Abstract
The plain film maintains an important role in the assessment of pathology in the head and neck. Accurate interpretation warrants correlation with clinical evaluation and utilising a systematic reporting approach. A single lateral soft tissue neck plain film radiograph remains an invaluable tool in identifying pathology in the aerodigestive tract. Knowledge of normal anatomy, including variants that may mimic pathology, awareness of the locations of foreign body impaction and relevant radiographic differentials pertaining to paediatric patients will all be reviewed in this chapter. Emphasis is also placed on recognising the ancillary “soft signs” in plain film interpretation, which include prevertebral soft tissue thickening, submucosal air and accompanying loss of the normal cervical lordosis, which are vital for accurate interpretation. CT also has a role in anatomical assessment, identifying the location of pathology and reviewing potential complications, including deep neck infections. The role of OPG and mandibular radiographs are also discussed. Optimal management approaches are also included.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Virk JS, Pang J, Okhovat S, Lingam RK, Singh A. Analysing lateral soft tissue neck radiographs. Emerg Radiol. 2012;19:255–60.
Chen MY, Bohrer SP. Radiographic measurement of prevertebral soft tissue thickness on lateral radiographs of the neck. Skelet Radiol. 1999;28:444–6.
Dai LY, Jia LS. Radiographic measurement of the prevertebral soft tissue of cervical vertebrae. Chin Med J. 1994;107:471–3.
Vella EE, Booth PJ. Foreign body in the oesophagus. Br Med J. 1965;2:1042.
Leong HK, Chan RK. Foreign bodies in the upper digestive tract. Singap Med J. 1987;28:162–5.
Knight LC, Lesser TH. Fish bones in the throat. Arch Emergency Med. 1989;6:13–6.
Nandi P, Ong GB. Foreign body in the oesophagus: review of 2394 cases. Br J Surg. 1978;65:5–9.
Adhikari PSB, Baskota DK, Sinha BK. Accidental foreign body ingestion: analysis of 163 cases. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2007;11:3.
Carr AJ. Radiology of fish bone foreign bodies in the neck. J Laryngol Otol. 1987;101:2.
Karnwal A, Ho EC, Hall A, Molony N. Lateral soft tissue neck X-rays: are they useful in management of upper aero-digestive tract foreign bodies? J Laryngol Otol. 2008;122:845–7.
Adhikari PBR, Pokharel R, Baskota DK, Sinha BK. Role of plain X-ray soft tissue neck lateral view in the diagnosis of cervical esophageal foreign bodies. Intern J Otorhinolaryngol. 2009;8.
Evans RM, Ahuja A, Rhys Williams S, Van Hasselt CA. The lateral neck radiograph in suspected impacted fish bones–does it have a role? Clin Radiol. 1992;46:121–3.
Haglund S, Haverling M, Kuylenstierna R, Lind MG. Radiographic diagnosis of foreign bodies in the oesophagus. J Laryngol Otol. 1978;92:1117–25.
Silva AB, Muntz HR, Clary R. Utility of conventional radiography in the diagnosis and management of pediatric airway foreign bodies. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1998;107:834–8.
Walner DL, Ouanounou S, Donnelly LF, Cotton RT. Utility of radiographs in the evaluation of pediatric upper airway obstruction. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1999;108:378–83.
Wu IS, Ho TL, Chang CC, Lee HS, Chen MK. Value of lateral neck radiography for ingested foreign bodies using the likelihood ratio. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale. 2008;37:292–6.
de Lucas EM, Ruiz-Delgado ML, Garcia-Baron PL, Sadaba P, Pagola MA. Foreign esophageal body impaction: multimodality imaging diagnosis. Emerg Radiol. 2004;10:216–7.
Maroldi R, Farina D, Ravanelli M, Lombardi D, Nicolai P. Emergency imaging assessment of deep neck space infections. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2012;33:432–42.
Craig FW, Schunk JE. Retropharyngeal abscess in children: clinical presentation, utility of imaging, and current management. Pediatrics. 2003;111:1394–8.
Goldenberg D, Golz A, Joachims HZ. Retropharyngeal abscess: a clinical review. J Laryngol Otol. 1997;111:546–50.
Hartmann RW. Recognition of retropharyngeal abscess in children. Am Fam Physician. 1992;46:193–6.
Zoorob R, Sidani M, Murray J. Croup: an overview. Am Fam Physician. 2011;83:1067–73.
Isakson M, Hugosson S. Acute epiglottitis: epidemiology and Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype distribution in adults. J Laryngol Otol. 2011;125:390–3.
Sobol SE, Zapata S. Epiglottitis and croup. Otolaryngol Clin N Am. 2008;41:551–66. ix
Shpizner BA, Holliday RA, Roland JT, Cohen NL, Waltzman SB, Shapiro WH. Postoperative imaging of the multichannel cochlear implant. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1995;16:1517–24.
Arweiler-Harbeck D, Monninghoff C, Greve J, et al. Imaging of electrode position after cochlear implantation with flat panel CT. ISRN Otolaryngol. 2012;2012:728205.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Virk, J.S., Lingam, R.K. (2021). On Call Modality Selection: Is the Plain Film Dead?. In: Tatla, T.S., Manjaly, J., Kumar, R., Weller, A. (eds) Head and Neck Imaging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80897-6_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80897-6_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80895-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80897-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)