Question: A 17 year old male is assaulted with a glass beer bottle. He sustains a deep laceration of the lateral neck with massive hemorrhage. The neck is packed, transfusion is initiated, and the patient is urgently transferred to the operating room. The internal jugular vein is injured beyond repair and is thus divided and ligated. Examination of the carotid sheath after bleeding is controlled reveals that the vagus nerve was transected. How should the vagal injury be managed?
a) Primary reanastomosis
b) Delayed reanastomosis
c) Great auricular nerve interposition graft
d) None of the above
[Answer will be posted with next week's new question]
Answer to last week's question, "Tumors in Tight Spots" (January 22, 2018)
Cricoid chondrosarcoma.