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Minor cranial traumas without surgical emergency account for about 4% of admissions to our Neurological Service. We consider here 226 consecutive cases. Investigations include: clinical examination, skull X-rays, CSF, EEG, CT, isotopic cisternography. The aim of this study is to define the clinical characteristics of patients with minor head trauma and the priority of instrumental investigations. Correlation between clinical and laboratory findings suggests that: X-ray examination is not predictive of CSF hemorrhage or brain contusion; the CSF is bloody in 1/3 of asymptomatic cases and in 1/6 of cases without fracture; the EEG shows indirect signs of brain contusion even in cases without CT evidence; small subdural hematomas are best diagnosed by CT scan.

20 cases of chronic alcoholism with neurologic syndromes were studied by means of both isotopic cisternography and brain CT scan. In 11 cases (55%) there was total reversal of CSF circulation and in a further 4 cases there was a mixed cisternographic pattern. Brain CT scan showed either cortical or subcortical atrophy or both. The magnitude of these findings seems peculiar to chronic alcoholism. Reduction of atrophy in serial CT scan is possible.