title: Hypopharyngeal perforation because of blunt neck trauma.
abstract: Hypopharyngeal rupture because of blunt neck trauma is an extremely rare clinical entity. Early diagnosis and appropriate management are of great importance, given that an overlooked injury can lead to catastrophic consequences. We herein describe the case of a 21-year-old man who presented with a knee injury after a low-speed motor cycle accident, but was otherwise asymptomatic. A detailed history was taken, whereas thorough clinical examination revealed slight tenderness of the anterior neck. Complete imaging examinations finally revealed characteristic findings of hypopharyngeal perforation. The patient was treated conservatively with success. A high degree of clinical suspicion is therefore the key to an early diagnosis and successful management of this rare injury.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Surgery, Army General Hospital, Athens, Greece. nikos_salemis@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nikolaos S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Salemis
authors.forename: Charalambos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alogdianakis
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gourgiotis
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karalis
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D006801:Humans; D007013:Hypopharynx / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012421:Rupture; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult