Cranial computed tomography scan findings in acute head injury

Abstract

Results: The age of the studied patients ranged from 2 to 67 years with a mean± SD of 29.23±15.1 with males dominating the sample (78.6%).Road traffic accident was the main cause of injury (65.7%).The most common indication for requesting a CT scan was an altered level of consciousness and vomiting. Intracranial CT scan findings related to head injury were seen in 82% of victims of which fractures (50%) and intracranial hematomas (45.2%) were the main findings followed by combined injuries(31.8) and soft tissue injuries (31.6%).Incidental intracranial findings not related to trauma were seen in 6.2% of cases. Conclusion: In patients with acute head injury, CT scan can be used as the initial imaging investigation as it can yield various types of head injuries and their consequences related to trauma.

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“…In this study, both normal and abnormal CT outcomes were noted with male preponderance. This finding is in consonance with existing literatures also observing the same outcomes (Adogu et al, 2015;Akanji et al, 2015;Jamal, 2018;Onwuchekwa and Alazigha, 2017).…”

“…Linear (16.67%) and depressed (12.50%) were the specified fracture types frequently documented although the highest percentage was reported unspecified (50%). An Iraqi (Jamal, 2018) and Nigerian (Yusuf et al, 2014) studies recorded similar findings, but Tandle and Keoliya (2011) contrary observed depressed fracture as the least common fracture in their research. Apart from the above injuries, patient in our study sustained other injuries in highest frequencies, i.e.…”

“…Aetiology of THI includes road traffic accident (RTA), falls, sports and assault among others. An individual with head trauma may experience one or a combination of the following injury outcomes; scalp abnormalities, intracranial bleedings, skull fractures and other secondary sequelae (Adogu et al, 2015;Jamal, 2018;Uduma et al, 2015).…”

“…Among others, the advantage of CT scan include its sensitivity to detect bone injuries, acute haemorrhage, secondary comorbidities (i.e. mass effect, brain oedema, hydrocephalus, midline sift, pneumocephalus), widespread availability, fast scanning, and compatibility with most resuscitative medical devices (Jamal, 2018). Nonetheless, the usage of CT involves ionising radiation, and could also be expensive as in some settings especially in LMICs patient's access to the service is by out-of-pocket payment (Asare et al, 2019).…”