Prevalence of CT Scan Findings in Patient with Traumatic Brain Injury with Respect to Glasgow Coma Scale

Abstract

ABSTRACT:BACKGROUND:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contribute to a significant mortality and substantial morbidity. CT isessential for identifying lesions requiring urgent intervention & those that require observation andnon surgical management .OBJECTIVE:To assess the prevalence of CT findings with respect to the severity of TBI & to find out therelation between the age of the patient & the severity of TBI.PATIENTS AND METHODS:100 patients with TBI evaluated by brain CT. All age groups with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) ofless than 15 were included.The abnormal CT findings were evaluated & recorded. The findings werefurther correlated with the patient`s age & the GCS scoreRESULTS:Eighty percent of the cases had mild TBI, 6% had moderate TBI and 14% had severe TBI. Ninetythree percent had closed type of injury . Twenty four percent of the patients had normal CT scan ,all of them had mild TBI . The most common CT findings in mild TBI cases were subgalialhaematoma(SGH) & calvarial skull fracture, with minority of cases had cerebral contusion , fracturebase of skull , diffuse cerebral oedema & intracranial haemorrhage . Two third of patients withmoderate TBI had subarachnoid haemorrhage(SAH) & cerebral contusion, 50% had diffusecerebral oedema, calvarial skull fracture,& 1/3 had Subdural haematoma & fracture base of skull.More than half of patients with severe TBI had calvarial skull fracture, fracture base of skull,cerebral contusion, SAH, with lower prevalence of diffuse cerebral oedema,and intracranialhaemorrhage.CONCLUSION:The lower the GCS score, the more significant CT findings,predominantly fracture base of skull,subarachnoid haemorrhage and diffuse cerebral oedema.KEY WORDS: traumatic brain injury, computed tomography, glasgow coma scale.