What is the radiographic hallmark of an acute intracranial hemorrhage on non-contrast CT?

• A. Hypodensity in the gray matter.
• B. Calcifications.
• C. Uniform isodensity throughout brain.
• D. Hyperdensity within brain tissue or ventricles indicating bleeding.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that acute intracranial hemorrhage shows up as hyperdensity on non-contrast CT. Fresh blood is denser (brighter) than surrounding brain tissue, so clotted blood in the brain or ventricles appears as a bright area. This high-attenuation signal is the hallmark of an acute bleed. Over time, the appearance can change as the blood products break down and edema develops, but in the very early, acute phase it is characteristically hyperdense. Other patterns like hypodensity would suggest edema or infarct, calcifications are typically chronic, and uniform isodensity wouldn’t indicate a new bleed.