Things We Do for No Reason: Neuroimaging for Hospitalized Patients with Delirium

Performing neuroimaging in undifferentiated patients who develop delirium while hospitalized has a low diagnostic yield, is costly, and is potentially harmful. Neuroimaging should be reserved for those with identified risk factors for intracranial pathology. For the patient described in the initial vignette with no risk factors for intracranial cause, neuroimaging would be unlikely to contribute to her care. To change provider beliefs and behaviors regarding neuroimaging, prospective studies evaluating guideline implementation are needed. However, based on the current evidence, neuroimaging should be reserved for those with identified risk factors.

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Disclosures

The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.