Specialty: ENT
Age group: Adult
Direct to an appropriate emergency department for an ENT assessment:
- Sudden or new mass or lump associated with difficulty in breathing or swallowing
- Sialadenitis with difficulty in breathing
- Ludwig's angina.
Immediately contact the ENT registrar to arrange an urgent ENT assessment for:
- Acute inflammatory neck mass with redness, pain or increased swelling.
Criteria for referral to public hospital specialist clinic services
- Confirmed head and neck malignancy
- New suspicious solid mass, or cystic neck lumps, present for more than 4 weeks
- New suspicious solid mass, or cystic neck lumps, in patients with a previous head/neck malignancy
- Sialadenitis.
Information to be included in the referral
Information that must be provided
- CT scan of neck, with contrast where appropriate (preferred) or ultrasound.
Provide if available
Any of the following:
- History of smoking
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Full blood count
- Fine needle aspiration biopsy.
Additional comments
The Summary and referral information lists the information that should be included in a referral request.
Where appropriate and available, the referral may be directed to an alternative specialist clinic or service.
Referral to a public hospital is not appropriate for
Not applicable.
Reviewed 27 May 2025