Supplemental PowerPoint Slides
Crippling Upper Back Pain After Whiplash and
Other Motor Vehicle Collisions Caused by Thoracic
Disc Herniations: Report of 10 Cases
Erwin M. J. Cornips, MD
Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht
University Medical Center, Maastricht, The
Netherlands
Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of this slide is prohibited
Supplemental PowerPoint Slides
• Motor vehicle collision victims often report
persisting, crippling upper back pain
4 patterns of pain determining most variance in
pain localization after motor vehicle collisions
Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of this slide is prohibited
Supplemental PowerPoint Slides
• Posttraumatic upper back pain
– often regarded as
• aspecific
• related to a whiplash injury to the neck
– may be caused by a thoracic disc herniation
•
•
•
•
preexisting
may be calcified
may be accompanied by myelomalacia
may have been previously asymptomatic
Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of this slide is prohibited
Supplemental PowerPoint Slides
• Exact pathophysiological mechanism of
thoracic disc herniation related pain
– essentially unknown
– likely multifactorial
•
•
•
•
mechanical
(cord compression)
ischemic
(venous congestion)
inflammation
trauma
(catalyzator)
Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of this slide is prohibited
Supplemental PowerPoint Slides
• Results after adequate cord decompression
through thoracoscopic microdiscectomy
are encouraging
• Clinicians dealing with motor vehicle collisions
(including whiplash injuries) should be aware
of this previously unknown association
Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of this slide is prohibited