Computed tomography of the brain in predicting outcome of traumatic intracranial haemorrhage in Malaysian patients

Head injury is a significant economic, social and medical problem all over the world. Road accidents are the most frequent cause of head injury in Malaysia with highest risk in the young (15 to 24 years old). The associated outcomes include good recovery, possibility of death for the severely injured, which may cause disruption of the lives of their family members. It is important to predict the outcome as it will provide sound information to assist clinicians in Malaysia in providing prognostic information to patients and their families, to assess the effectiveness of different modes of treatment in promoting recovery and to document the significance of head injury as a public health problem.

RESULTS: A total of 103 cases with intracranial haemorrhage i.e. intracerebral haemorrhage, extradural haemorrhage, subdural haemorrhage, intraventricular haemorrhage, haemorrhagic contusion and subarachnoid haemorrhage, following motor vehicle accidents was undertaken to study factors contributing to either good or poor outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Patients below 12 years of age were excluded. The end point of the study was taken at 24 months post injury. The selected variables were incorporated into models generated by logistic regression techniques of multivariate analysis to see the significant predictors of outcome as well as the correlation between the CT findings with GCS.

CONCLUSION: Significant predictors of outcome were GCS on arrival in the accident emergency department, pupillary reflex and the CT scan findings. The CT predictors of outcome include ICH, EDH, IVH, present of SAH, site of ICH, volumes of EDH and SDH as well as midline shift.