Role of Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis of Patients with Traumatic Head Injury

Background: Traumatic brain injury is defined as damage to the brain caused by external mechanical forces such as: A. Sudden acceleration or deceleration, pressure wave or projectile penetration, resulting in temporary or permanent impairment of brain function. B. In a rapidly developing country like Bangladesh, urbanization and industrialization have led to an increase in road traffic, which is the main cause of head injuries due to road accidents. Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic importance of CT on the outcome of head injury patients. Observation of the sequential anatomical course of pathological processes in the brain response to head injury and correlation with Glasgow Coma Scale. Methods: This is a hospital study carried out in patients of head injury referred to the BSM Medical University Hospital from July 2022 to August 2023. Total 120 patients were included; incidence of head injuries was more in males than females. The study included patients with head and craniofacial trauma who underwent CT scans. Patients were examined with a dual-slice CT, Siemens Somatom Emotion Duo. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Total 120 patients were included; incidence of head injuries was more in males than females. Headache was the commonest presentation. Contusions were the most common intraparenchymal injury found in 58, followed by EDH in 52 patients, followed by SDH and SAH which accounted for 52 and 32 respectively. Intraparenchymal hematoma was found in 24 of patients and DAI in 16, intraventricular hemorrhage in 10 patients. Conclusion: Parenchymal contusions, Subdural and extra dural hematoma were equally encountered findings in our study while subarachnoid haemorrhage was seen less frequently while intraventricula rhaemorrhage was rare.