COMPLICATIONS OF RADICAL NECK DISSECTION - SURVEY OF 788 PATIENTS

Radical neck dissection remains the keystone to modern head and neck surgery. Like any major operation, it has inherent complications. These complications become greater when the procedure is combined with resection of primary lesions of the upper food and air passages, and when it follows radiation therapy. In this series, 788 patients with head and neck cancer underwent radical neck dissection alone or in combination with resection of a primary lesion, some with and some without irradiation; the overall complication rate was 50.8%. The total rate included 16.2% of the patients having one or more major surgical complications, 33.5% having one or more minor surgical complications, and 28% having one or more medical complications. The complications are reported in detail to allow comparison with other series and to give a true indication of the overall incidence of the risks involved in major head and neck cancer surgery. Copyright © 1979 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company