Questionnaire Survey of Pediatric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Examinations in Japan in 2022

Yoshihiko Kodama; Kazuhiro Shiraga; Naokazu Mizuno; Hiroaki Urabe; Nobuo Oyama; Keisuke Sato; Yoichi Iwamoto; Kanako Kishiki; Madoka Sawada; Hiroshi Ono; Akio Inage; Kenichi Kurosaki; Kenji Waki; Yuichi Ishikawa

doi:10.24509/jpccs.24-008

Questionnaire Survey of Pediatric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Examinations in Japan in 2022

Yoshihiko Kodama

¹，Kazuhiro Shiraga²，Naokazu Mizuno³，Hiroaki Urabe⁴，Nobuo Oyama⁵，Keisuke Sato⁶，Yoichi Iwamoto⁷，Kanako Kishiki⁸，Madoka Sawada⁹，Hiroshi Ono¹⁰，Akio Inage¹¹，Kenichi Kurosaki¹²，Kenji Waki¹³，Yuichi Ishikawa¹⁴Yoshihiko Kodama

¹, Kazuhiro Shiraga², Naokazu Mizuno³, Hiroaki Urabe⁴, Nobuo Oyama⁵, Keisuke Sato⁶, Yoichi Iwamoto⁷, Kanako Kishiki⁸, Madoka Sawada⁹, Hiroshi Ono¹⁰, Akio Inage¹¹, Kenichi Kurosaki¹², Kenji Waki¹³, Yuichi Ishikawa¹⁴

¹ Division of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki ◇ Miyazaki, Japan

² Department of Pediatrics, The University of Tokyo Hospital ◇ Tokyo, Japan

³ Department of Radiology, Sakakibara Heart Institute ◇ Tokyo, Japan

⁴ Department of Radiology, Fukuoka Children’s Hospital ◇ Fukuoka, Japan

⁵ Pediatric Heart Disease and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center, Showa University Hospital ◇ Tokyo, Japan

⁶ Department of Cardiology, Shizuoka Children’s Hospital ◇ Shizuoka, Japan

⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Saitama Medical Center ◇ Saitama, Japan

⁸ Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Sakakibara Heart Institute ◇ Tokyo, Japan

⁹ Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Hokkaido Medical Center for Child Health and Rehabilitation ◇ Hokkaido, Japan

¹⁰ Division of Pediatrics, National Center for Child Health and Development ◇ Tokyo, Japan

¹¹ Department of Pediatrics, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center ◇ Tokyo, Japan

¹² Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center ◇ Osaka, Japan

¹³ Department of Pediatrics, Kurashiki Central Hospital ◇ Okayama, Japan

¹⁴ Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka Children’s Hospital ◇ Fukuoka, Japan

受付日：2024年6月4日Received: June 4, 2024

受理日：2025年8月12日Accepted: August 12, 2025

発行日：2026年2月28日Published: February 28, 2026

Background: This study aimed to clarify current practice of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) investigation in children with congenital or acquired heart disease in Japan.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide survey by pediatric cardiologists. Questionnaires were sent to training institutions belonging to the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery through a website, asking the number of CMR examination according to age, disease categories, and sequence types of the examination, in patients who had undergone CMR in 2022.

Results: Among 143 institutions belonging to the society, 71 institutions responded. A total of 2,858 examinations were performed at 51 institutions. At 6 institutions, more than 100 examinations had been performed in 2022. Most common disease was tetralogy of Fallot seen in 869 patients (30%), followed by the Fontan circulation in 211 patients (7%). Age at CMR was below 1 year in 76, 1–9 years in 606, 10–18 years in 1055, and 19 years or over in 1,121patients. In the majority, examinations were performed in adolescent or young adults. Regarding sequences of image acquisition, the cine MR and the phase contrast imaging were used in 2,477 (87%) and 2,274 (80%), respectively. The examination time most frequently required was 30–60 minutes at 32 institutions (63%), and 60–90 minutes at 13 institutions (26%).

Conclusion: A total of 2,858 pediatric CMR examinations were reported at 51 centers in our survey. The results provided practical implication. Safety and efficacy of CMR is to be further evaluated in the pediatric population with heart disease.

Key words: cardiac magnetic resonance; pediatric cardiology; questionnaire survey

Journal of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Original ArticleOriginal Article

Questionnaire Survey of Pediatric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Examinations in Japan in 2022