Unexpected findings on brain and spine imaging in children.

In the office practice of pediatrics, the clinical threshold for order-ing imaging studies of the brain and spine has fallen in recent years, and requests have multiplied for consultation .o assess the meaning of unexpected imaging findings. Familiarity with the most common entities that precipitate such requests allows the pediatrician to allay parental anxieties with informed preliminary counseling and to set appropriate priorities for subsequent referrals and investigations.