Fallacies of Routine CT Scan in Identifying Lesions in Severe Head Injury (Preliminary findings of an autopsy study)

Abstract

Though CT scan is a common and reliable tool for diagnosis in severe head injury, may a times there is no detectable lesion seen in the CT scan of a patient with severe head injury to explain the neurological status. Literature search did not reveal any study which has systematically analyzed the failures of CT scan in identifying traumatic lesions in a qualitative and quantitative manner. The present study is a preliminary attempt to correlate the CT scan and autopsy findings in patients of fatal head injury. The study highlights fallacies of CT scan in detecting lesions close to the bone, for instance, SDH, SAH, basal contusions. The linear fractures at the vault and the basal region are also likely to be missed in majority of the cases in routine CT scan. The study tries to suggest some modification in the technique of CT scan, which might pick up hitherto undiagnosed traumatic lesions in the brain.

Keywords

head trauma - head injury - diagnostic imaging - CT

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