Computed Tomography (CT Brain) Flashcards
7 cards from real Computed Tomography Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Computed Tomography (CT Brain) flashcards as text
A CT brain performed for trauma shows a lens-shaped (biconvex) hyperdense collection between the inner table of the skull and the brain. The most likely source of bleeding is:
Answer: Middle meningeal artery
Epidural hematomas are most commonly caused by tearing of the middle meningeal artery, producing the classic biconvex hyperdense collection.
On CT perfusion imaging of the brain, 'ischemic penumbra' refers to tissue with:
Answer: Reduced CBF but preserved CBV, representing salvageable tissue
The penumbra has reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) but relatively preserved cerebral blood volume (CBV) due to autoregulatory vasodilation, representing at-risk but salvageable brain.
Which of the following brain CT findings is most consistent with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) following high-speed trauma?
Answer: Multiple small hemorrhages at the gray-white junction and corpus callosum
DAI results in petechial hemorrhages at gray-white junctions, corpus callosum, and brainstem due to rotational shear forces.
On a CT brain, the pineal gland is noted to be shifted 5 mm to the left of midline. This finding most directly suggests:
Answer: A right-sided mass or edema causing midline shift
The pineal gland is a reliable midline marker; shift away from the normal position indicates a mass or edema on the contralateral side pushing it.
CT angiography (CTA) of the brain is primarily used to evaluate:
Answer: Intracranial aneurysms and vascular malformations
CTA uses rapidly acquired post-contrast images to visualize the cerebral vasculature, detecting aneurysms, AVM, and large-vessel occlusions.
A CT brain shows a well-defined, homogeneously hyperdense extra-axial mass that broadly attaches to the inner table of the skull and causes hyperostosis of the adjacent bone. This is most consistent with:
Answer: Meningioma
Meningiomas are characteristically hyperdense on non-contrast CT, show homogeneous enhancement, have a dural base, and frequently cause adjacent bony hyperostosis.
In CT imaging, 'beam hardening artifact' in the posterior fossa is caused by:
Answer: Preferential absorption of low-energy X-ray photons by the dense temporal bones
Beam hardening occurs when dense bone absorbs low-energy photons, causing dark streaks between the temporal bones that obscure posterior fossa structures.