What Does My CT Scan Test Report Indicate?

Posted on Thu, 5 Nov 2015

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

Fri, 6 Nov 2015 Answered on

Thu, 26 Nov 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : The patient struck his head on the pavement after a P/U Truck hit his scooter. The initial Ct scan following the crash shows interparenchymal hemorrhage in the temporal lobe on the left with subdural hematoma as well as extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage. Pneumocephalus is seen in the temporal region---consistent with a basilar skull fracture in the left frontotemporal lobe with associated encephalomalacia. The radiologist's report states that the area of encephalomalacia is most likely related to the interparenchymal hemotoma in the left temporal lobe seen following the accident.

After the accident, the patient began hallucinating and has become delusional, He is aggressive and paranoid.

Question: Can hallucinations and/or delusions result from this type of injury. If so, please state a source of authority.

Answered by Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Consultation

Detailed Answer:
Traumatic brain injury such as this can certainly result in psychosis. This is most common when the injury involves either temporal lobe, as it does in this case. Psychotic symptoms following traumatic brain injury include hallucinations, delusions, and aggression.

Below is a link to a recent (2009) review article abstract on the subject in the journal "Brain Injury." There should be many articles you can access searching for this subject on pubmed.com.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/0000

My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX psychiatrist working in New York City. For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, or individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: tinyurl.com/DrSheppeAnswers

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D