Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2008 Dec;265(12):1535-8. doi: 10.1007/s00405-008-0706-9.

What is neck dissection surgery?

Neck dissection involves removing the lymph nodes in the neck, and sometimes tissue surrounding the lymph nodes. This prevents the cancer from spreading to other organs. When a tumor is in the early stages, it stays in the location where it first began to grow.

What are the types of neck dissection?

Radical neck dissection. Extended radical neck dissection. Selective neck dissection (SND) Cervical lymphadenectomy.

Why is a radical neck dissection done?

Radical neck dissection is performed for the surgical control of metastatic neck disease in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract, salivary gland tumors, and skin cancer of the head and neck (including melanomas).

Why do we do neck dissection?

The purpose of a neck dissection is to remove the lymph nodes in the neck. The surgery is almost always done for individuals with certain types of head and neck cancer.

Is neck dissection necessary?

A neck dissection is useful not only to remove the cancer, but also so that the nodes can be examined by a pathologist. If the microscopic examination by the pathologist shows extensive spread of cancer, additional treatment such as radiation therapy may be recommended.

How long does a neck dissection take?

The area for surgery is often marked to make sure there are no errors. You will be kept comfortable and safe by your anesthesia provider. You will be asleep during the surgery. The surgery will take about 2 to 4 hours.

How many lymph nodes are removed in a neck dissection?

Results: In the 20 cadaver neck dissections, the average number of lymph nodes removed for levels I-V was 24, with 13 for levels I-III and 19 for levels II-IV.

What is the history of radical neck dissection?

In 1906, George W. Crile was the first person to describe radical neck dissection, which encompasses the surgical removal of neck metastasis contained between the superficial and deep fascial layers of the neck. Hayes Martin routinely used radical neck dissection for the management of neck metastasis in the 1950s.

When was the first surgery to remove cancer in the neck?

A thorough historical review of surgical procedures to remove “cancer in the neck” nodes, prior to 1951, can be found in Hayes Martin’s landmark paper on “Neck dissection.” 1 In this review, Martin mentions an attempt to remove “cancer of the neck with an incision from the masseter to the clavicle,” reported by Warren in 1847.

What are the different types of neck dissection?

Classification of Neck Dissections. Modified Radical Neck Dissection ( MRND) – removal of all lymph node groups routinely removed in a RND, but with preservation of one or more nonlymphatic structures (SAN, SCM and IJV). Selective Neck Dissection ( SND) (together with the use of parentheses to denote the levels or sublevels removed)…

How many lymph nodes are in the neck for neck dissection?

Last 3 decades – Further operations have been described to selectively remove the involved regional lymph groups. To describe the lymph nodes of the neck for neck dissection, the neck is divided into 6 areas called Levels. The levels are identified by Roman numeral, increasing towards the chest.