A Man With Headaches Following a Minor Automobile Accident
A 26-year-old man presents for evaluation of headaches that began the day after he was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident 1 week earlier. While stopped at a red light, the car he was driving was struck from behind by another car traveling approximately 10 miles per hour. He recalls being thrown forwards and backwards, sustaining a "whiplash-type" injury, but the airbag did not deploy and he did not hit his head or lose consciousness. He did not seek medical attention until the next day, when he developed neck pain and generalized throbbing headaches. At that time, a head CT was interpreted as normal (images not available for review).
The severe headaches persisted and the patient subsequently underwent MRI scan of the brain, which was abnormal, and he was then referred for a neurologic evaluation. He denies pertinent past medical or surgical history. His neurologic examination is notable only for mild short-term memory impairment.
The following MR images were acquired on a Philips 1.5 Tesla magnet 6 days after the accident and include axial T1, T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), sagittal T1, as well as postcontrast (gadopentate) T1 in the axial and coronal planes.
A 26-year-old man presents for evaluation of headaches that began the day after he was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident 1 week earlier. While stopped at a red light, the car he was driving was struck from behind by another car traveling approximately 10 miles per hour. He recalls being thrown forwards and backwards, sustaining a "whiplash-type" injury, but the airbag did not deploy and he did not hit his head or lose consciousness. He did not seek medical attention until the next day, when he developed neck pain and generalized throbbing headaches. At that time, a head CT was interpreted as normal (images not available for review).
The severe headaches persisted and the patient subsequently underwent MRI scan of the brain, which was abnormal, and he was then referred for a neurologic evaluation. He denies pertinent past medical or surgical history. His neurologic examination is notable only for mild short-term memory impairment.
The following MR images were acquired on a Philips 1.5 Tesla magnet 6 days after the accident and include axial T1, T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), sagittal T1, as well as postcontrast (gadopentate) T1 in the axial and coronal planes.