COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY SCAN OF THE BRAIN IN PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY PRACTICE- AN 8-YEAR EXPERIENCE

Computerized tomography scans of the brain were retrospectively studie d in 1,979 children. Abnormalities were found in 45.1% of the examinat ions. The most common radiologic findings were enlarged ventricles (28 .1% of the examinations) and enlarged subarachnoid space (14.7%). Refe rral diagnosis associated with high rate of radiological abnormalities included: congenital anomalies (71.7% of radiological abnormalities), cerebral palsy (70.7%), central nervous system infection (60.9%), sus picion of brain tumor (58%), and psychomotor retardation (55.6%). On t he other hand, convulsive disorders (34.4% of radiologic abnormalities ), learning disabilities (15.9%), and headache (11%) were associated w ith a relatively low rate of radiologic abnormalities.