Single-Centre Analysis of Common Intracranial Pathologies Among Emergency Patients Using Head CT

Abstract

Head Computed Tomography (CT) has become an essential diagnostic imaging tool in diagnosing intracranial pathologies. As CT scan is commonly associated with ionizing radiation, safety measures must be carefully utilized. CT scan requests should be well justified, and the intracranial findings must confirm the clinical diagnosis to avoid unnecessary brain CT that could lead to adverse patient effects. This study aims to evaluate the common intracranial pathologies and determine the significant relationship between clinical indications and CT findings among emergency department patients. A total of 177 radiological CT reports from the emergency department have been reviewed from October to December 2022. The variables recorded include age, gender, clinical indications, and radiological CT findings. SPSS was used for statistical analysis. A chi-square test (with α<0.05) was used. 177 brain CT reports were done on 61.0% of men and 39.0% of women with mean age of 61.28 ± 19.825 years. No significant abnormalities were reported in 55.4% of the studies. The most common abnormal finding was ischemic infarcts, 15.3%. There was no statistically significant relationship between CT findings and clinical indications. Most brain CT studies requested from the emergency department showed normal findings. Understanding the prevalence of common intracranial findings and their clinical correlations can improve patient management strategies.