Variant 5: Subacute or Chronic Closed Head Injury With Cognitive and/or Neurologic Deficit(s)*
| Radiologic Exam Procedure | Appropriateness Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| MRI, head, without contrast | 8 | |
| CT, head, without contrast | 6 | |
| MRA, head and neck | 4 | For selected cases |
| CTA, head and neck | 4 | For selected cases |
| NUC, SPECT | 4 | For selected cases |
| PET | 4 | For selected cases |
| MRI, head, without and with contrast | 3 | |
| fMRI, head | 2 | |
| X-ray, skull | 2 | |
| X-ray and/or CT, cervical spine | 2 | Assuming there are no spinal neurologic deficits |
| CT, head, without and with contrast | 2 | |
| INV, cerebral angiography | 1 | |
| CT, head, xenon-enhanced | 1 | |
| US, transcranial Doppler | 1 |
Appropriateness Criteria Scale: 1 = least appropriate; 9 = most appropriate. Abbreviations are as defined in Table 1.
* Head Trauma: American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria for Neuroimaging.23