ED neuroimaging surged 45% over the past decade

Emergency department neuroimaging use increased by 45% over the last ten years, rising far faster than ED visit volumes, raising downstream concerns around incidental findings, length of stay, and cost without proportional changes in acuity.

• Design: retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of a large national database; exact patient/exam numbers not provided in source.
• The rise was driven mainly by CT head exams, particularly among older adults with minor trauma or dizziness.
• Single most important limitation: descriptive ecological data cannot establish whether the additional imaging was appropriate or improved outcomes.

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