Em. Diaz et al., THE POSTEROLATERAL NECK DISSECTION - TECHNIQUE AND RESULTS, Archives of otolaryngology, head & neck surgery, 122(5), 1996, pp. 477-480
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the posterolateral neck di
ssection in providing regional control of metastatic disease to the po
sterior triangle from head and neck primary tumors as part of a multid
isciplinary treatment approach. Design: A case series review of 55 pat
ients treated over a 10-year period from 1982 through 1991 with a mini
mum of 3 years of follow-up. Factors evaluated included site and histo
logic type of primary tumors, extent of surgery performed, other thera
pies provided, pathologic findings, and clinical outcome. Setting: The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Patients:
Forty-six male and nine female patients were studied. Three of them ha
d bilateral dissections, for a total of 58 operations. Thirty-five wer
e diagnosed as having melanoma; 10, squamous cell carcinoma; and 10, v
arious other histologic types. Intervention: All patients underwent a
posterolateral neck dissection, either alone or as part of a multidisc
iplinary treatment plan. Outcome Measures: Factors reviewed were recur
rence, either at the primary site or at a regional site, development o
f distant metastases, and surgical morbidity. Results: Our review show
ed that, overall, disease was controlled at the site of the primary tu
mor in 89% of patients (94% of patients with melanoma) and that region
al disease was controlled in 93% of patients (89% of patients with mel
anoma). Surgical morbidity was minimal. Conclusion: The ''functional''
posterolateral neck dissection as practiced at the University of Texa
s M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is effective surgical therapy that prov
ides control of regional metastatic disease to the posterior neck from
head and neck primary tumors.