Detection of intracranial tumors, subarachnoid hemorrhages, and subdural hematomas in primary care patients: a report from ASPN, Part 2.

Abstract

Although clinical findings and CT scans are not reliable indicators, clinicians are able to detect the majority of these rare conditions without undue delay by selecting a small subset of patients for further investigation. More extensive use of CT scans appears to be a weak strategy to improve detection of these serious disorders, as increased use would lead to increased health care costs and unintended adverse effects, and provide little benefit.