Incidental neuroimaging findings in nonacute headache.
We studied the frequency and consequences of incidental neuroimaging findings in 400 otherwise healthy, nonacute pediatric headache patients through a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis. We excluded patients with currently recommended clinical criteria to consider diagnostic neuroimaging. We categorized neuroimaging results as normal, remarkable without clinical action, remarkable with clinical follow-up action, and abnormal. One hundred eighty-five of 400 patients (46%) had neuroimaging. Of these, 78.4% of neuroimaging studies were normal, and none was considered abnormal. Also, 21.5% had remarkable findings in the neuroradiology report. The frequency and types of all incidental findings were generally comparable to previous studies. One third of these patients received further consultation or neuroimaging because of incidental findings. In the evaluation of nonacute pediatric headache, overuse of neuroimaging leads to frequent discovery of incidental findings and increased testing. Individualized health care calls for physician-consumer discussions about current indications for neuroimaging, the general frequency of incidental findings, and potential difficulties in their interpretation.
Graf
William D
WD
Section of Neurology, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA. wdgraf@cmh.edu
Kayyali
Husam R
HR
Abdelmoity
Ahmed T
AT
Womelduff
Gloria L
GL
Williams
Arthur R
AR
Morriss
Michael C
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D009421:Nervous System Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies