Abstract
When computed tomography (CT) scanning is available, plain skull films contribute little or no additional information in the clinical management of the acute trauma patient. Traditionally, X-ray films of the skull have been used to detect skull fractures, intracranial mass effect (“pineal shift”), air-fluid levels, foreign objects (metal, glass, projectile fragments, etc.). However, the diagnostic yield of plain X-ray films is low because there is poor correlation between skull fractures and intracranial injury. The old saying has never been truer: “it doesn’t matter if the shell is cracked, only if the egg is scrambled”.
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Parizel, P.M., Phillips, C.D. (2008). Neuroradiological Diagnosis of Craniocerebral Trauma: Current Concepts. In: Hodler, J., Von Schulthess, G.K., Zollikofer, C.L. (eds) Diseases of the Brain, Head & Neck, Spine. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0840-3_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0840-3_11
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