Common surgical problems of the head and neck

In most cases of epistaxis, bleeding can be controlled with anterior nasal packing or a Foley balloon catheter. If this fails, posterior packing and otolaryngologic consultation are indicated. In initial assessment of injuries of the head and neck, a classification that is useful divides the region into the following anatomic systems: integumentary, respiratory, vascular, neurologic, musculoskeletal, and digestive. The possible effects of injury on each of these must be considered. The early detection of asymptomatic cancers of the head and neck by primary care physicians depends in large part on a routine of systematic examination and a knowledge of the clinicopathologic course of the disease. A seemingly harmless lump in the neck may well be a cervical node metastasis from an occult primary tumor.