Research Article
Assessment and Predicting Factors of Repeated Brain
Computed Tomography in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients for
Risk-Stratified Care Management: A 5-Year Retrospective Study
Preeda Sumritpradit,
1
Thitipong Setthalikhit,
1
and Sorayouth Chumnanvej
2
1
Acute Care Unit, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Tailand
2
Neurosurgery Division, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Tailand
Correspondence should be addressed to Sorayouth Chumnanvej; sorayouth.chu@mahidol.ac.th
Received 21 April 2016; Revised 7 August 2016; Accepted 21 August 2016
Academic Editor: Changiz Geula
Copyright © 2016 Preeda Sumritpradit et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Background and Objective. To determine the value of repeated brain CT in TBI cases for risk-stratifed care management (RSCM)
and to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management afer repeated brain CTs. Methods. A 5-year
retrospective study from January 2009 to August 2013 was conducted. Te primary outcome was the value of repeated brain CT in
TBI cases. Te secondary outcome is to identify predicting factors which will change the neurosurgical management afer repeated
brain CTs. Results. Tere were 145 consecutive patients with TBI and repeated brain CT afer initial abnormal brain CT. Forty-two
percent of all cases ( = 61) revealed the progression of intracranial hemorrhage afer repeated brain CT. In all 145 consecutive
patients, 67.6% of cases ( = 98) were categorized as mild TBI. For mild head injury, 8.2% of cases (=8) had undergone
neurosurgical management afer repeated brain CT. Only 1 from 74 mild TBI patients with repeated brain CT had neurosurgical
intervention. Clopidogrel and midline shif more than 2 mm on initial brain CT were signifcant predicting factors to indicate the
neurosurgical management in mild TBI cases. Conclusion. Routine repeated brain CT for RSCM had no clinical beneft in mild TBI
cases.
1. Introduction
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with equivocal fndings
of brain computed tomography (CT) at the initial presen-
tation frequently have repeated brain CTs. Repeated brain
CT is commonly practiced at several trauma centers without
protocol in place. Utilization of brain CT has increased over
time; however, efects on outcome and associated risks are
unknown. Brain CT may provide earlier identifcation for a
type of traumatic brain injury. As a result, this patient will
be receiving more aggressive neurosurgical intervention. In
Ramathibodi Hospital, there is no protocol in place regarding
repeated brain CT for TBI patients and it is controversy. So,
based on physician preference and patient safety, repeated
brain CT is still exercised. Regarding the patient safety, the
risk-stratifed care management (RSCM) is the interested
procedure to assign a health risk status to a patient and to
directly improve care management. Repeated brain CT is the
option and the only one of the investigation of choice for the
equivocal condition to establish TBI patient risk status as an
objective tool. Te apparent beneft of repeated brain CT was
determined.
2. Material and Methods
A retrospective study of consecutive adult patients admitted
to Acute Care Unit, Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine
Ramathibodi Hospital, afer head injury was carried out afer
IRB approval. Data were collected from January 2009 to
August 2013. Inclusion criteria were age more than ffeen
years and duration of admission less than seventy-two hours.
Patients who were treated with supportive treatment afer ini-
tial brain CT were recruited. Tere were 145 cases potentially
eligible. Variables collections including age, sex, underlying
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Neurology Research International
Volume 2016, Article ID 2737028, 7 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2737028