Emergency CT head (mnemonic)
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- updated 4 Sep 2022:
Nothing to disclose
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
A useful mnemonic which is used to read an emergency head CT scan is:
- Blood Can Be Very Bad
Mnemonic
Using a systematic approach will help to ensure that significant neuropathology will not be missed.
- B: blood
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C: cisterns
- look for the presence of blood, effacement and asymmetry in four key cisterns (perimesencephalic, suprasellar, quadrigeminal and Sylvian cisterns)
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B: brain
- look for asymmetry or effacement of the sulcal pattern, gray-white matter differentiation (including the insular ribbon sign), structural shifts and abnormal hypodensities (e.g. air, oedema, fat) or hyperdensities (e.g. blood, calcification)
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V: ventricles
- look for intraventricular haemorrhage, ventricular effacement or shift and for hydrocephalus
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B: bone
- look for skull fractures (especially basal) on bone windows (soft tissue swelling, mastoid air cells and paranasal sinuses fluid in the setting of trauma should raise the possibility of a skull fracture; intracranial air means that the skull and the dura have been violated somewhere)
-<p>A useful <strong>mnemonic</strong> which is used to read an <strong>emergency head CT scan</strong> is:</p><ul><li><strong>Blood Can Be Very Bad</strong></li></ul><h4>Mnemonic</h4><p>Using a systematic approach will help to ensure that significant neuropathology will not be missed.</p><ul>-<li>-<strong>B: </strong>blood<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/extradural-haemorrhage">epidural haematoma</a>, <a href="/articles/subdural-haemorrhage">subdural haematoma</a>, <a href="/articles/intracerebral-haemorrhage">intraparenchymal haemorrhage</a>,<a href="/articles/intraventricular-hemorrhage"> intraventricular haemorrhage</a>, <a href="/articles/subarachnoid-hemorrhage">subarachnoid haemorrhage </a>and (also) <a href="/articles/extracranial-hemorrhage">extracranial haemorrhage</a>-</li></ul>-</li>-<li>-<strong>C: </strong>cisterns<ul><li>look for the presence of blood, effacement and asymmetry in four key cisterns (<a href="/articles/circummesencephalic-cistern">perimesencephalic</a>, <a href="/articles/suprasellar-cistern">suprasellar</a>, <a href="/articles/quadrigeminal-cistern-1">quadrigeminal</a> and <a href="/articles/sylvian-cistern">Sylvian</a> cisterns)</li></ul>-</li>-<li>-<strong>B: </strong>brain<ul><li>look for asymmetry or effacement of the sulcal pattern, gray-white matter differentiation (including the<a href="/articles/loss-of-the-insular-ribbon-sign"> insular ribbon sign</a>), structural shifts and abnormal hypodensities (e.g. air, <a href="/articles/cerebral-oedema-1">oedema</a>, fat) or hyperdensities (e.g. blood, calcification)</li></ul>-</li>-<li>-<strong>V: </strong>ventricles<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/intraventricular-hemorrhage">intraventricular haemorrhage</a>, ventricular effacement or shift and for <a href="/articles/hydrocephalus">hydrocephalus</a>-</li></ul>-</li>-<li>-<strong>B: </strong>bone<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/skull-fractures">skull fractures</a> (especially basal) on bone windows (soft tissue swelling, mastoid air cells and <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a> fluid in the setting of trauma should raise the possibility of a skull fracture; intracranial air means that the skull and the <a href="/articles/dura-mater">dura </a>have been violated somewhere)</li></ul>-</li>- +<p>A useful <strong>mnemonic</strong> which is used to read an <strong>emergency head CT scan</strong> is:</p><ul><li><strong>Blood Can Be Very Bad</strong></li></ul><h4>Mnemonic</h4><p>Using a systematic approach will help to ensure that significant neuropathology will not be missed.</p><ul>
- +<li>
- +<strong>B: </strong>blood<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/extradural-haemorrhage">epidural haematoma</a>, <a href="/articles/subdural-haemorrhage">subdural haematoma</a>, <a href="/articles/intracerebral-haemorrhage">intraparenchymal haemorrhage</a>,<a href="/articles/intraventricular-hemorrhage"> intraventricular haemorrhage</a>, <a href="/articles/subarachnoid-hemorrhage">subarachnoid haemorrhage </a>and (also) <a href="/articles/extracranial-hemorrhage">extracranial haemorrhage</a>
- +</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>
- +<strong>C: </strong>cisterns<ul><li>look for the presence of blood, effacement and asymmetry in four key cisterns (<a href="/articles/circummesencephalic-cistern">perimesencephalic</a>, <a href="/articles/suprasellar-cistern">suprasellar</a>, <a href="/articles/quadrigeminal-cistern-1">quadrigeminal</a> and <a href="/articles/sylvian-cistern">Sylvian</a> cisterns)</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>
- +<strong>B: </strong>brain<ul><li>look for asymmetry or effacement of the sulcal pattern, gray-white matter differentiation (including the<a href="/articles/loss-of-the-insular-ribbon-sign"> insular ribbon sign</a>), structural shifts and abnormal hypodensities (e.g. air, <a href="/articles/cerebral-oedema-1">oedema</a>, fat) or hyperdensities (e.g. blood, calcification)</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>
- +<strong>V: </strong>ventricles<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/intraventricular-hemorrhage">intraventricular haemorrhage</a>, ventricular effacement or shift and for <a href="/articles/hydrocephalus">hydrocephalus</a>
- +</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>
- +<strong>B: </strong>bone<ul><li>look for <a href="/articles/skull-fractures">skull fractures</a> (especially basal) on bone windows (soft tissue swelling, mastoid air cells and <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a> fluid in the setting of trauma should raise the possibility of a skull fracture; intracranial air means that the skull and the <a href="/articles/dura-mater">dura </a>have been violated somewhere)</li></ul>
- +</li>
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