©BRIGHTSTRS EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NURS 5355 Mid-Term Exam Questions With
Verified Answers
Does conventional x-ray assess for intracranial abnormalities? - Answers✔No. Conventional x-
ray does not have a significant role in assessing for intracranial abnormalities
What does contrast do? - Answers✔Emphasizes certain structures by blocking x-rays. Appears
white on imaging.
What are indications for a CT Brain? - Answers✔Acute stroke/CVA or acute and severe
headache with suspicion of ICH or head trauma. Order non-contrasted CT Brain.
What can appear white on a non-contrasted CT Brain? - Answers✔Bone, blood, or metallic
foreign body.
When would you NOT give contrast? - Answers✔Contrast allergy or renal failure. DO NOT give
contrast if creatinine is greater than 1.5 mg/dL (can cause acute tubular necrosis)
What is the brain window? - Answers✔Brain window is used to assess densities that are close to
the average density of brain soft tissue. "Windowing"-the process for which CT imaging is
manipulated on a gray scale based on certain numbers to change or enhance the appearance of
the image to highlight specific features. Brain window has limited info on bone structures.
What is the bone window? - Answers✔Bone window looks at bone density. *Allows you to look
at both windows (brain and bone) when reviewing a CT brain. The windows allow the clinician
to optimize specific anatomic details.
What are the three plane views for CT brain? - Answers✔Axial, Coronal and Sagittal
What is the most common view to assess the brain? - Answers✔Axial view
What is white matter in the brain? - Answers✔White matter: centrally located, dark, high content
of myelinated axons.
What is gray matter in the brain? - Answers✔Gray matter: Externally located, lighter in color
and has fewer axons but higher number of cell bodies.
1
, ©BRIGHTSTRS EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Hypodense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Appears darker. Can be a result of infarcted tissue, air
and/or edema.
Isodense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Normal brain tissue.
Hyperdense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Appears lighter on imaging. Can result from
calcium, contrast administration, metal (such as aneurysm clips) or blood.
Will an initial CT brain show ischemic changes after an ischemic CVA? - Answers✔No, It may
not demonstrate ischemic changes. The areas of low attenuation and hypodensity may not be
present until 12-24 hours after the acute event.
What does a CT brain look like in someone who has had a hemorrhagic CVA? - Answers✔Areas
of increased attenuation and hyperdensity (white circle). The hyperdensity will be easily visible
on a non-contrasted CT due to the hemoglobin component within blood. Over time, the blood
becomes denser and will begin to appear more isodense.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has an epidural hematoma? - Answers✔Epidural
hematomas commonly appear as high density, extra-axial, biconvex and a lens-shaped "mass" in
the temporoparietal region. Epidural hematomas cannot cross sutures lines due to dura fusion to
the calvarium at the margins of the sutures.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has a subdural hematoma? - Answers✔Subdural
hematomas commonly appear with high attenuation and/or density areas that are crescent
shaped. Also can be concave. Overtime, it may become isodense.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has a subarachnoid hemorrhage? -
Answers✔Subarachnoid hemorrhage commonly appear with hyperdensity due to blood in the
basal cisterns and fissures. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is due to aneurysm rupture. "The worst
headache of my life."
What does hydrocephalus look like on CT brain? - Answers✔Hydrocephalus: Expansion of
ventricles due to increased CSF volume. Two types-communicating and non-communicating.
What is the difference between a brain mass vs. metastatic disease on CT brain? -
Answers✔Metastasis is more evident with contrast. Metastasis presents as "ring enhancement"
What are the two types of cerebral edema? - Answers✔Vasogenic: extracellular edema due to
increased permeability of brain capillaries (BBB breakdown). It is mainly in the white matter and
occurs due to malignancy or infection
Cytotoxic: intracellular edema due to an osmotic imbalance between the cell and the
extracellular fluid. It is mainly in the gray matter.
