Had a terrible wreck here not long ago. A car full of teenagers had a run-in with Newton's first law, with tragic results. One fatality at the scene. Two to the Level 1 trauma center. Two to us. What you are seeing here is a reconstruction of a CT scan of the spine in the sagittal plane. Can you spot the abnormality?
Let me help you out:
Surprisingly (or at least fortunately), the patient was neurologically intact. There was some trivial numbness which was interpreted as possible impingement of the neural structures, so cord-dose steroids were given. But the spinal cord actually ends around L2, and the fracture site here is at T12-L1, so very little of the cord's length is at risk, and the spinal canal at that level is pretty capacious, so injuries there are often surprisingly well-tolerated.
I think back to my own teenage years and how I drove then. The report was that the speed in this accident was 85 in a 35, which was well within my capacity as a teen (though my 1980 Honda Civic could only hit 85 going downhill with a tailwind). Still, I remember calculating my skid into my turns routinely. It's a wonder that any of us survived. And now I am very happy that the states are moving towards graduated drivers' licensing for teenagers. I told my youngest son he could get his driver's license when he turns 21.
Let me help you out:
Surprisingly (or at least fortunately), the patient was neurologically intact. There was some trivial numbness which was interpreted as possible impingement of the neural structures, so cord-dose steroids were given. But the spinal cord actually ends around L2, and the fracture site here is at T12-L1, so very little of the cord's length is at risk, and the spinal canal at that level is pretty capacious, so injuries there are often surprisingly well-tolerated.
I think back to my own teenage years and how I drove then. The report was that the speed in this accident was 85 in a 35, which was well within my capacity as a teen (though my 1980 Honda Civic could only hit 85 going downhill with a tailwind). Still, I remember calculating my skid into my turns routinely. It's a wonder that any of us survived. And now I am very happy that the states are moving towards graduated drivers' licensing for teenagers. I told my youngest son he could get his driver's license when he turns 21.
3 comments:
I was out of control back then too. I had a 71 Camaro (still do actually) that I drove like crazy. I burned rubber and raced it on the street all the time. I had it up to 120+ several times on crappy tires and still to this day can't believe I did not wrap it around a tree.
Ouch!
oh, man, that makes my back hurt just looking at it!
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