Abstract
Mobility is considered first, partly to reinforce the habit that neck flexion is never to be omitted when examining a patient with fever. Palpating the trachea to document its midline position is emphasized. A deviation of the trachea is rare; the practice provides confidence in recognizing when it is even slightly off midline, a situation that has serious implications in spinal or intrathoracic diseases. The examining hand then moves gently across the thyroid gland, then to the “chains” of cervical lymph nodes, and then to the submandibular glands. In the proposed sequence, a large number of clinical important signs can be quickly covered. Also described are the common syndromes from neural impingement in the neck by disorders of the cervical spine.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Caturegli P, De Remigis A, et al. Hashimoto thyroiditis: clinical and diagnostic criteria. Autoimmun Rev. 2014;13(4–5):391–7.
De Leo S, Lee SY, et al. Hyperthyroidism. Lancet. 2016;388(10047):906–18.
Burman KD, Wartofsky L. Thyroid nodules. N Engl J Med. 2016;373(24):2347–56.
DeKlotz C, DeKlotz T. Scrofuloderma. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(23):2215.
Nigrovic LE, Wingerter SL. Tularemia. Infect Dis Clin N Am. 2008;22(3):489–504.
Huang LD, Gao SQ, et al. Intra-thyroid thyroglossal duct cyst: a case report and review of the literature. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2015;8(6):7229–33.
Chavan S, Deshmukh R, et al. Branchial cleft cyst: a case report and review of the literature. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2014;18(1):150.
Bussu F, Parrilla C, et al. Clinical approach and treatment of benign and malignant parotid masses, personal experience. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2011;31(3):135–43.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Phillips, R.E. (2018). Neck. In: The Physical Exam. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63847-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63847-8_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63846-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63847-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)