Research article
Evaluation of common findings in brain computerized tomography (CT) scan: A single center study
-
1.
Department of Medical Radiography and Radiological Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria
-
2.
Department of Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health sciences and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Anambra State, Nigeria
-
3.
Rivers State Hospitals Management Board Port-Harcourt River State Nigeria
-
4.
Cardiology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi Nigeria
-
5.
Department of Radiology, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
-
Received:
15 May 2020
Accepted:
06 August 2020
Published:
13 August 2020
-
-
-
-
Background
Computed Tomography (CT) is an invaluable imaging tool in the diagnostic workup of patients presenting with head trauma, stroke, brain tumour and epilepsy. The objective of this study was to document the common intracranial pathologies as revealed by CT in our setting and also determine if the indications for CT scan are justified so that patients are not exposed to radiation unnecessarily.
Materials and methods
This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Hansa Clinic Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. Demographic data and brain CT radiological reports with imaging findings and clinical indications for patients referred to this study centre from January, 2017 to January 2019 were retrieved from the CT reports' archives and reviewed retrospectively. Relevant information such age, gender, radiological CT findings and clinical indications were collected using structured proforma.
Results
A total of 300 patients' brain CT radiological reports were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 41.25 ± 16.5 years with majority been within the age group of 31–40 years 92 (30.67%). Out of 300 cases, normal finding was highest 117 (39%) and the least was intracranial physiological calcification, which is 1 (0.33%). Headache is the most common clinical indication, 53 (17.67%) the least was unsteady Gait, which is 3 (1%). The Chi-square test revealed that there was statistically significance relationship between brain CT findings and clinical indications for the investigations (X2 = 285.60, p = 0.002).
Conclusion
The study showed that more males than females undergo brain CT scan with headache being the most common presenting complaint. The majority of findings of the brain CT scans in this study are normal despite, myriads of complaints necessitating the investigations. The study also revealed significant association between clinical indications and CT findings.
Citation: Daniel Chimuanya Ugwuanyi, Tochukwu Florence Sibeudu, Chidmma Precious Irole, Michael Promise Ogolodom, Chukwudi Thaddeus Nwagbara, Adaobi Maryann Ibekwe, Awajimijan Nathaniel Mbaba. Evaluation of common findings in brain computerized tomography (CT) scan: A single center study[J]. AIMS Neuroscience, 2020, 7(3): 311-318. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2020017
-
Abstract
Background
Computed Tomography (CT) is an invaluable imaging tool in the diagnostic workup of patients presenting with head trauma, stroke, brain tumour and epilepsy. The objective of this study was to document the common intracranial pathologies as revealed by CT in our setting and also determine if the indications for CT scan are justified so that patients are not exposed to radiation unnecessarily.
Materials and methods
This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Hansa Clinic Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. Demographic data and brain CT radiological reports with imaging findings and clinical indications for patients referred to this study centre from January, 2017 to January 2019 were retrieved from the CT reports' archives and reviewed retrospectively. Relevant information such age, gender, radiological CT findings and clinical indications were collected using structured proforma.
Results
A total of 300 patients' brain CT radiological reports were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 41.25 ± 16.5 years with majority been within the age group of 31–40 years 92 (30.67%). Out of 300 cases, normal finding was highest 117 (39%) and the least was intracranial physiological calcification, which is 1 (0.33%). Headache is the most common clinical indication, 53 (17.67%) the least was unsteady Gait, which is 3 (1%). The Chi-square test revealed that there was statistically significance relationship between brain CT findings and clinical indications for the investigations (X2 = 285.60, p = 0.002).
