Radiologic diagnosis of non-traumatic paediatric head and neck emergencies

Abstract

Imaging plays a crucial role in evaluating paediatric patients with non-traumatic head and neck lesions in an emergency setting because clinical manifestations of these entities can overlap. For this reason, radiologists must be familiar with the clinical and imaging findings of prevalent paediatric head and neck emergencies. In this review, we present techniques and imaging clues for common complications of pathological processes in the paediatric head and neck, with a focus on the clinical scenario as a starting point for the radiologic approach.

Keywords: Children; Computed tomography; Diagnostic imaging; Emergencies; Head; Magnetic resonance imaging; Neck; Ultrasound.