Most CTs of the head are made without IV contrast, as there is limited advantage of contrast for initial investigations for stroke, intracranial bleeding or skeletal trauma. In the acute setting, it is also acceptable to have a CT head without contrast if a tumor is part of a list of differential diagnoses but not the most likely cause. It is then generally possible to to a complementary [[MRI of the head]] if a suspicion of a tumor remains. However, if a tumor is strongly suspected in an initial acute setting, it is usually appropriate to do a CT with and without IV contrast.
==Normal anatomy==
[[File:Computed tomography of human brain (5).png|thumb|link=CT of normal anatomy of the head|CT of the head with normal anatomy. {{noprint|[[CT of normal anatomy of the head|Click here to scroll through the image stacks.]]}}]]