Reliability of cerebral edema interpretation on head computed tomography scan in mild and moderate traumatic brain injury

Introduction: Cerebral edema could be caused by mild or moderate traumatic brain injury. The primary modality for cerebral edema is head computed tomography (CT), however the interpretation could be different between radiologists which could be due to subjectivity. The purpose of this study is to determine the radiologist interobserver and intraobserver reliability in the interpretation of cerebral edema on head CT of mild and moderate traumatic brain injury in Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar, Bali. Methods: Retrospective study design with interobserver and intraobserver reliability test of two radiologists in interpreting cerebral edema on head CT of patients with mild and moderate traumatic brain injury Results: 35 head CT scans of patients with clinical history of mild or moderate traumatic brain injury, shows that significant differences (bias) intraobserver and interobserver in the interpretation of cerebral edema. Conclusion: Head CT scan could not be reliable to determine cerebral edema in patients with mild and moderate traumatic brain injury due to high subjectivity between radiologists.