Neck dissection Level II-IV – How we do it

In the head and neck region, vital vessels, functional relevant cranial nerves, lymph nodes, and organs come together in a confined space. Squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract depending on tumor stage and localization metastasize into defined cervical lymph nodes (neck levels were defined by Robbins et al. in 1991). Selective neck dissection, meaning the systematic removal of involved neck levels and preservation of functional non-lymphatic, important structures, is mandatory in many cases. Thus, the knowledge of landmarks and a standardized approach are of major clinical impact to balance between necessary radicalism and prognosis of the patient on the one side and preservation of function and quality of life on the other side. In this multimedia project, we show the different steps in performing a neck dissection.

Poster-PDF A-1980.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020