Penetrating Neck Trauma Zones (I-III)
Anatomic zones of the neck for penetrating trauma (Zones I-III), used to describe the location of an injury and the structures at risk.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Neck zone
- Zone II - cricoid cartilage to the angle of the mandible
Result: Neck Zone II: cricoid cartilage to the angle of the mandible; carotid arteries, jugular veins, larynx, and proximal esophagus; the most surgically accessible zone.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Zone I
- Sternal notch to cricoid; great vessels, lung apices, trachea, esophagus. Treated like an upper thoracic injury.
- Zone II
- Cricoid to the angle of the mandible; carotids, jugulars, larynx, proximal esophagus. The most surgically accessible zone.
- Zone III
- Angle of the mandible to the skull base; distal carotid, vertebral artery. Treated like a head injury.
What you enter
- Neck zone
How this is calculated
Roon AJ, Christensen N. Evaluation and treatment of penetrating cervical injuries. J Trauma. 1979;19(6):391-397. Zones as reproduced in StatPearls (Neck Trauma) and EAST practice guidelines. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.