2
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NURS 5355 Mid-Term Exam Questions With
Verified Answers
Does conventional x-ray assess for intracranial abnormalities? - Answers✔No. Conventional x-
ray does not have a significant role in assessing for intracranial abnormalities
What does contrast do? - Answers✔Emphasizes certain structures by blocking x-rays. Appears
white on imaging.
What are indications for a CT Brain? - Answers✔Acute stroke/CVA or acute and severe
headache with suspicion of ICH or head trauma. Order non-contrasted CT Brain.
What can appear white on a non-contrasted CT Brain? - Answers✔Bone, blood, or metallic
foreign body.
When would you NOT give contrast? - Answers✔Contrast allergy or renal failure. DO NOT give
contrast if creatinine is greater than 1.5 mg/dL (can cause acute tubular necrosis)
What is the brain window? - Answers✔Brain window is used to assess densities that are close to
the average density of brain soft tissue. "Windowing"-the process for which CT imaging is
manipulated on a gray scale based on certain numbers to change or enhance the appearance of
the image to highlight specific features. Brain window has limited info on bone structures.
What is the bone window? - Answers✔Bone window looks at bone density. *Allows you to look
at both windows (brain and bone) when reviewing a CT brain. The windows allow the clinician
to optimize specific anatomic details.
What are the three plane views for CT brain? - Answers✔Axial, Coronal and Sagittal
What is the most common view to assess the brain? - Answers✔Axial view
What is white matter in the brain? - Answers✔White matter: centrally located, dark, high content
of myelinated axons.
What is gray matter in the brain? - Answers✔Gray matter: Externally located, lighter in color
and has fewer axons but higher number of cell bodies.
1
, ©BRIGHTSTRS EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Hypodense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Appears darker. Can be a result of infarcted tissue, air
and/or edema.
Isodense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Normal brain tissue.
Hyperdense tissue on CT brain: - Answers✔Appears lighter on imaging. Can result from
calcium, contrast administration, metal (such as aneurysm clips) or blood.
Will an initial CT brain show ischemic changes after an ischemic CVA? - Answers✔No, It may
not demonstrate ischemic changes. The areas of low attenuation and hypodensity may not be
present until 12-24 hours after the acute event.
What does a CT brain look like in someone who has had a hemorrhagic CVA? - Answers✔Areas
of increased attenuation and hyperdensity (white circle). The hyperdensity will be easily visible
on a non-contrasted CT due to the hemoglobin component within blood. Over time, the blood
becomes denser and will begin to appear more isodense.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has an epidural hematoma? - Answers✔Epidural
hematomas commonly appear as high density, extra-axial, biconvex and a lens-shaped "mass" in
the temporoparietal region. Epidural hematomas cannot cross sutures lines due to dura fusion to
the calvarium at the margins of the sutures.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has a subdural hematoma? - Answers✔Subdural
hematomas commonly appear with high attenuation and/or density areas that are crescent
shaped. Also can be concave. Overtime, it may become isodense.
What does a CT brain look like in someone that has a subarachnoid hemorrhage? -
Answers✔Subarachnoid hemorrhage commonly appear with hyperdensity due to blood in the
basal cisterns and fissures. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is due to aneurysm rupture. "The worst
headache of my life."
What does hydrocephalus look like on CT brain? - Answers✔Hydrocephalus: Expansion of
ventricles due to increased CSF volume. Two types-communicating and non-communicating.
What is the difference between a brain mass vs. metastatic disease on CT brain? -
Answers✔Metastasis is more evident with contrast. Metastasis presents as "ring enhancement"
What are the two types of cerebral edema? - Answers✔Vasogenic: extracellular edema due to
increased permeability of brain capillaries (BBB breakdown). It is mainly in the white matter and
occurs due to malignancy or infection
Cytotoxic: intracellular edema due to an osmotic imbalance between the cell and the
extracellular fluid. It is mainly in the gray matter.
2
