ABCs of Head CT Interpretation in the Emergency Department: CT Interpretation Workshop Guide
I. Course Description: This session will provide medical students with a skill set to improve their ability to interpret Head CTs. To start the session, the physics of CT scanning will be briefly reviewed. We will move quickly into a review of normal neuroanatomy and CT appearance, followed by a detailed review of the role of Head CT in the management of various neurological emergencies. The diagnoses covered will include traumatic injuries, such as epidural and subdural hematoma, skull fracture, and contusion, and non-traumatic conditions such as stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and hydrocephalus. Tools to avoid errors of interpretation will be discussed.
II. Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Discuss the physics that apply to CT scanning, including Hounsfield numbers, windows, and frequent sources of scan artifact such as volume averaging.
2. Describe the CT appearance of normal brain anatomy.
3. Be able to identify the pathologic conditions found on cranial CT commonly encountered in the Emergency Department.