Diagnostic yield of brain CT in a limited-access environment

Abstract

It is not clear why brain CT continues to be used in psychiatric patients in spite of reports of a low yield of useful information. Hypoihetically, in circumstances (such as in Israel) where access to CT is more limited, clinicians will use brain CT more judiciously, resulting in a higher yield. To test this hypothesis, we retrieved and reviewed brain CT results and discharge summaries for 23 patients with abnormal brain scans, from 91 scans performed at two psychiatric inpatient facilities, in order to determine if the brain CT had a significant effect on the diagnosis or treatment of the patient. We found no indication that the abnormal CT findings had a significant effect on the diagnosis or treatment of any of the patients.

Key Words:

• computerized tomography
• psychiatric patients