ABSTRACT
Physical Examination Physical examination of the patient suffering a penetrating wound to the neck includes ensuring the patient’s airway is secure and determining if definitive signs of a cervical vascular injury such as active hemorrhage, palpable thrill, audible bruit, expanding hematoma, or a neurologic deficit are present. The location of the injury in relation to neck structures can guide initial diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers. Monson and colleagues originally divided the anterior neck into three zones.(6) Figure 5.1 is from the original article by Monson and colleagues and defines the zones of the anterior neck. In Monson’s original classification, injuries in zone II are located between the head of the clavicles and the angle of the mandible. Zone I represents an injury below the clavicular head, and zone III penetration is above the angle of the mandible.
