Hi, Ive Been Having Some Head Pressure And Some Shortness

Posted on Sat, 13 Jul 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 13 Jul 2019 Answered on

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Question : Hi, Ive been having some head pressure and some shortness of breath. I'm 51 years old. my head pressure was so bad a couple weeks ago so I went to the ER and had a CT scan with no contrast. The ER doctor told me everything was normal but on the CT scan it said "minimal low attenuation changes in the left basal ganglia" the Impression said No CT evidence of acute intracranial process.
What is low attenution changes mean and should I be concerned and get it further evaluated by a neurologist? Thank you Tony

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Geting evaluated by a Neurologist is the right thing to do.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Äsk a Doctor" service.

I have read your query and the CT report that you uploaded.

Actually, the CT scan report states that there are some things to consider and evaluate further.

I'm not saying that your symptoms are justified by these findings, or that there is a serious condition, but, both remote insult and low attenuation changes should be evaluated further in order to find the cause.

The remote insult may be caused by high blood pressure, cardiac problems, etc., low attenuation changes in some cases may be linked to gliotic changes in the brain.

Besides evaluation by a Neurologist, I think that a brain MRI and cardiac workup are necessary in your case.

Discuss with your Neurologist for these issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng