[The history of radical dissection of cervical lymph nodes--in centenary of George Crile publication].

The history of surgical management of cervical lymph nodes metastases evolved from the XIX century period, when the lymph nodes metastases in head and neck cancer had been recognized as a stage of disease above the limits of rational surgical treatment. Among the Pioneers of surgery of that time was Franciszek Jawdyński. The second period dated from 1906 publication of George Crile, who postulated the necessity of surgical resection of primary tumor as well as regional head and neck lymph nodes and defined a procedure of radical block dissection of cervical lymph nodes ended, when Hughes Martin and his contemporaries established a comprehensive radical neck dissection as a universal standard procedure of head and neck surgery. At present, not forgetting the value of radical neck dissection in treatment of cervical lymph nodes metastases, we return back to less mutilating surgical procedures, with preservation of non lymphatic structures and selective resections of regional group of nodes, due to the progress in non surgical treatment modalities (radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and new techniques of imaging and pathology.