If anyone can make an MRI less scary for kids, it’s Mickey Mouse. While the technology is considered one of the safest ways to get a look inside the body, that doesn’t mean that sitting still in a strange, loud, and cramped space isn’t overwhelming, especially for children. That’s where Mickey and some of his friends come in. The Walt Disney Company teamed up with Royal Philips on a new initiative to bring beloved animated characters and stories right into pediatric MRI machines. The state-of-the-art scanners use lighting, imagery, and sounds to make the medical procedures feel more like “soothing adventures.” Pediatric patients can pick their favorite princesses, Marvel superheroes, or Star Wars characters, as well as colors and themes. For children ages 6–10, post-scan pediatric patient stress levels were reduced by 43%, while pauses during scans dropped by 63%, signaling that the kid-friendly MRI is a major success.
