Midnight Radiology

Computed tomography of the head has become an integral part of the emergency evaluation of a wide variety of conditions and chief complaints, including trauma, stroke, seizure, altered mental status, headache, and fever. In 2005, one in eight patients in one tertiary care Emergency Department underwent a head CT [1]. This review will detail important head CT findings, focusing on those which are most relevant to immediate patient management decisions. We’ll cover pearls and pitfalls in CT head interpretation, including normal variants that may mimic disease, and subtle abnormalities that may have substantial implications for patient care. We’ll provide a simple and rapid approach to head CT interpretation using the best available evidence. Even if you are not primarily interpreting head CT, the information provided here may help you to understand the radiologist’s interpretation and make appropriate clinical decisions based on that information.