We too have become concerned with the sensitivity of CT for the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The initial draft of our communication was written 16 months before publication and expressed great enthusiasm for CT diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage. At revision of the proofs six months ago, this enthusiasm was tempered conspicuously to a bare statement citing the results of Scotti et al.
Since that time, we, in addition to Christopher Moran, MD, and Mokhtar Gado, MD, have reviewed a small series of 31 patients in whom CT and lumbar puncture were performed within a short time of each other and both within the first two days of initial clinical signs and symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Computerized tomography successfully detected subarachnoid hemorrhage in 27 (87%) of 31 cases; however, it failed to demonstrate the subarachnoid hemorrhage in four (13%) of the patients, including some with grossly bloody CSF at