CT-detected intracranial hemorrhage among patients with head injury in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the computed tomography (CT) findings of intracranial hemorrhage among patients with head trauma in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 500 patients with head trauma who had diagnostic cranial CT scans was selected. All the radiological reports and CT scans of patients with head trauma were retrieved in the hospitals selected as study sites. The reports were sorted into 2 groups - normal findings and intracranial bleeding. The reports of intracranial bleeding were sorted again into different classes of intracranial bleeding as identified by the radiologist who reported it. All data were analyzed using the Epi Info public domain software package. The chi-square test was used to measure the statistical significance of study results at P < .05.

Results: Most of the study subjects (68%) were men. Traffic accidents accounted for 44% of all the head traumas found in the study, and 58% of the head traumas resulted in intracranial bleeding. Among the hemorrhages found, 37% were intracerebral, 25% were subdural, 16% were intraventricular, 15% were subarachnoid, and 7% were epidural.

Discussion: Intracranial hemorrhage was a common consequence of acute head trauma sustained from traffic accidents in the population studied, with intracerebral hemorrhage being the most prevalent type.

Conclusion: Traffic accidents are the main cause of acute head trauma in Lagos, Nigeria. The use of CT for early diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage appears justifiable.