2007 to 2022 Saw Increase in Receipt of Head CT in Emergency Care

MONDAY, Nov. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The percentage of emergency department encounters receiving computed tomography (CT) of the head increased from 2007 to 2022, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in Neurology.Layne Dylla, M.D., Ph.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database from 2007 to 2022 to examine the odds of an emergency department encounter receiving a CT scan of the head.The researchers found that the weighted number of emergency department encounters that received a head CT was 7,841,855 in 2007, and it had more than doubled to 15,977,551 by 2022, representing an increase from 6.7 to 10.3 percent of encounters. No significant interaction was seen between time and sex, but the interaction between time and age was highly significant. Compared with patients aged younger than 18 years, those aged 65 years or older had 6.24 times the odds of receiving a head CT, after controlling for year, month, and chief concern at emergency department admission. Black patients, those on Medicaid, and those from a rural hospital were less likely to receive a head CT (odds ratios, 0.90, 0.82, and 0.76, respectively)."Overall, these results highlight the need for more equitable access to neuroimaging in emergency care and further evaluation of the appropriateness of every head CT according to clinical recommendations," Dylla said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and technology industries; one has a patent pending for stroke wearables licensed to Alva Health.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)Editorial (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

2007 to 2022 Saw Increase in Receipt of Head CT in Emergency Care

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