PATTERN OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FINDINGS AMONG HEAD TRAUMA PATIENTS IN SOKOTO STATE ADVANCED MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS CENTER

Abstract

Background study: Computed tomography imaging has emerged as the gold standard for the initial evaluation of head trauma due to its widespread availability, rapid acquisition time, and high sensitivity for detecting acute intracranial abnormalities. Objectives: To determine the prevalence, causes, severity, and CT findings in patients with head trauma at Sokoto State Advanced Medical Diagnostics Center. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed. Data were collected from 370 CT scan reports using a structured data sheet capturing sex, age, cause of trauma, severity, and CT findings. The data were analyzed using SPSS (28.0) and Microsoft Excel. Results: Out of 370 cases reviewed, 87.6% were males and 12.4% were females. The most affected age group was 20–29 years (39.1%). Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of head trauma (54.6%), followed by falls and assaults. Moderate head injuries were the most common (22.7%), while 44.1% of cases lacked severity documentation. Computed Tomographic findings revealed fractures as the most prevalent abnormality (39.5%), followed by contusions (29.7%) and intracerebral hemorrhage (15.4%). Normal CT scans were observed in 19.5% of cases. Conclusion: The study revealed that head trauma is most prevalent among young adult males, the most common cause of head trauma was road traffic accident, moderate head injuries were most common and the CT findings revealed fractures as the most prevalent abnormality, followed by contusions and intracranial haemorrhage. Keywords: Computed Tomography, Pattern, Findings, Head trauma.