[The diagnosis and surgical treatment of neck wounds]

The authors share their experiences with treatment of wounds of the neck in 210 patients. Major vessels were injured in 85 of them (40.5%), arterial vessels being injured in 19 patients, venous vessels in 23 patients. 43 patients had wounds of the hollow, parenchymatous organs and nerves. All the patients with wounds of the hollow and parenchymatous organs recovered. Lethality among the patients with wounds of the major vessels was 11.9% and was due to a combination of injuries of the vessels and blood loss incompatible with life. Active surgical treatment of penetrating wounds of the neck with careful revision of the wound, use of emergency esophagogastroduodenoscopy, laryngotracheobronchoscopy, X-ray examination allow the amount of diagnostic errors and lethality to be reduced.