What conditions can a brain CT scan detect?
Disease description:
It started with a cold one week ago, and since then there has been eye swelling and pain, as well as headaches. The pain worsens after eating seafood, and there is a sensation of shortness of breath. I want to undergo a brain CT scan and would like to know what kinds of abnormalities a brain CT can detect.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lv Zhiqin
Brain CT is a medical imaging examination method that can detect brain lesions including:
1. Cerebrovascular diseases: such as cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and ischemic stroke occurring more than 24 hours previously. CT can also show cerebral infarction lesions in the cerebral hemisphere more than 24-48 hours after onset, but has lower sensitivity for detecting early brainstem and cerebellar lesions.
2. Craniocerebral trauma and skull base fractures: CT can differentiate conditions such as epidural and subdural hematomas and is also helpful in diagnosing skull base fractures.
3. Intracranial tumors: Brain CT can detect most tumors. However, some tumors may have densities similar to brain tissue or be too small, requiring further enhanced brain MRI for evaluation.
4. Cerebral parasitic diseases: CT may show multiple intracranial calcifications or large cysts, with images of parasites or calcification points within the cysts.
5. Other lesions: including cerebral edema, skull changes, hydrocephalus, and cerebral atrophy. Additionally, brain CT can detect some extracerebral diseases such as sinusitis and skull osteomyelitis.
In addition, brain CT examinations carry certain radiation risks; therefore, they should be appropriately performed under a physician's guidance.
