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Diagnosing subarachnoid hemorrhage: are CT scans enough?

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Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a rare but potentially fatal cause of headache. According to results from a recent study, CT scans enable clinicians to identify patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, with a high sensitivity. Does CT imaging rule out the need for lumbar puncture in patients who present with headache?

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Change history

  • 22 February 2012

    In the version of this article initially published online, the author initial was incorrect for both the authors. The error has been corrected for the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK

    Peter J. Hutchinson & Peter J. Kirkpatrick

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  1. Peter J. Hutchinson
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  2. Peter J. Kirkpatrick
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Correspondence to Peter J. Hutchinson.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Hutchinson, P., Kirkpatrick, P. Diagnosing subarachnoid hemorrhage: are CT scans enough?. Nat Rev Neurol 8, 126–127 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.224

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