Functional neck dissection: cure and functional results

In this study, the cure and functional results of 133 functional neck disse ctions performed between 1992-1997 in Erciyes University Medical Faculty we re evaluated. The overall recurrence rate was three per cent. This rate was 1.4 per cent for elective functional neck dissections and five per cent fo r curative functional neck dissections. Electromyographic studies showed th at there was severe neurogenic deficit in the trapezius muscle of seven pat ients (12.5 per cent), and in the sternocleidomastoid muscle of 12 patients (21.4 per cent) among 56 randomly selected patients. In all cases, the flo w rate and diameter of the internal jugular vein was found to be normal by Doppler ultrasonography. The results of this study showed that functional n eck dissection is a reliable technique for obtaining a high cure rate and f unctional results.