Objective To investigate the situation of MRI examination in children in outpatient and inpatient departments of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital from 2010 to 2012, so as to provide favourable basis for the choice of imaging examination in children. Methods The materials of electronic reports of MRI examination in paediatric inpatient and outpatient departments from 2010 to 2012 were collected, categorized, and analyzed. Results a) 2 148 children underwent MRI examination in the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital from 2010 to 2012. The total number of patients increased with year. Boys were more than girls. The positive incidence was slightly decreased. The number of outpatients was more than inpatients, but the positive incidence was lower in outpatients. b) The total numbers of examination position were increased with year and the number of single position examination was the most (accounted for than 85% of the total numbers). The main examination positions included: head, MRA of the head, cervical column, knees, lumbar column, pituitary gland, thoracic column, and abdomen. The examination positions diversified gradually. The application of examination technique also increased gradually. c) The systemic disease spectrum of positive cases in MRI examination included 9 categories, which accounted for 42.86% of ICD-10. The nervous systematic disease, muscle, skeleton and connective tissue disease were the categories. The major disease types were stable during the recent 3 years. The increase was obvious in injuries of the knees, malacosis and atrophy of the brain, the deformity of the brain. Conclusion The total numbers of the patients and positions examined increased gradually with year in the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital from 2010 to 2012. The applications of MRI in the head, limbs and joints, and soft tissues were more extensive. Children diagnosed as positive results had diseases of the central nervous system, limbs and joints, and connective tissue disease.