“Talk and deteriorate” syndrome and the role of an immediate follow-up computed tomography of the head in children

Efficacy of routine post-operative head computed tomography on cranial surgery patients outcome

“…In comatose or sedated patients, routine postoperative brain CT is justified as the ICP monitor alone is not reliable in detecting focal neurological injury or compression, 12 which can be detected in the neurological exam if the patient is conscious. 13 In comatose patients who are in postoperative period, the risk of CT changes is six times higher than in the non-comatose patients, and they are at twice the risk to go for the second intervention than the non-comatose patients. 14 The literature extensively supports the use of routine post-craniotomy brain CT in the sedated or comatose patients when the clinical neurological exam is not possible.…”