Comparative study of radical neck dissection vs. modified radical neck dissection in metastatic neck gland.

Treatment of metastatic neck gland is an integral part of management of Head and Neck cancers, because this is the single most important prognostic determining factor. Although surgery and radio therapy with or without chemotherapy are the modalities available for treating neck gland, wide surgical excision of the whole regional lymphatic chain enblock is mostly favored. Radical Neck dissection is the operation for such disease, designed in the early part of twentieth century, still has got the validity, but a modification of that (modified radical neck dissection) is becoming popular for last few decades to reduce morbidity. In this study we compared 15 cases of radical neck dissection and equal number of modified radical neck dissection to observe the selection criteria of these two types of operations, their complications and therapeutic success. Neck deformity, shoulder pain and restricted shoulder movement are the major morbidities which are less in modified radical neck dissection. The oncologic efficacy appears as same in both procedures.