Conclusion
The study showed that more males than females undergo brain CT scan with headache being the most common presenting complaint. The majority of findings of the brain CT scans in this study are normal despite, myriads of complaints necessitating the investigations. The study also revealed significant association between clinical indications and CT findings.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
[1]
|
Looking back on the millennium in medicine (2000) N Engl J Med 342: 42-49.
|
[2]
|
Ogunseyinde AO, Obajimi MO, Ogundare SM (1999) Radiological evaluation of head trauma by computer tomography in Ibadan, Nigeria. West Afr J Med 18: 33-38.
|
[3]
|
Obajimi MO, Shokunbi MT, Malomo AA, et al. (2004) Computed tomography (CT) in civilian gunshot head injuries in Ibadan. West Afr J Med 23: 58-61.
|
[4]
|
Arogundade RA (2010) Brain tumour as a predisposing factor to head trauma: A review of two cases diagnosed by computed tomography. Niger Postgrad Med J 17: 168-171.
|
[5]
|
Ijeh-Tarila KI, Alazigha N, Mbaba AN, et al. (2020) Brain computed tomography findings in stroke patients in port Harcourt: A retrospective hospital-based study. Am J Biomed Sci Res 8: 280-284.
|
[6]
|
Ogolodom MP, David LK, Erondu OF, et al. (2019) Patterns of traumatic head injury among patients that underwent craniofacial computed tomography scan in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers state, Nigeria. Health Sci J 13: 1-8. doi: 10.21767/1791-809X.1000615
|
[7]
|
Milad MH, Gamal AM (2016) The profile of head CT scan in patients at Sebha medical center, Libya. Sudan J Med Sci 11: 95-100.
|
[8]
|
Brenner DJ, Hall EJ (2007) Computed Tomography—an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med 357: 2277-2284. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra072149
|
[9]
|
Amis ES, Butler PF, Applegate KE, et al. (2007) American College of Radiology white paper on radiation dose in medicine. J Am Coll Radiol 4: 272-284. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2007.03.002
|
[10]
|
Tsalafoutas IA, Koukourakis GV (2010) Patient dose considerations in computed tomography examinations. World J Radiol 2: 262-268. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v2.i7.262
|
[11]
|
Raji CA, Tarzwell R, Pavel D, et al. (2014) Clinical utility of SPECT Neuroimaging in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury: A systematic review. PLoS One 9: e91088. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091088
|
[12]
|
Smith-Bindman R, Lipson J, Marcus R, et al. (2009) Radiation dose associated with common computed tomography examination and the associated lifetime attributed role of cancer. Arch Intern Med 169: 2078-2086. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.427
|
[13]
|
Ogbole GI, Adeleye AO, Owolabi MO, et al. (2015) Incidental cranial CT findings in head injury patients in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. J Emerg Trauma Shock 8: 77-82. doi: 10.4103/0974-2700.155499
|
[14]
|
Ohaegbulam SC, Mezue WC, Ndubuisi CA, et al. (2011) Cranial computed tomography scan findings in head trauma patients in Enugu, Nigeria. Surg Neurol Int 2: 182. doi: 10.4103/2152-7806.91137
|
[15]
|
Haghighi M, Baghery MH, Rashidi F, et al. (2014) Abnormal findings in brain CT scans among children. J Compr Pediatr 5: e13761. doi: 10.17795/compreped-13761
|
[16]
|
Khodapanahandeh F, Hadizadeh H (2006) Neuroimaging in children with first afebrile seizures to order or not order? Arch Iran Med 9: 156-158.
|
[17]
|
Ogolodom MP, Mbaba AN, Abam R, et al. (2019) Magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients presenting with headache in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. J Biomed Sci 8: 3.
|
[18]
|
Haydel MJ, Preston CA, Mills JT, et al. (2000) Indications for computed tomography in patients with minor head injury. N Engl J Med 342: 100-105. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200007133430204
|
[19]
|
Jacob A, Put E, Ingels M, et al. (1994) Prospective evaluation of Technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT in mild and moderate traumatic head injury. J Nucl Med 35: 942-947.
|
[20]
|
Abu-Juden HH, Parker R, Aleksics S, et al. (2000) SPECT brain perfusion findings in mild or moderate traumatic brain injury. Nucl Med Rev 3: 5-11.
|
-
-
-
-