| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2013 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 3 | Page : 183-187 |
Can an abnormal CT scan be predicted from common symptoms after mild head injury in children?
Ashok Munivenkatappa1, Akhil Deepika1, Vasuki Prathyusha2, Indira Devi1, Dhaval Shukla1
1 Department of Neurosurgery, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2 Department of Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Correspondence Address:
Dhaval Shukla
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore - 560 029, Karnataka
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1817-1745.123659
Introduction: Children have non specific symptoms after mild head injury (MHI). It is difficult to define indication of CT scan among them. We aimed at identification of predictors of CT scan findings after MHI. Materials and Methods: Children aged ≤12 years with GCS 13-15 after head injury were retrospectively evaluated for their clinical and CT scan findings during January to March 2010. The variables used for detection of abnormal (positive) CT scan were age, gender, cause of injury (road traffic accident, fall, and assault), loss of consciousness, vomiting, ear or nose bleed, seizure, and GCS score. Results: A total of 133 children were included in study. Sixty nine (51.9%) children had abnormal CT findings. There was no statistical difference in patients with normal vs abnormal CT scan for presence of any of the variables evaluated. Conclusion: An abnormal CT scan cannot be reliably ruled out in a child with MHI based on symptoms; hence a policy of liberal CT scan based on clinical acumen is advisable.
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