High-risk chief complaints II: disorders of the head and neck

Abstract

Of the many different complaints of patients presenting to the emergency department, some of the most difficult to diagnose and manage involve pathology of the head and neck. Often diagnoses of conditions affecting this part of the body are elusive, and occasionally, even once the diagnosis has been made, the management of these disorders remains challenging. This article addresses some of the high-risk chief complaints of the head and neck regarding diagnosis and management. These complaints include headache, seizure, acute focal neurologic deficits, throat and neck pain, ocular emergencies, and the difficult airway.