Cranial CT of the unconscious adult patient

Unconscious patients are frequently referred to radiology departments for computed tomography (CT) of the brain. The objectives of these examinations are to define the underlying cause of impaired consciousness and in some cases to determine the severity of associated brain injury. There is often little history available to guide the clinician or radiologist, particularly in patients referred from the casualty department. In this review, we present the typical CT appearances of adult patients presenting with loss of consciousness for CT examination. We focus on the most common abnormalities that are identified in everyday radiological practice, emphasize important diagnostic signs that may enable a confident diagnosis to be made and discuss when further imaging may be warranted.