Should a CT Head be a standard part of the diagnostic process for dementia in New Zealand?

Timely diagnosis of dementia is being encouraged in both primary and secondary care settings in New Zealand via the creation and promotion of internet-based dementia clinical pathways. There is no national consensus about the circumstances in which neuroimaging should be recommended and funded within these pathways. This lack of agreement is driven by uncertainty about the rationale for neuroimaging in the diagnosis of dementia as well as the costs involved. This paper summarises all relevant international guidelines to inform a recommendation that a CT Head should be routine in the dementia work up in the New Zealand setting.