Computed Tomography of Head Injuries: Observer Reliability and Neuropathological Correlation

[摘要] Head trauma constitutes a substantial problem. Major advances have occurred in understanding the pathophysiology, epidemiology and long term sequelae of brain injury. Research efforts have lead to the introduction of more sophisticated neuroimaging techniques which have made the diagnosis of the lesions associated with head injury earlier and more frequent by, generating a better understanding of the injured brain. This thesis has been carried out to examine the reliability and the validity of the CT scan diagnosis. A comprehensive definition of the lesions occuring on a CT scan was the basis for testing reliability and the validity. The reliability or the consistency of describing CT scan appearances by different levels of observers was tested by, comparing 13 observers scores of the CT scans appearances of 28 head injured patients. It was found that the reliability of a CT scan diagnosis could be improved if better definitions of the lesions were achieved. To test the validity of the radiological-pathological correlatins, 102 fatal head injured patients were studied and their worst CT scans and post-mortem pathological results were compared. The results showed that, the previously held idea that CT simply and directly shows living pathology must be in doubt.

[发布机构] University:University of Glasgow

[关键词] Neurosciences, Medical imaging