We aimed to determine head computed tomography (CT) scan rate in the children presenting with non-traumatic headache who visited an Australian community teaching hospital emergency department. This was a planned substudy of an investigation of the epidemiology of headache in children presenting to the emergency department. A total of 225 children were studied; 6 underwent CT scan (CT scan rate, 2.7%; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–5.7). No intracranial pathology was identified. The rate was much lower than previously reported. The optimal CT scan rate for children presenting with headache remains unclear and is worthy of further research.
Child ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epidemiology ; Head ; Headache ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed