Incidental findings during ENT routine examination for head and neck trauma.

Several patients with head and neck disorders are incidentally diagnosed during clinical examination for traumatic events. Our study refers to 76 patients with head and neck trauma evaluated in the emergency ward of Phonoaudiology and ENT Functional Surgery Dr. Dorin Hociota Institute in 2007. During routine ENT consultation, 13 patients were identified with trauma unrelated lesions: nasal septum deviations (5 cases), basal cell carcinomas (3 cases), lentiginous malignant melanoma, keratoacantoma, branchial cyst, nasal lobular capillary hemangioma, squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (one case each). We strongly recommend ENT examination in patients with head and neck trauma not only for establishing the gravity and the extend of the traumatic lesions in the forensic approach but also for revealing unknown underlying disease in some cases with incredible results for the well-being of the patient.