Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Imaging of Pediatric Head and Neck Emergencies

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe

  • 1795 Accesses

Abstract

Acute emergencies of the head and neck in children are wide-ranging. Frequently, these conditions are challenging to diagnose, mainly because clinical history and physical examinations are limited, particularly in younger children. The spectrum of conditions seen in the emergency setting can be divided depending on the specific area of involvement, as congenital, infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic, and traumatic conditions. Diagnostic imaging plays an important role in identifying the correct diagnosis. Understanding the spectrum of the different clinical presentations, imaging findings, and potential associated complications of the commonly encountered acute head and neck conditions in children may help to tailor a specific imaging protocol, to reach a prompt diagnosis, and to help to guide management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 899.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 649.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wald ER, Applegate KE, Bordley C, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of acute bacterial sinusitis in children aged 1 to 18 years. Pediatrics. 2013;132(1):e262–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. American Academy of Pediatrics. Subcommittee on Management of Sinusitis and Committee on Quality Improvement. Clinical practice guideline: management of sinusitis. Pediatrics. 2001;108(3):798–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. DeMuri GP, Wald ER. Clinical practice. Acute bacterial sinusitis in children. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(12):1128–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Romero C, Bardo D. Patient-friendly summary of the ACR appropriateness criteria: sinusitis–child. J Am Coll Radiol. 2019;16(8):e35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Expert Panel on Neurologic Imaging, Kirsch CFE, Bykowski J, et al. ACR appropriateness criteria® sinonasal disease. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017;14(11S):S550–9.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Meltzer EO, Hamilos DL. Rhinosinusitis diagnosis and management for the clinician: a synopsis of recent consensus guidelines. Mayo Clin Proc. 2011;86(5):427–43.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Aring AM, Chan MM. Current concepts in adult acute rhinosinusitis. Am Fam Physician. 2016;94(2):97–105.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Chow AW, Benninger MS, Brook I, et al. IDSA clinical practice guideline for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in children and adults. Clin Infect Dis. 2012;54(8):e72–e112.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Din-Lovinescu C, Mir G, Blanco C, et al. Intracranial complications of pediatric rhinosinusitis: identifying risk factors and interventions affecting length of hospitalization. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;131:109841.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hicks CW, Weber JG, Reid JR, et al. Identifying and managing intracranial complications of sinusitis in children: a retrospective series. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2011;30(3):222–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ludwig BJ, Foster BR, Saito N, et al. Diagnostic imaging in nontraumatic pediatric head and neck emergencies. Radiographics. 2010;30(3):781–99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Çelik M, Kaya KH, Yegin Y, et al. Anatomical factors in children with orbital complications due to acute rhinosinusitis. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;31(106):289–95.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Rudloe TF, Harper MB, Prabhu SP, et al. Acute periorbital infections: who needs emergent imaging? Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):e719–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. LeBedis CA, Sakai O. Nontraumatic orbital conditions: diagnosis with CT and MR imaging in the emergent setting. Radiographics. 2008;28(6):1741–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Nguyen VD, Singh AK, Altmeyer WB, et al. Demystifying orbital emergencies: a pictorial review. Radiographics. 2017;37(3):947–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ekhlassi T, Becker N. Preseptal and orbital cellulitis. Dis Mon. 2017;63(2):30–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sharma A, Liu ES, Le TD, et al. Pediatric orbital cellulitis in the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine era. J AAPOS. 2015;19(3):206–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Jabarin B, Eviatar E, Israel O, et al. Indicators for imaging in periorbital cellulitis secondary to rhinosinusitis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;275(4):943–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Le TD, Liu ES, Adatia FA, et al. The effect of adding orbital computed tomography findings to the Chandler criteria for classifying pediatric orbital cellulitis in predicting which patients will require surgical intervention. J AAPOS. 2014;18(3):271–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Chandler JR, Langenbrunner DJ, Stevens ER. The pathogenesis of orbital complications in acute sinusitis. Laryngoscope. 1970;80(9):1414–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Capps EF, Kinsella JJ, Gupta M. Emergency imaging assessment of acute, nontraumatic conditions of the head and neck. Radiographics. 2010;30(5):1335–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Vaughn J. Emergency imaging of the nontraumatic pediatric head and neck. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2019;40(2):147–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Bochner RE, Gangar M, Belamarich PF. A clinical approach to tonsillitis, tonsillar hypertrophy, and peritonsillar and retropharyngeal abscesses. Pediatr Rev. 2017;38(2):81–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Chapman T, Sandstrom C, Parnell S. Pediatric emergencies of the upper and lower airway. Appl Radiol. 