Your Radiology Visit

Scheduling

  1. Your child’s health care provider must fax a radiology referral form to us to schedule an appointment.
  2. We will call you as soon as we receive the form from your child’s health care provider.
  3. One of our radiologists will review the form.
  4. We will call you to schedule an appointment. Weekend appointments are available.

If you have any questions, please contact our scheduling department at (650) 497-8376. We are available:

Monday-Friday: 7:30 am-9:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 7:30 am-4:00 pm

Preparing

If your child will require general anesthesia, one of our Radiology team members will call you two or three days before your child’s appointment. Otherwise, we will call the night before your child’s appointment. The staff member will:

  1. Confirm your child’s appointment
  2. Provide you with instructions
  3. Answer any questions you may have

If your child is having an MRI, please read this important information before your child’s MRI (PDF).

Things to Bring

Please bring the following items to your child’s appointment:

  1. Your child’s insurance card
  2. A valid form of photo identification for yourself
  3. A completed MRI prescreening form, if your child is having an MRI (PDF - MRI prescreening form in English / MRI prescreening form in Spanish)

We will also ask you to provide your child's legal name and date of birth.

Arrival Time

Please be sure to arrive on time for your child's appointment. This will help us provide the best care to your child and all of our patients.

  • If your child is scheduled to receive general anesthesia, please arrive 1 hour before your appointment.
  • If your child is NOT scheduled to receive general anesthesia, please arrive 45 minutes before your appointment.

Patient Comfort

Our kid-friendly environment and team of pediatric specialists will help your child complete a radiology examination as quickly and safely as possible.

MRI movies and music.
Your child can choose from our library of 400 film and music titles to enjoy during an MRI.

Child Life Specialists.
A Child Life Specialist can help your child understand and prepare for a radiology procedure. Our goal is to help your child complete his or her procedure while avoiding anesthesia, whenever possible. Your child can speak to a Child Life Specialist shortly before an MRI, CT or VCUG. The session will be appropriate to your child’s developmental level and needs.

If you think your child would benefit from additional preparation a few days before a procedure, you or your child’s referring health care provider can request a Child Life Specialist when your child’s appointment is scheduled.

Anesthesia.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford pediatric anesthesiologists provide a full range of services from sedation to general anesthesia. The anesthesiologist will come to meet you and your child before the examination and will stay with your child throughout the examination. You can stay with your child until the anesthesia takes effect. Your child will meet you in our Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) once his/her examination is done.

Examinations that do not require anesthesia.
If your child does not require anesthesia, you will be able to stay with your child throughout the examination.

Contact Us

Please contact our direct scheduling line at (650) 497-8376 if you have questions regarding scheduling or exam preparation, or have a general inquiry.