[Expert Assessment of Traumatic Disc Herniations]. / Gutachtliche Beurteilung des traumatischen Bandscheibenvorfalls.

In numerous legal areas, expert assessments are needed to clarify the causality of herniated discs: Was the damage caused by an accident? The literature mentions specific requirements regarding the trauma mechanism as well as temporal criteria, which prescribe the causality test. These are essentially high-energy traumas with immediate functional impairments. Accident-related MRI examinations are of paramount importance in the expert assessment process to confirm the primary body harm. In examining the causality constituting liability, competitive causes must be assessed. Since the legal requirements of the causality test differ in civil and social law, legal norms need to be taken into account. We present a test scheme that supports the assessment process through entry, implementation and decision-making levels.

[Expert Evidence in Whiplash Injury]. / Begutachtung der HWS-Distorsion.

The assessment of cervical spine injuries is not a problem - provided full evidence of primary physical damage can be ensured. MRI examinations of the cervical spine carried out soon after the accident provide the best evidence. The assessment is more difficult if only clinical abnormalities are documented by the doctors after the accident in the diagnosis of cervical spine distortion, as functional results of this type are not specific and are also common in the general population. The legal rules of evidence must be taken into account in the summary assessment of the consequences of cervical spine injuries. Testing schemes are available which allow structured assessment of cervical spine injuries and help to avoid incorrect assessments.