Overview
- An analysis of a national emergency department database published Nov. 19 in Neurology found head CTs rose from 7.84 million in 2007 to 15.98 million in 2022.
- The share of ED visits involving a head CT increased from 6.7% to 10.3% over the same period.
- After adjustment, Black patients were 10% less likely than white patients to receive a head CT, Medicaid patients 18% less likely than those with Medicare or private coverage, and rural hospital patients 24% less likely than urban patients.
- Use varied sharply by age, with people 65 and older about six times more likely to be scanned than those under 18.
- Authors and an accompanying editorial flagged costs, ED delays and radiation exposure as concerns, noted guideline-based overuse in lower-yield complaints, and cautioned that current volumes could contribute to future cancers even as the database cannot judge each scan’s appropriateness.