The evaluation of children brain CT scan results and it's relationship with requesting clinical complaints

The advent of brain CT revolutionized the diagnostic evaluation of neurologic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate brain CT results and it's relationship with requesting clinical complaints.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, brain CT scan of 100 children referred to the center of Shaheed Sadoughi Hospital radiology ward, was evaluated.

The mean age of the patients was 42.17 49.17 months and 40% of the cases were girls. The result of CT was normal in 61%. The risk for abnormal CT report in patients with less than one year increased significantly. The most frequent abnormal results of CT were brain atrophy(21%) and hemorrhage (5%). The most cause of CT requests were recurrent seizure(35%) and developmental delay(25%). CT scan in all of focal seizures and in 61% of developmental delays reported abnormal. The most frequent final diagnosis were CNS structural disorders and epilepsy. CT scan in 29.4% of CNS infections, 17.2% of epilepsy and in 42% of CNS structural disorders, reported abnormal.

CT in meningitis without loss of consciousness, in first generalized seizure with normal physical exam and in headache without worrisome signs, is not so helping and MRI is more useful in neurodevelopmental delay due to structural CNS dysgenesia.