Intracranial hypertension following neck dissection.

A 51-year-old man developed prolonged papilloedema as a result of increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure following staged bilateral radical neck dissection. The patient recovered completely with no further specific therapy. Although the prognosis for vision is usually good in patients with longstanding papilloedema due to raised cerebrospinal fluid pressure, permanent visual impairment remains a serious complication. In the presence of anatomical variations of the venous pathways by which the blood leaves the brain, a raised intracranial pressure may also develop following unilateral radical neck dissection. Nine cases of increased intracranial pressure following unilateral radical neck dissection reported in the literature until now are briefly reviewed.