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April 15, 2026Internal Medicine Journal

Are CT head scans justified in patients with cirrhosis presenting to the ED with hepatic encephalopathy?

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Authors

VNVivienne NguyenHYHakan YamanBSBriohny Smith

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Overview

Retrospective audit demonstrates unnecessary CT scans in low-risk cirrhosis patients, suggesting reduced use.

Key Points

  • To determine the necessity of CT head scans in patients with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy presenting to the ED.
  • Retrospective audit of patients with cirrhosis and altered mental status
  • Data collected over a 2-year period
  • Analysis of CT head scan outcomes
  • 37% of CT head scans performed were unnecessary
  • No abnormalities found in these cases
  • Suggests limiting CT use to lower radiation exposure and costs

Cite This Study

Nguyen et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69df2cf7e4eeef8a2a6b20aehttps://doi.org/10.1111/imj.70393
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1The usefulness of head computed tomography in patients with known cirrhosis presenting to emergency department with suspected hepatic encephalopathy2024
  2. 2External validation of the emergency CT head score to reduce non-trauma imaging: a multicentre retrospective study2026
  3. 3The yield of head CT in syncope: a pilot study2007 · 52 citations
  4. 4Diagnosis of delirium, confusion, and altered mental status in the emergency department using head computed tomography: A meta-analysis2026
  5. 5Emergency department CT scan utilization and findings in geriatric patients presenting with non-traumatic headache2024