Neck Trauma, Blunt, Anterior
Basics
Description
Description
- Blunt anterior neck trauma may result in various injuries to structures in the neck:
- Vascular:
- Carotid artery injury (internal, external, common carotid)
- Vertebral artery injury
- Intramural hematoma, intimal tear, thrombosis, and pseudoaneurysm
- Hemorrhage or neck hematoma
- Laryngotracheal:
- Laryngeal injuries: Fracture of hyoid bone, thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, cricotracheal separation
- Vocal cord disruption
- Dislocation of arytenoid cartilage
- Tracheal injuries: Hematoma or transection
- Pharyngoesophageal:
- Pharynx: Hematoma, perforation
- Esophagus: Hematoma, perforation
- Nervous system:
- Thoracic sympathetic chain wraps around carotid artery: Disruption can result in Horner syndrome
- Vagus nerve and recurrent laryngeal nerve
- Cervical nerve roots and spinal cord
- Cervical spine:
- Fracture of vertebral body, transverse process, spinous process, etc.
- Dislocation
- Vascular:
Etiology
Etiology
- Motor vehicle accidents (most common cause):
- Unrestrained occupants involved in frontal collisions may strike neck on dashboard or steering wheel: “Padded dash syndrome”
- Shoulder harness (seatbelt) can also cause shearing injury to anterior neck
- Assault: Blows to anterior neck from fists, kicks, or objects
- “Clothesline injury”:
- Motorcycle, snowmobile, jet ski, or all-terrain vehicle (ATV)
- Drivers strike neck on cord or wire suspended between 2 objects
- Strangulation
Pediatric Considerations
- Head is proportionally larger in children, increasing risk of acceleration–deceleration injury to neck
- Intraoral blow to soft palate may cause carotid thrombosis (e.g., popsicle in mouth of child who falls, pushing the object into soft palate)
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Neck Trauma, Blunt, Anterior." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307037/all/Neck_Trauma__Blunt__Anterior.
Neck Trauma, Blunt, Anterior. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307037/all/Neck_Trauma__Blunt__Anterior. Accessed October 13, 2024.
Neck Trauma, Blunt, Anterior. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307037/all/Neck_Trauma__Blunt__Anterior
Neck Trauma, Blunt, Anterior [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2024 October 13]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307037/all/Neck_Trauma__Blunt__Anterior.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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