Abstract
Traumatic injuries to the soft tissues of the neck encompass a broad spectrum of injuries, including to the aerodigestive tract and cervical neurovascular systems. Although rare, these injuries can potentially be life-threatening and may result in severe long-term morbidity. Accurate diagnosis, clinically oriented reports, and timely communication of critical findings are paramount for prompt surgical or airway management to prevent asphyxiation, long-term disabilities, stroke, and death. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive approach to the interpretation of imaging studies in patients with traumatic injuries to the soft tissue neck with an emphasis on laryngotracheal, pharyngoesophageal, cerebrovascular, and salivary gland injuries.
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
Mathisen DJ, Grillo H. Laryngotracheal trauma. Ann Thorac Surg. 1987;43(3):254–62.
Geddes AE, Burlew CC, Wagenaar AE, Biffl WL, Johnson JL, Pieracci FM, et al. Expanded screening criteria for blunt cerebrovascular injury: a bigger impact than anticipated. Am J Surg. 2016;212(6):1167–74.
Kiser AC, O’Brien SM, Detterbeck FC. Blunt tracheobronchial injuries: treatment and outcomes. Ann Thorac Surg. 2001;71(6):2059–65.
Yen K, Thali MJ, Aghayev E, Jackowski C, Schweitzer W, Boesch C, et al. Strangulation signs: initial correlation of MRI, MSCT, and forensic neck findings. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2005;22(4):501–10.
Kempter M, Ross S, Spendlove D, Flach PM, Preiss U, Thali MJ, et al. Post-mortem imaging of laryngohyoid fractures in strangulation incidents: first results. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2009;11(6):267–71.
Yen K, Vock P, Christe A, Scheurer E, Plattner T, Schön C, et al. Clinical forensic radiology in strangulation victims: forensic expertise based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Int J Legal Med. 2007;121(2):115–23.
Hatley W, Samuel E, Evison G. The pattern of ossification in the laryngeal cartilages: a radiological study. Br J Radiol. 1965;38:585–91.
Mupparapu M, Vuppalapati A. Ossification of laryngeal cartilages on lateral cephalometric radiographs. Angle Orthod. 2005;75(2):196–201.
Jurik AG. Ossification and calcification of the laryngeal skeleton. Acta Radiol Diagn (Stockh). 1984;25(1):17–22.
Zan E, Yousem DM, Aygun N. Asymmetric mineralization of the arytenoid cartilages in patients without laryngeal cancer. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2011;32(6):1113–8.
Shi J, Uyeda JW, Duran-Mendicuti A, Potter CA, Nunez DB. Multidetector CT of laryngeal injuries: principles of injury recognition. Radiographics. 2019;39(3):879–92.
Steenburg SD, Sliker CW, Shanmuganathan K, Siegel EL. Imaging evaluation of penetrating neck injuries. Radiographics. 2010;30(4):869–86.
Catala J, Puig J, Munoz JM, Vivancos J, Llopart JR. Perforation of the pharynx caused by blunt external neck trauma. Eur Radiol. 1998;8(1):137–40.
Demetriades D, Velmahos GG, Asensio JA. Cervical pharyngoesophageal and laryngotracheal injuries. World J Surg. 2001;25(8):1044–8.
Soliman AM, Ahmad SM, Roy D. The role of aerodigestive tract endoscopy in penetrating neck trauma. Laryngoscope. 2014;124(Suppl 7):S1–9.
Biffl WL, Ray CE Jr, Moore EE, Franciose RJ, Aly S, Heyrosa MG, et al. Treatment-related outcomes from blunt cerebrovascular injuries: importance of routine follow-up arteriography. Ann Surg. 2002;235(5):699–706; discussion −7.
Berne JD, Reuland KS, Villarreal DH, McGovern TM, Rowe SA, Norwood SH. Sixteen-slice multi-detector computed tomographic angiography improves the accuracy of screening for blunt cerebrovascular injury. J Trauma. 2006;60(6):1204–9; discussion 9–10.
Schneidereit NP, Simons R, Nicolaou S, Graeb D, Brown DR, Kirkpatrick A, et al. Utility of screening for blunt vascular neck injuries with computed tomographic angiography. J Trauma. 2006;60(1):209–15; discussion 15–6.
Cothren CC, Biffl WL, Moore EE, Kashuk JL, Johnson JL. Treatment for blunt cerebrovascular injuries: equivalence of anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents. Arch Surg. 2009;144(7):685–90.
Biffl WL, Moore EE, Offner PJ, Brega KE, Franciose RJ, Elliott JP, et al. Optimizing screening for blunt cerebrovascular injuries. Am J Surg. 1999;178(6):517–22.
Rutman AM, Vranic JE, Mossa-Basha M. Imaging and management of blunt cerebrovascular injury. Radiographics. 2018;38(2):542–63.
Biffl WL, Moore EE, Offner PJ, Brega KE, Franciose RJ, Burch JM. Blunt carotid arterial injuries: implications of a new grading scale. J Trauma. 1999;47(5):845–53.
Hunter MA, Santosh C, Teasdale E, Forbes KP. High-resolution double inversion recovery black-blood imaging of cervical artery dissection using 3T MR imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2012;33(11):E133–7.
Lewis G, Knottenbelt JD. Parotid duct injury: is immediate surgical repair necessary? Injury. 1991;22(5):407–9.
Van Sickels JE. Management of parotid gland and duct injuries. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2009;21(2):243–6.
Schaefer SD. The acute management of external laryngeal trauma: a 27-year experience. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992;118(6):598–604.
Fuhrman GM, Stieg FH 3rd, Buerk CA. Blunt laryngeal trauma: classification and management protocol. J Trauma. 1990;30(1):87–92.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hanaoka, M., Kurtz, R. (2023). Traumatic Injuries in the Soft Tissue Neck. In: Knollmann, F. (eds) Trauma Computed Tomography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45746-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45746-3_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-45745-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-45746-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)