2012;41(4):10–7. Available via https://www.appliedradiology.com/communities/Pediatric-Imaging/pediatric-emergencies-of-the-upper-and-lower-airway. Accessed May 31 2020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mandal A, Kabra SK, Lodha R. Upper airway obstruction in children. Indian J Pediatr. 2015;82(8):737–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Bansal AG, Oudsema R, Masseaux JA, et al. US of pediatric superficial masses of the head and neck. Radiographics. 2018;38(4):1239–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Inarejos Clemente E, Oyewumi M, Propst EJ, et al. Thyroglossal duct cysts in children: sonographic features every radiologist should know and their histopathological correlation. Clin Imaging. 2017;46:57–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Kadom N, Lee EY. Neck masses in children: current imaging guidelines and imaging findings. Semin Roentgenol. 2012;47(1):7–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Bi J, Chen X, Zhou Z, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of deep neck abscess due to congenital pyriform sinus fistula in children. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;S1808-8694(20):30009–4.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Adams A, Mankad K, Offiah C, et al. Branchial cleft anomalies: a pictorial review of embryological development and spectrum of imaging findings. Insights Imaging. 2016;7(1):69–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Thomas B, Shroff M, Forte V, et al. Revisiting imaging features and the embryologic basis of third and fourth branchial anomalies. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2010;31(4):755–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Moe J, Rajan R, Caltharp S, et al. Diagnosis and management of children with Mycobacterium abscessus infections in the head and neck. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2018;76(9):1902–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Ahuja AT, Ying M. Sonographic evaluation of cervical lymph nodes. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2005;184(5):1691–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Loh R, Phua M, Shaw CL. Management of paediatric acute mastoiditis: systematic review. J Laryngol Otol. 2018;132(2):96–104.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Van Zuijlen DA, Schilder AG, Van Balen FA, et al. National differences in incidence of acute mastoiditis: relationship to prescribing patterns of antibiotics for acute otitis media? Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2001;20(2):140–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Benito MB, Gorricho BP. Acute mastoiditis: increase in the incidence and complications. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2007;71(7):1007–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Mansour T, Yehudai N, Tobia A, et al. Acute mastoiditis: 20 years of experience with a uniform management protocol. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;125:187–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Csanády M, Vass G, Bartyik K, et al. Multidisciplinary management of cervical neuroblastoma in infants. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;78(12):2103–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Rodriguez DP, Orscheln ES, Koch BL. Masses of the nose, nasal cavity, and nasopharynx in children. Radiographics. 2017;37(6):1704–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Vyas RM, Dickinson BP, Wasson KL, et al. Pediatric facial fractures: current national incidence, distribution, and health care resource use. J Craniofac Surg. 2008;19(2):339–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Grunwaldt L, Smith DM, Zuckerbraun NS, et al. Pediatric facial fractures: demographics, injury patterns, and associated injuries in 772 consecutive patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;128(6):1263–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Yoo YJ, Yang HK, Kim N, et al. Pediatric orbital wall fractures: prognostic factors of diplopia and ocular motility limitation. PLoS One. 2017;12(11):e0184945.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Cobb AR, Jeelani NO, Ayliffe PR. Orbital fractures in children. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2013;51(1):41–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Imaging Department, CHEO, Department of Radiology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Elka Miller, Claudia Martinez-Rios & Laura Acosta-Izquierdo

  2. Radiology Department, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sara R. Teixeira

Authors
  1. Elka Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Claudia Martinez-Rios
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laura Acosta-Izquierdo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sara R. Teixeira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elka Miller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Michael N. Patlas

  2. NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island and the NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, USA

    Douglas S. Katz

  3. Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Medicine and Surgery, Sassari, Italy

    Mariano Scaglione

Section Editor information

  1. Medical Imaging Department, CHEO, Department of Radiology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Elka Miller

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Crown

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Miller, E., Martinez-Rios, C., Acosta-Izquierdo, L., Teixeira, S.R. (2022). Imaging of Pediatric Head and Neck Emergencies. In: Patlas, M.N., Katz, D.S., Scaglione, M. (eds) Atlas of Emergency Imaging from Head-to-Toe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92111-8_45

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92111-8_45

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-92110-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-92111-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation