Pattern of CT Findings in Head Injuries: A Sub-urban Tertiary Hospital Experience

Abstract

Head injury is a major public health issue in this environment and accounts for the high mortality from Road traffic injuries (RTI). Plain radiography is seriously limited in diagnosis. With the advent of Computerized Tomographic (CT) machine, diagnosis has become easier and more specific, with early referrals, quicker intervention, and consequent reduction in mortality. To evaluate the pattern of CT diagnoses and their link with clinical indications in patients with Road traffic Injuries. Fifty Eight patients referred to the Radiology department for Computerized axial Tomography following a road traffIC injury with a suspicion of head injury were studied. A retrospective review of the CT request cards, film reports and case notes (where available) were carried out. The mean age of patients was 34.8 ± 19.3 yrs, and male: female ratio was 4.2:1. The most frequent clinical indication was RTL The most frequent CT finding was intracranial heamorrhage occurring in temporal, parietal, frontal and occipital bone in a descending order. Temporal bone fracture occurred more frequently. Although frequency of linear fractures was more in the study, depressed skull and multiple fractures were seen in significant number. The study confirmed the usefulness of CT in head injury especially as filter mechanism for quick and efficient transfer to other centre with Neurosurgeons in situations in which surgical intervention may be life-saving. It also established the usefulness of CT in identifying the site and type of fractures occurring in the bones of the skull

Keywords: Head injury, Computerized Tomography, Trauma.