New guidelines may help emergency department physicians reduce unnecessary scans in young children with minor head injuries, according to a new study.
Researchers believe they have found two factors that would identify approximately 90 per cent of skull fractures in children under two months of age. This could reduce the number of radiographs by 60 per cent.
Every year, emergency departments across Canada receive more than 20,000 visits for head injuries in children, and skull fractures need to be ruled out. CT scans can be used to effectively diagnose such injuries, however these can carry an increased risk of cancer over other imaging techniques.
Original research paper published in CMAJ on September 8, 2015.
Names and affiliations of selected author
Jocelyn Gravel, Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
