• Sedat Dalbayrak, Sevtap Gumustas, Ahmet Bal, and Gur Akansel.
• Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Research and Training Hospital, First Neurosurgery Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey. sedatdalbayrak@gmail.com
• Turk Neurosurg. 2011 Jan 1; 21 (4): 591-8.

AimThe aim of this study is to evaluate the changes between the initial and late cranial CT scans in patients with mild-to-moderate head trauma. MATERIAL andMethodsOf the two thousand six hundred and forty-four patients hospitalized for head trauma within a two-year period, 112 (4.24%) patients scored 8 or above in the Glasgow coma scale and there were changes between initial and late head CT.ResultsOf these, 103 had worsening CT findings. Neurological status deteriorated in 30% of these cases. Forty-six patients required surgery based on findings seen on the delayed scans. Neurological status was stable in 50% of the cases. All the eight patients who expired had abnormal CT scans initially and had progression in their late scans.ConclusionIn patients with mild-to-moderate head trauma, serial CT scanning may independently modify treatment decisions in a subgroup of patients. Judgment for delayed scans should be made on an individual basis by taking the risk factors into account.

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