Description

Traumatic injury to the blood vessels of the neck can be graded using the Cervical Vascular Organ Injury Scale.


Blood Vessel

Grade

thyroid veins

I

common facial vein

I

external jugular vein

I

non-named arterial branch

I

non-named venous branch

I

external carotid arterial branches

II

thyrocervical trunk or primary branches

II

internal jugular vein

II

external carotid artery

III

subclavian vein

III

vertebral artery

III

common carotid artery

IV

subclavian artery

IV

internal carotid artery, extracranial

V

 

where:

• branches of the external carotid artery include: ascending pharyngeal, superior thyroid, lingual, facial, maxillary, occipital, and posterior auricular arteries.

 

Additional rules for deriving final grade:

(1) If more than 1 Grade III and Grade IV injuries that involve > 50% of vessel circumference are present, then increase the final Grade by 1 (to Grade IV from Grade III; to Grade V from Grade IV).

(2) If a grade IV or Grade V injury is limited to < 25% of vessel circumference, then reduce the final Grade by 1 (to Grade III from Grade IV; to Grade IV from Grade V).

 


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