Head trauma: CT scan interpretation by radiology residents versus staff radiologists.

Abstract

A low discrepancy rate was found between interpretations made by radiology residents and those made by staff neuroradiologists of posttraumatic cranial CT scans. There were no adverse clinical outcomes.

Trainee Misinterpretations on Pediatric Neuroimaging Studies: Classification, Imaging Analysis, and Outcome Assessment

“…This finding is not intuitive, because error rates would be expected to decrease with more experience. Similar traineelevel patterns of discrepancies have been described by other researchers with body CT (major discrepancies) 16 and head CT 5 interpretations. Because of the small number of cases read by residents in this study, bias from sampling error cannot be discounted as a cause.…”

“…The overall trainee discrepancy rates described in studies primarily evaluating adult patients have ranged from 2% to 8% (most commonly 3%-5%). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Most of the discrepancies in our study, as in previous reports, were classified as minor.…”

“…Missed fractures were also common in some of the studies of adult patients. 1,5 ICH was the second most common source of discrepancies, occurring in 23 cases and making up 16% of all trainee misinterpretations. Other common misinterpreted findings included focal brain parenchymal abnormalities and misinterpretations of ventricular size.…”

“…This low rate of major discrepancies is similar to that in previous studies evaluating trainee misinterpretations. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The most common cause of major discrepancies The attending radiologist thought the finding was artifacts, marking this as a discrepancy. The patient was monitored clinically for 24 hours in the hospital with no concerning symptoms and was discharged without a repeat head CT.…”

“…Although rendering preliminary reports is currently an integral part of imaging training, discrepancies can occur and potentially impact patient care. There have been a number of studies that have evaluated the discrepancy rates of radiology trainee interpretations of adult neuroimaging studies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] ; however, to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated this process related specifically to the unique neuroimaging issues encountered in children. Age-related changes in imaging appearance, different disease spectra, and limited exposure to pediatric neuroimaging by radiology trainees can produce additional and unique challenges to accurate interpretation.…”