Is modified radical neck dissection only a staging procedure?

Bilateral chylothorax following left sided modified radical neck dissection.

Chylous fistula in the neck occurs in 1-2% of cases undergoing neck dissection with higher incidence on the left side due to damage of a high riding thoracic duct [1]. Chylothorax is a rare complication; approximately 20 cases of bilateral chylothorax have been reported in the past 100 years [2]. We report a case of bilateral chylothorax following neck dissection done for metastatic malignant m...

Shoulder function after radical neck dissection.

Morbidity of supraomohyoidal and modified radical neck dissection combined with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: a prospective longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to show the investigated impact of supraomohyoidal neck dissection and modified radical neck dissection, both combined with radiotherapy, on cervical range of motion (CROM), mouth opening, swallowing, lymphedema, and shoulder function. METHODS One hundred eight patients who had neck dissections and 98 patients who had non-neck dissections were evaluate...

Functional assessment using Constant's Shoulder Scale after modified radical and selective neck dissection.

BACKGROUND Constant's Shoulder Scale is a validated and widely applied instrument for assessment of shoulder function. We used this instrument to assess which treatment and demographic variables contribute to shoulder dysfunction after neck dissection in head and neck cancer patients. METHODS A convenience sample of 54 patients with 64 neck dissections and minimum follow-up of 11 months were ...

Bilateral Chylothorax: A Rare Complication following Radical Neck Dissection

Bilateral chylothorax as a complication of neck dissection is very rare with only 29 cases reported in the English literature. We present our case and review the anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical features and management.