All issues > Volume 35(6); 1992

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1992;35(6):753-761. Published online June 15, 1992.

Significance of Brain CT in Children with Chief Complaints of Neurological Symptoms and Signs of Intracranial Disorders

Chun Ho CH Cho¹, Chung Hyun CH Yoon¹, Young Wook YW Kim¹, Ki Bok KB Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Kwang-Ju Christian Hospital, Kwang-Ju, Korea

Abstract

Because of its accuracy, rapidity as well as non-invasiveness, brain CT (computerized transaxial tomography)is being widely used as the most reliablel diagnostic approach for neurologic disorders in childhood. Brain CT provides good anatomic configuration of the brain and its gross disease processes that have as a manifestation alteration in brain density, disturbance in blood-brain barrior, or mass effect etc. We evaluated the significance of the brain CT in relation to chief complaints of neurologic symptoms and to clinical diagnosis in 114 children who had taken brain CT at Department of Pediatrics, Kwang-ju Christian Hospital, Kwang-ju, Korea, during the period of 27 months from February 1988 through April 1990/ The result was as follows : Out of 114 cases(72 males and 42 females), abnormal CT finding was seen in 51 cases(44.7%). The most common abnormality was hydrocephalus (12 cases), followed by intracranial hemorrhage, subdural hygroma, congenital brain malformation and brain atrophy in the decreasing order of frequency. The incidence of abnormal CT finding was the highest(56.9%) in the age group of under 1 year and was lower in the older age group. The findings of hydrocephalus, congenital brain malformation, brain atrophy, subdural hygroma and intracranial hemorrhage were more prevalent under 5 years of age in contrast to the older age group above 5 years in which the infarction and brain tumor were more common. The incidence of abnormal CT findings in relation to chief complaints was relatively high in the groups with large head(77.8%), mentality change(66.7%) and mental and/or developmental retardation(53.9%), whereas low in those complained mainly of headache(25.0%) and convulsion(40.0%). Brain CT was particularly valuable in diagnosis of hydrocephalus, brain tumor, intacranial hemorrhage and congenital brain malformation.

Keywords :Brain CT, Intracranial disorder