Evaluation and management of penetrating neck trauma

ntroduction: Because of the density of deep critical structures in neck and special anatomy, the choice of treatment and evaluation for penetrating neck trauma still remains controversial. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study carried out in Imam Khomeini hospital over ۵ years period on ۶۵ patients with penetrating neck trauma. Demographic data of patients were investigated by using descriptive method.Results: According to this study, penetrating neck trauma is more seen among young males injured with stab wounds in zone II of the neck. All negative surgical cases are due to injuries from stab wounds. On the basis of information gathered, damage to major neck vessels is the most usual injury and the only cause of death. In all patients who had evidence of damage in diagnostic evaluation, the problem also found during operation. Patients who didn't have any evidence of injury in diagnostic evaluations and didn't undergo surgery, discharged without any complication. Conclusion: While evaluating and treating patients with penetrating neck trauma in situations without critical conditions and available diagnostic instruments, using them because of their accuracy specially for areas with complicated anatomy for surgery (zone I, III) and also using continuous clinical examination in vulnerable neck areas (zone II) is safe and practical.