Penetrating neck injuries are commonly related to stab wounds and gunshot wounds in the United States. The injuries are classified by penetration site in terms of the three anatomical zones of the neck. Based on this zonal classification system, penetrating injuries to the head and neck have traditionally been evaluated by conventional angiography and/or surgical exploration. In recent years, multidetector-row computed tomography (CT) angiography has significantly improved detectability of vascular injuries and extravascular injuries in the setting of penetrating injuries. CT angiography is a fast and minimally invasive imaging modality to evaluate penetrating injuries of the head and neck for stable patients. The spectrum of penetrating neck injuries includes vascular injury (extravasation, pseudoaneurysm, dissection, occlusion, and arteriovenous fistula), aerodigestive injury (esophageal and tracheal injuries), salivary gland injury, neurologic injury (spinal canal and cerebral injuries), and osseous injury, all of which can be evaluated using CT angiography. Familiarity with the complications and imaging characteristics of penetrating injuries of the head and neck is essential for accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment.

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It is sometimes difficult to distinguish late-life schizophrenia from senile dementia because elderly patients with schizophrenia can present in chronic remission and show gradual cognitive decline with aging. We aimed to elucidate the semiological characteristics of late-life chronic schizophrenia. Three patients aged between 60 and 66 years who were admitted to our hospital were included in this study. Detailed history taking and psychiatric interviews were performed and reviewed in the light of psychopathological semiology. Although the three patients with late-life schizophrenia showed significant cognitive decline on the Hasegawa dementia rating scale and their negative symptoms mimicked dementia, the following psychopathological characteristics clearly differentiated them from patients with senile dementia: (1) a shift of temporal organization toward the future with intact memory, (2) hypersensitivity, (3) ambivalent personal relationships, (4) systematic bodily delusions, and (5) an ante festum mindset. Identifying such clinical features of patients with late-life schizophrenia could be important for developing more effective pharmacotherapy and for providing appropriate psychotherapy.

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