The internal carotid artery in the surgery of extensive oral cancer.

The selective sacrifice of the carotid arteries during extensive neck operative procedures, or their compulsory ligation after an exposure or hemorrhage postoperatively, are among the most serious problems in head and neck surgery. As the highest percentage of disastrous results, following ligation of the carotid vessels, occurs in those patients to whom ligation has been performed at a time when the blood pressure was low, due to preceding hemorrhage or shock, the selective ligation (or excision) of these vessels is not such a dangerous procedure. In 6 cases of selective ligation of carotid arteries, there was only one non-permanent, partial hemiplegia.