Objective: To assess the role of computerized tomography scanning of the brain in evaluation of patients with headache
Methodology: A retrospective study was held over 17 months in Prince Ali Military Hospital, Jordan and included 1413 patients. All had headache as the main indication for CT and their reported results were analyzed. The patients were sorted in two groups: Group 1: who had only headache and Group 2: who had symptoms and /or signs associating headache.
Results: Out of a total of 6480 CT scans, 1413 were done for evaluation of headache. Six hundred ninety two (48.9%) patients had CT scan for headache only (group 1). Rest of the patients had headache with other associated symptoms (group 2). Abnormalities were seen in 228 (32.0%) patients.
Conclusion: The yield of brain CT scanning in headache may be maximized by optimizing clinical judgment for selecting indicated cases.
Key words: Headache, brain computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging.
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