Imaging of Altered Mental Status

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Altered mental status (AMS) presents a broad differential diagnosis.
• Neuroimaging is essential for evaluating the causes of AMS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the role of neuroimaging in diagnosing AMS.
• To discuss the primary imaging modalities and their complementary use.

Main Methods:

• Review of current neuroimaging practices for AMS evaluation.
• Emphasis on head computed tomography (CT) as the initial modality.
• Consideration of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for specific clinical scenarios.

Main Results:

• Head CT without contrast is the primary tool for AMS.
• MR imaging is valuable when CT is inconclusive but clinical concern for AMS is high.
• Ongoing research focuses on optimizing imaging efficiency with pre-scan diagnostics.

Conclusions:

• Neuroimaging, especially CT and MRI, is a gold standard in diagnosing AMS.
• Imaging provides rapid exclusion or confirmation of critical diagnoses.
• Integrating clinical and laboratory data enhances diagnostic yield.