Academic Journal
Computerised tomography neuroimaging use and yield in non-traumatic headache: A retrospective study in a tertiary emergency department.
| Τίτλος: | Computerised tomography neuroimaging use and yield in non-traumatic headache: A retrospective study in a tertiary emergency department. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Nagel M; Royal Melbourne Hospital, Emergency Department, Parkville VIC, Australia. Electronic address: matthewnagel97@gmail.com., Selman CJ; Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne VIC, Australia., Burrows AA; University of Melbourne, Melbourne Medical School, Parkville VIC, Australia., Tai MK; Royal Melbourne Hospital, Emergency Department, Parkville VIC, Australia., Bourke EM; Royal Melbourne Hospital, Emergency Department, Parkville VIC, Australia; Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC, Australia; Grampians Health, Ballarat, VIC, Australia. |
| Πηγή: | Australasian emergency care [Australas Emerg Care] 2026 Sep; Vol. 29 (3), pp. 234-239. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 14. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of College of Emergency Nursing Australasia Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 101727782 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2588-994X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 2588994X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Australas Emerg Care Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Chatswood, NSW] : Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of College of Emergency Nursing Australasia, [2018]- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Tomography, X-Ray Computed*/methods , Tomography, X-Ray Computed*/statistics & numerical data , Tomography, X-Ray Computed*/standards , Neuroimaging*/methods , Neuroimaging*/statistics & numerical data , Neuroimaging*/standards , Headache*/diagnosis , Headache*/diagnostic imaging, Emergency Service, Hospital/organization & administration ; Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data ; Tertiary Care Centers/organization & administration ; Tertiary Care Centers/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Emergency Room Visits ; Aged |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Headache is a common emergency department (ED) presentation. We aimed to determine the proportion of patients undergoing Computerised Tomography (CT) for non-traumatic headache and identify factors influencing clinician decision-making. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult ED presentations at the Royal Melbourne Hospital from January to March 2024. Clinical features and CT data were extracted and mapped against SNOOP4 features. Results: Among 223 patients, 124 (55.6 %) underwent CT, with abnormal findings in 15.3 % (19/124). No patient-reported symptoms increased the likelihood of CT ordering; photophobia was negatively associated (Odds Ratio (OR)= 0.41, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI):0.22-0.79). Examination abnormalities in peripheral sensation (OR=13.04, 95 %CI:1.69-100.59) and strength (OR= 3.62, 95 %CI:1.00-13.09) increased CT use. Patients with > 2 SNOOP4 features had markedly higher odds of receiving CT (OR= 13.5, 95 %CI:3.12-58.34) and of abnormal findings (OR= 5.75, 95 %CI:2.03-16.27). Conclusions: CT neuroimaging for non-traumatic headache was frequently performed, with a relatively low abnormal yield. While patient-reported symptoms did not influence CT ordering, examination findings and cumulative SNOOP4 features were associated with both imaging decisions and abnormal results. These findings support future studies into red-flag-based pathways to guide purposeful CT use. (Copyright © 2026 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Clinical decision-making; Emergency service, hospital; Headache; Neuroimaging; Retrospective studies; SNOOP4 |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260114 Date Completed: 20260814 Latest Revision: 20260814 |
| Update Code: | 20260815 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.auec.2026.01.002 |
| PMID: | 41535143 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2588-994X |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.auec.2026.01.002 |