{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T14:53:08Z","timestamp":1787755988333,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Penetrating neck injuries (PNIs) are common, yet imaging protocols for asymptomatic patients remain debated in resource-limited settings.\nObjectives:\u00a0Describe the clinical course, imaging findings and outcomes of asymptomatic PNI patients who underwent CT angiography and oesophagography (CTA&amp;O) at a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa.\nMethod:\u00a0A retrospective review of asymptomatic PNI patients who underwent CTA&amp;O at Tygerberg Hospital between 01 January 2021 and 30 June 2022. Demographics, mechanism, imaging findings and outcomes were extracted from electronic hospital systems.\nResults:\u00a0Ninety-one patients were included (median age 30 years; 88 [97%] males; 84 [92%] stab wounds). Sixty (66%) had a normal CTA&amp;O; 31 (34%) had 40 abnormalities (aerodigestive tract:\u00a0n\u00a0= 28 [70%]; vascular:\u00a0n\u00a0= 7 [17.5%]; orthopaedic\u00a0n\u00a0= 5 [12.5%]). Of these, 18\/31 (58%) had no further investigation and 13\/31 (42%) had 14 investigations. Most 17\/18 (94%) suspected aerodigestive injury investigations were negative. One (3%) required facial artery embolization. There were no complications or deaths.\nConclusion:\u00a0CTA&amp;O identified PNI-related radiological abnormalities in one-third of the asymptomatic PNI patients. Although most did not represent clinically important injuries requiring intervention, CTA&amp;O is valuable for screening. These findings may improve CTA&amp;O interpretation and reduce downstream investigations while ensuring safety.\nContribution:\u00a0This study provides context-specific evidence on CTA&amp;O findings in asymptomatic PNI patients. Distinguishing common PNI-related radiological abnormalities from clinically important findings may improve CTA&amp;O interpretation and improve resource use.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/sajr.v30i1.3529","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T14:15:42Z","timestamp":1787753742000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Asymptomatic penetrating neck injuries: Course and outcome following CT angiography and oesophagography"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-6266-6630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danie D.","family":"Krynauw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1175-464X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hendrick J.","family":"Lategan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01hs8x754","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Tygerberg Hospital"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3910-0749","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Richard","family":"Pitcher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4300-0372","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"van Hoving","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","unstructured":"Department of Statistics South Africa. 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