title: Vessel injuries of the head and neck presenting in mandibular fractures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Extracranial vascular injuries of the head and neck are relatively underdiagnosed in patients with acute trauma and can carry devastating sequelae. We wished to identify the correlation between mandibular fractures and injuries to major vessels of the head and neck.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of our trauma registry was performed for the 1993-2007 period. The data on all mandibular fractures were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2288 patients presented to Parkland Memorial Hospital with mandibular fractures, of whom 47 (2%) had an injury to a major vessel of the neck. Nearly half, 23 (48.9%), were the result of high-velocity penetrating injuries, namely gunshot wounds, whereas 17 (36.2%) were the result of high-velocity blunt motor vehicle or motorcycle collisions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who sustain a mandibular fracture in the setting of a high-velocity mechanism should be approached with the possibility of vascular injury of the great vessels of the neck kept in mind.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Hans C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Brockhoff
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA. Electronic address: paul.tiwana.@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tiwana
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bebeau
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ceib
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000098:blood supply*; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D057772:Vascular System Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology