Turkish Neurosurgery 2011 , Vol 21 , Num 4
Early and Delayed Ct Findings in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Head Trauma
Sedat DALBAYRAK1, Sevtap GUMUSTAS2, Ahmet BAL1, Gur AKANSEL2
1Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Research and Training Hospital, First Neurosurgery Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey
2Kocaeli University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Kocaeli, Turkey
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN .3570-10.2 AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes between the initial and late cranial CT scans in patients with mild-to-moderate head trauma.

MATERIAL and METHODS: Of the two thousand six hundred and forty-four patients hospitalized for head trauma within a two-year period, 112 (4.24%) patients scored 8 or above in the Glasgow coma scale and there were changes between initial and late head CT.

RESULTS: Of these, 103 had worsening CT findings. Neurological status deteriorated in 30% of these cases. Forty-six patients required surgery based on findings seen on the delayed scans. Neurological status was stable in 50% of the cases. All the eight patients who expired had abnormal CT scans initially and had progression in their late scans.

CONCLUSION: In patients with mild-to-moderate head trauma, serial CT scanning may independently modify treatment decisions in a subgroup of patients. Judgment for delayed scans should be made on an individual basis by taking the risk factors into account. Keywords : Head trauma, Computed tomography, Intracranial hemorrhage, Glasgow coma scale

Corresponding author : Sedat Dalbayrak, sedatdalbayrak@gmail.com