Animated video assistance is an effective non-pharmacological strategy to enhance pediatric MRI outcomes, particularly for younger children and boys.