Soft tissue neck injuries or cervical spine distortion (CSD) injuries are dominant injuries in all claimed car collisions. The injury mechanisms are currently not fully understood because some symptoms are rated subjectively and even modern radiological imaging techniques (CT, MRI, PET et cetera) can not detect structures damaged. A first attempt was made using the new internationally accepted QTF (Quebec Task Force) classification on CSD injuries to differentiate between three grades of this minor (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 1) injury. This was done within a large retrospective insurance data material, which covers 15.000 car to car collisions with injured occupants in Germany. From this sample, 517 rear-end collisions have been analysed medically and technically in order to get an overview about the real accident scenario. The task of this investigation is to identify risk factors and population at risk, and to define countermeasures against this epidemic injury which can also cause long-term problems. (A)
Abstract