Complications of Neck dissection in tumor surgery interventions

Introduction:

The neck dissection plays a decisive role in tumor surgery as a completing measure. It was the aim of our retrospective study to investigate the frequency and type of complications in neck dissection as a function of patient-related factors.

Methods:

Based on the evaluation of pseudonymized data from 405 patients who underwent neck dissection in the 6-year period at the Städtisches Klinikum Dessau, the population was examined in addition to the complication rate with regard to possible influencing factors.

Results:

The complication rate was 23.21%. Lymphedema (5.68%), thoracic duct lesions (3.95%), rebleeding (3.70%), and wound healing disorders (2.47%) were leading. Vascular and nerve lesions were rare. Dependence of the complication rate on clinical constellation was demonstrated for alcohol history and for N status. The extended-radical neck dissection was more associated with complications than the other techniques.

Discussion:

The complication rate is significantly dependent on the extent of resection. Overall, these were manageable complications that were still treated intraoperatively. The assumption of a correlation between comorbidity and the occurrence of complications could not be statistically reproduced. The trend toward functional surgical techniques can significantly reduce the complication rate.

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2019 (online)