title: Intervertebral disc injury complicating cervical spine trauma.
abstract: The incidence of acute herniated nucleus pulposus was determined in 55 patients with cervical spine trauma. A standardized protocol and a 1.5-T magnetic resonance image scanner was used to document a 42% incidence of acute herniated nucleus pulposus in patients studied within 72 hours of injury. The incidence of herniated nucleus pulposus was correlated with the patients' presenting neurologic status and mechanism of injury. The incidence of herniated nucleus pulposus was highest in patients with bilateral facet dislocations (80%) and anterior cord syndromes (100%). There was no statistically significant correlation between the incidence of herniated nucleus pulposus and patients' age or sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rizzolo
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cotler
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Balderston
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flanders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000150:complications*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors