Whiplash: chronic organic brain syndrome without hydrocephalus ex vacuo.

Eleven patients who had sustained whiplash injuries to the neck were studied by pneumo-encephalography, by a variety of psychological tests, and by psychiatric evaluation with a view to assessing whether organic CNS changes might, in some cases, be a consequence of such injuries. Patients with traumatic encephalopathy, and age- and sex-matched groups of patients served as control groups. Pneumoencephalography showed normal findings in the whiplash group as a whole, the width of the ventricular system being significantly smaller than that of patients with traumatic encephalopathy. Psychological tests and psychiatric evaluation indicated that organic brain pathology was present in the whiplash patients, although to a lesser extent than in patients with traumatic encephalopathy.