No access

Article

Published Online: January 1942

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VERTEBRAL FRACTURES AS A COMPLICATION OF METRAZOL THERAPY

NORMAN L. EASTON and JOSEPH SOMMERSAuthors Info & Affiliations

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 98, Number 4

https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.98.4.538

Get Access

Abstract

1. Comparing films of the spine taken before and after treatment in a series of 200 metrazol-treated cases, a fracture incidence of 23 per cent was found.

2. Fractures were found more frequently in males (28.6 per cent) than in females (19 per cent).

3. The incidence of fractures is much greater in patients over 55 years of age and under 21. In the former group, we believe this is due to the relative osteoporosis present in the spine, while the fact that the spines in the young age group have not attained their full adult strength is a contributing factor to the increase in injury in this class.

4. The mental condition present and its duration show no relationship to the incidence of fracture in these patients.

5. Metrazol does not appear to affect the calcium metabolism in the body.

6. In the 46 cases, 111 vertebral bodies were fractured, i. e., 2.4 per patient. No other parts of the vertebrae were involved, and no dislocations occurred. This would explain the absence of spinal cord involvement.

7. All the fractures occurred in the dorsal spine, the fourth, fifth and sixth being the most frequently injured.

8. Multiple fractures occurred more often in males than in females, due, in our opinion, to the greater muscular development of the former and the more powerful convulsions produced in them.

9. In agreement with other published reports, we have found that the symptoms produced are much milder than would be expected from examination of the radiographs of the injured spines.

10. We strongly recommend that routine pre-treatment lateral radiographic examinations of the thoracic spine should be done to determine the presence of any contra-indications, and to discover any irregularities in the appearance of the vertebræ which might simulate minor injuries and thus confuse the issue when post-treatment films are examined. All cases should be x-rayed after treatment to diagnose symptomatic and asymptomatic fractures.

11. Kyphosis, scoliosis, arthritis, nuclear change and old fractures are no contra-indication to metrazol therapy. Osteoporosis appears to be a contra-indication.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Get Access

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 98 • Number 4 • January 1942

Pages: 538 - 543

History

Published in print: January 1942

Published online: 1 April 2006

Authors

Details

NORMAN L. EASTON

View all articles by this author

JOSEPH SOMMERS

View all articles by this author

The Department of Psychiatry, division of research, Toronto Psychiatric Hospital.

The Department of Radiology, Toronto General Hospital.

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format	RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks
Direct importt
Citation style
Style

Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR^® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VERTEBRAL FRACTURES AS A COMPLICATION OF METRAZOL THERAPY

Abstract

Get full access to this article