New Study Finds Whiplash May Cause Anatomical Changes to Brain

Aug. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- (White Plains, NY)… While it has long been known that whiplash can cause injuries to the cervical spine, a new study published in the July issue of the journal Brain Injury shows that whiplash may also cause anatomical changes to the brain.

According to Dr. Ezriel E. Kornel, M.D., F.A.C.S., a principal with Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York in White Plains, and a co-author of the Brain Injury article, “The study examined the MRI scans of 1200 neck pain patients and found that those patients suffering from whiplash were more likely to have anatomical changes to the brain, specifically, a herniation of the brain called Chiari malformation, in which the bottom part of the brain (the cerebellum) dips through an opening in the base of the skull.”

This condition can be quite painful and endanger the patient’s health, with symptoms that may include headaches, neck pain, upper extremity numbness and tingling, and weakness. In a few cases, there can also be lower extremity weakness and brain dysfunction. Dr. Kornel advises anyone suffering from whiplash to see a physician immediately.

Dr. Kornel will discuss his latest findings about whiplash on his WOR-AM radio show, “Back Talk Live,” a call-in medical show devoted to back and neck pain, and brain disorders.  “Whiplash: More Than Just a Pain in the Neck” will air on August 15 at 7:30 pm. (podcast available at www.backtalkliveonair.com). Dr. Kornel’s guest will be Dr. Michael D.
Freeman, associate professor in the Public Health and Preventive Medicine Department at Oregon Health and Science University and the lead author of the Brain Injury journal article on whiplash.

The other co-authors are: Scott Rosa, David Harshfield, Francis Smith, Robert Bennett, Christopher J. Centeno, Ake Nystrom, Dan Heffez and Sean S. Kohles.
A summary of the Brain Injury journal article can be found online at:  http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/02699052.201...



About Ezriel E. Kornel

On the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Kornel has been a principal of Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York since 1990. He is a leader in minimally invasive endoscopic surgery of the spine as well as minimally invasive approaches in the surgical treatment of brain tumors. He was trained in Stockholm in the use of the Gamma Knife, and, when indicated, utilizes this stereotactic technique for the treatment of brain tumors as well as the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Dr. Kornel is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.  He has a clinical academic appointment in the Columbia University Department of Neurosurgery and was formerly an assistant clinical professor in the Yale University Department of Neurosurgery.

Dr. Kornel is a current board member and past president of the New York State Neurological Society.  He is a New York delegate to the Council of State Neurological Societies and is on the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

In addition to serving as director of the Institute for Neurosciences at Northern Westchester Hospital, Dr. Kornel is affiliated with some of the leading hospitals in Westchester and Fairfield counties.

Dr. Kornel gained his initial expertise during his neurological residency at the George Washington University Medical Center under the tutelage of Hugo Rizzoli, M.D., at the time one of the most renowned and respected neurosurgeons in the world.  He has authored many scientific articles relating to neurosurgery and has written a chapter in an online textbook regarding management of cervical spine trauma. Involved in the early development of instrumentation to allow for endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery techniques, Dr. Kornel is the inventor of instrumentation for percutaneous spine fusions with a patent pending.