Zeitschrift für Chirurgie

Radical Neck Dissection: How We Do It?

Abstract

Mihaly Szocs, Radu Mircea Neagoe, Andor Balazs, Gita Jozsa and Gheorghe Muhlfay

Neck dissection is still considered a therapeutical surgical approach in the treatment of lymph node metastasis due to head and neck tumors. Radical neck dissections imply the “en bloc” removal of all the lymphatic tissue found in the lateral regions of the neck, including the sternocleidomastoid muscle, internal jugular vein and accessory nerve. During the years several variations of the original procedure have arisen, with the aim to reduce postoperative complications and morbidity, assuring a better quality of life, while preserving the same oncological efficacy. The presence of metastatic adenopathy lowers the patient's survival rate with approximately 50%. The surgical treatment of cervical adenopathies plays a crucial role in the future outcome of the patient's evolution. Although the current tendency is toward less radical types of neck dissections i.e. modified neck dissection, selective neck dissection, we still consider radical neck dissection as a trustworthy procedure in the treatment of head and neck tumors. Our aimwith this paper is to showcase the procedure, offer a technical description, underline its importance and emphasize some of the lessons we have learned during the treatment and follow-up of these patients.