CT brain imaging in mild traumatic brain injury; Is hospital admission necessary?

Abstract

Objectives: This was to study the CT brain imaging in patients with mild traumatic brain injury, classified by pathologies and to compare factors and neurological outcomes during hospitalization between groups of negative and positive imaging patients.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in adult patients who had mild traumatic brain injury (GCS 13–15) and got brain CT scans in the hospital. The patients’data, details of injuries, neurological manifestations, and CT brain imaging results were collected. The admission outcomes were also analyzed later.

Results: Total 262 cases of mild traumatic brain injury patients with CT brain imaging were included. Age ranged from 15 to 96 years and 61.8 percent of these cases were male. The main cause of injury was motorcycle accident. There were 77.5 percent of patients who had negative imaging. Positive findings mostly found were ICH, fracture skull bones, and SDH consecutively. After admission, 2.2 percent of patients with positive scan group were refered to neurosurgeons. All patients with negative scan were discharged uneventfully with no need of surgical interventions.

Conclusion: Majority of mild traumatic brain injury patients have negative CT scan and SDH is the most pathology found. A patient with negative scan may be not necessary to admission.