title: Elevated [11C]-D-deprenyl uptake in chronic Whiplash Associated Disorder suggests persistent musculoskeletal inflammation.
abstract: There are few diagnostic tools for chronic musculoskeletal pain as structural imaging methods seldom reveal pathological alterations. This is especially true for Whiplash Associated Disorder, for which physical signs of persistent injuries to the neck have yet to be established. Here, we sought to visualize inflammatory processes in the neck region by means Positron Emission Tomography using the tracer (11)C-D-deprenyl, a potential marker for inflammation. Twenty-two patients with enduring pain after a rear impact car accident (Whiplash Associated Disorder grade II) and 14 healthy controls were investigated. Patients displayed significantly elevated tracer uptake in the neck, particularly in regions around the spineous process of the second cervical vertebra. This suggests that whiplash patients have signs of local persistent peripheral tissue inflammation, which may potentially serve as a diagnostic biomarker. The present investigation demonstrates that painful processes in the periphery can be objectively visualized and quantified with PET and that (11)C-D-deprenyl is a promising tracer for these purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. linnman@nmr.mhg.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Clas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linnman
authors.forename: Lieuwe
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gordh
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Söderlund
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Långström
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Engler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012642:Selegiline / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013997:Time Factors; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D012642:Selegiline