Artifact simulating chronic extracerebral fluid collections on computed tomography of the head

Accurate analysis in computed tomography of the brain requires recognition of artifacts that may lead to an erroneous diagnosis or at least confuse the examination. An artifact that mimics chronic extracerebral fluid collections is described; it can occur with the Picker 600 scanner. One should be aware that an artifact can be machine specific, depending on the reconstruction and design differences of the scanner.