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Automated Midline Shift and Intracranial Pressure Estimation based on Brain CT Images
Published on: April 13, 2013
Head computed tomography utilization and intracranial hemorrhage rates
Jarone Lee1, C Scott Evans, Neil Singh
1Trauma, Emergency Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 165 Cambridge St, Suite 810, Boston, MA 02114, USA. lee.jarone@mgh.harvard.edu
Emergency Radiology
|December 20, 2012
Summary
Head computed tomography (CT) scan use rose significantly in US emergency departments. However, the overall diagnostic yield of head CT scans remained constant between 2001 and 2007.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Computed tomography (CT) scan utilization has surged in US emergency departments.
- Head CT scans are a crucial diagnostic tool for various neurological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively analyze the diagnostic yield of head CT scans in emergency departments.
- To assess trends in head CT utilization and findings from 2001 to 2007.
- To examine the yield of head CT for specific intracranial hemorrhages.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of head CT scan data from 2001 to 2007.
- Calculation of head CT utilization rates per 100 patients.
- Analysis of the yield of head CT for intracerebral, subarachnoid, subdural, and epidural hemorrhages.
Main Results:
- Head CT utilization increased by 60% from 3.3 per 100 patients in 2001 to 5.2 per 100 in 2007.
- The rate of intracranial hemorrhage detected by CT decreased slightly but nonsignificantly from 3.6% to 3.0%.
- No significant changes were observed in the positive rates for specific hemorrhage types.
Conclusions:
- Despite increased head CT utilization, the overall diagnostic yield remained stable.
- The rise in CT use was accompanied by a proportional increase in positive findings, maintaining a consistent yield.
- This suggests that increased head CT utilization reflects evolving clinical practice rather than a decline in diagnostic efficacy.
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