Dr. Joseph Maroon & ‘Neurosurgery’ 2004: The Corrupt NFL Pellman-Casson-Lovell Research Team Weighs In

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Neurosurgery, January 2004 – “Duration of Cognitive Impairment after Sports Concussion.” Authors: Joseph Bleiberg, Ph.D., Alison N. Cernich, Ph.D., Kenneth Cameron, M.S., ATC, Wenyu Sun, M.D., M.P.H., Karen Peck, M. Ed., ATC, James Ecklund LTC (P), M.D., Dennis Reeves CDR, Ph.D., John Uhorchak COL, M.D., Molly B. Sparling, B.A., Deborah L. Warden, M.D.

COMMENT

A military study with no significant new findings. They “are consistent with the American Academy of Neurology” guidelines “suggesting a 1-week time-out from participation in contact sports” following a concussion.

In his published comment, Dr. Maroon observed: “Neurocognitive testing has been deemed the ‘cornerstone’ of proper concussion assessment and management.”

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Neurosurgery, January 2004 – “Concussion in Professional Football: Epidemiological Features of Game Injuries and Review of the Literature – Part 3.” Authors: Elliot J. Pellman, M.D., John W. Powell, Ph.D., David C. Viano, Dr. med., Ph.D., Ira R. Casson, M.D., Henry Feuer, M.D., Mark Lovell, Ph.D., Joseph F. Waeckerle, M.D., Douglas W. Robertson, M.D.

COMMENT

All nine co-authors were members of the National Football League’s Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. Since then, Dr. Pellman and Dr. Casson, in particular, have been thoroughly disgraced in separate rounds of Congressional hearings; and a reminder to all that Lovell is one of Dr. Maroon’s University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and ImPACT Applications colleagues. See this blog, passim.

The article reported on an 1996-2001 NFL study “to determine the circumstances, causes, and outcomes” of concussions. Encompassing 3,826 team games and 787 reported cases, it concluded that quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive secondaries were the most vulnerable to concussions. There were “2.74 symptoms/injury, and players were generally removed from the game. More than one-half of the players returned to play within 1 day, and symptoms resolved in a short time in the vast majority of cases.”

Maroon’s published comment: “The incidence was only 0.41 percussion per NFL game” (though he added that “this seemingly low incidence” was mitigated by the dependence on players themselves to report their symptoms). “The NFL and the members of the MTBI Committee of the NFL are to be commended for their concise and succinct summary.” He did not bother with a disclaimer that he was himself a member of the committee.

Series “Dr. Maroon & Neurosurgery” will continue in following posts.

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Irv Muchnick

1 Comment

  1. Joe Bloggs says:

    I think Maroon, Collins and Lovell failed to identify themselves as owners of ImPact in the original publication.

Concussion Inc. - Author Irvin Muchnick