A comparative study of C.T. scan findings of cranial lesions with autopsy findings in cases of fatal head injury

Computerised tomographic (CT) scanning remains the commonest modality of investigations for acute head injury (HI) patients worldwide. In many patients, CT scan might look normal, yet the patient may have a poor Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The aim of the study was to analyse epidemiological aspects of acute head trauma and to correlate CT scan findings in head injury cases with post mortem examination findings. This study was conducted on 64cases of traumatic head injuries who underwent a CT scan of the head prior to death and had medico-legal autopsy at Seth G.S. Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India during period from January 2015 to July 2016. Maximum incidence of head injury was found in the age group of 21-30 years comprising 17 (26.57%) cases. Most common cause of head injury was road traffic accident 32 (50%). There was a significant disparity noted between autopsy and CT scan findings regarding bone fracture, intracranial haemorrhage and type of brain injury. Autopsy being a direct visual examination of the lesions can detect more pathological findings compared to CT scan, which is essentially an interpretation of images.