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Pathology Update 2025

Diagnostic testing following neck compression – a systematic review

Scientific Program

Scientific Program

4:00 pm

22 February 2025

Meeting Rooms 101 & 102

Scientific Session - Clinical Forensic Medicine

Discipline Streams

Clinical Forensic Medicine

Abstracts/Presentation Description

Lyndal Bugeja1
1Monash University

Background: It has been established that up to 50% of patients reporting neck compression do not show any external physical injuries. Guidelines have been developed to direct the assessment of “red flag” symptoms and inform referrals for diagnostic imaging to detect internal injuries. This study sought to synthesise the findings of published studies that examined patients reporting neck compression in the context of interpersonal violence.
Methods: A systematic literature review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. A search strategy was developed using key and indexed terms combined using Boolean operators. The search strategy was applied to five electronic reference databases and results exported to a systematic review software program for screening against a pre-determined eligibility criteria.
Results: The search yielded 482 results of which 35 studies were eligible. Among these 35 studies, one was a case-control, 15 were cross-sectional and 19 were case reports. The findings from these studies will be examined using a narrative synthesis to report: the presence and nature of signs and symptoms and “red flag” signs and symptoms; the performance of, type and findings from diagnostic tests; and the utility of these findings in criminal justice responses. 

Speaker/Presenting Authors

Authors

Submitting/Presenting Authors

Associate Professor Lyndal Bugeja - Monash University (Victoria, Australia)

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