Interpreting head CT’s can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Just remember, “Blood Can Be Very Bad”.
Blood
– blood up to 1 week old looks hyperdense to brain
– blood 1-4 weeks old looks isodense to brain
– blood after 4 weeks old looks hypodense to brain
– Types of intracranial hemorrhage: epidural, subdural, intraparenchymal/intracerebral, intraventricular, or subarachnoid
Cistern
– Is there blood?
– Is it open?
– Types of cisterns to identify: sylvian, quadrigeminal, suprasellar, and circummesencephalic
Brain
– Check for symmetry
– Check for grey-white differentiation
– Check for shift
– Check for hyper/hypodensity
Ventricles
– Is there blood?
– Is there compression/shift?
– Is there dilation?
– Type of ventricles to identify: lateral, 3rd and 4th ventricles
Bone
– Fracture?
