Head CT for Syncope/Dizziness

Cardiology PGY1 PGY2 PGY3 PGY4

Another study from AJR in Jan 2015 focused on dizziness/syncope. Due to difficulty to define definition of dizziness among patients, they used 3 terms of Dizziness, Syncope, andNear Syncope. They retrospectively looked at 253 patients with these complaints and found 3 clinical factors associated with positive findings: 1. age older than 60, 2. a focal neurological deficit, and 3. acute head trauma. Their conclusion is: Most patients presenting with syncope or dizziness to the emergency department may not benefit from head CT unless they have 3 above clinical factors.

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