European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) MRI guidelines for imaging patients with central nervous system tumours

Introduction: Standardisation of imaging acquisition is essential in facilitating multicentre studies related to childhood CNS tumours. It is important to ensure that the imaging protocol can be adopted by centres with varying imaging capabilities without compromising image quality.

Materials and method: An imaging protocol has been developed by the Brain Tumour Imaging Working Group of the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) based on consensus among its members, which consists of neuroradiologists, imaging scientists and paediatric neuro-oncologists. This protocol has been developed to facilitate SIOPE led studies and regularly reviewed by the imaging working group.

Results: The protocol consists of essential MRI sequences with imaging parameters for 1.5 and 3 Tesla MRI scanners and a set of optional sequences that can be used in appropriate clinical settings. The protocol also provides guidelines for early post-operative imaging and surveillance imaging. The complementary use of multimodal advanced MRI including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MR spectroscopy and perfusion imaging is encouraged, and optional guidance is provided in this publication.

Conclusion: The SIOPE brain tumour imaging protocol will enable consistent imaging across multiple centres involved in paediatric CNS tumour studies.