Findings of brain computed tomography scan in motorcyclist patients with head trauma referred to Shiraz Shahid Rajaei Trauma Center in summer 2016

Head trauma and subsequent traumatic brain injury are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Iran. The present study aimed to assess the abnormal findings of brain computed tomography (CT) scan in motorcyclist patients with traumatic brain injury.

This retrospective cross-sectional study (July-September 2016) was conducted on all motorcyclist patients over 12 years who were referred for brain CT scan to the Emergency Department of Shahid Rajaei Hospital in Shiraz. Patients' archived medical files were reviewed, and a data collection form including age, gender, and findings related to acute trauma and incidental findings were completed. The obtained data were then statistically analyzed.

 A total of 642 patients were enrolled. The mean age score of participants was reported as 33.61±17.12 years. All patients were male. A number of 51 (7.9%) patients had abnormal findings in their brain CT scans. The most-reported findings were skull-based (23%) and cranial linear (17%) fractures. No incidental findings (findings unrelated to acute trauma) were found. Moreover, 8 (15.7%) patients died with abnormal findings in their brain CT scans.

Since in the present study, only 7.9% of the patients had abnormal findings in their brain CT scan and considering the comparison of the results of this research with those obtained in other similar studies, brain CT scan is highly used in this center.