Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41288735›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2025

Limited clinical utility in the anatomical zones of the neck in selecting patients with gunshot wounds to the neck for imaging.

William Yeung, Victor Kong, Daniel Lee, Jonathan Ko, Reuben He, Joshua Ahn, Hong Lee, Howard Wain, Wanda Bekker, Damian Clarke

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Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

William YeungDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Victor KongDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. victorywkong@yahoo.com.
Daniel LeeDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jonathan KoDepartment of Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
Reuben HeDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Joshua AhnDepartment of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Hong LeeDepartment of Surgery, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Howard WainDepartment of Surgery, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Wanda BekkerDepartment of Surgery, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Damian ClarkeDepartment of Surgery, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe traditional approach to the assessment and management, of penetrating neck injury relies heavily on the anatomical zones of the neck. This is particularly germane to identifying patients who need imaging. The rise of modern CT angiography as a safe, reliable and ubiquitous imaging modality, has called this into question. MATERIALS AND

methodsA retrospective study was conducted at a major trauma centre in South Africa over a twelve-year period on all patients with gunshot wounds (GSWs) to the neck. The correlation between external wound and the actual internal injuries were examined.

resultsTwo hundred and thirty-nine (239) patients were included (91% male, mean age: 32 years, SD 12). The most encountered external wound was Zone II with 76 (32%) patients, followed by Zone I with 46 (20%) and Zone III with 37 (15%). The 239 patients sustained a total of 119 internal injuries. Of these 119 internal injuries, 45% (53) did not correlate with the level of the external wound. The internal injuries identified were, vascular in 39 cases of which there were 28 exclusive arterial injuries: 28 exclusive venous injures and four combined arterial and venous injuries. There were seven aerodigestive tract injuries and 44 and nerve injuries. The overall mortality rate was 7% (16).

conclusionsThe level of the external neck wound following a GSW of the neck, correlates poorly with any internal injury. This calls into question the clinical utility of the traditional zonal approach in streamlining the management of these patients.

Indexed as

Computed Tomography AngiographyNeckNeck InjuriesWounds, GunshotAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient SelectionRetrospective StudiesSouth AfricaTrauma CentersYoung AdultGunshot woundNeck zonesSouth AfricaTrauma

Identifiers

PMID41288735

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.