Effect of functional neck dissection and postoperative radiotherapy on the spinal accessory nerve

Conclusions. We encountered shoulder syndrome after functional neck dissection (FND) less frequently than reported in the literature. This technique is a favorable treatment choice for appropriately selected patients with head and neck cancer with cervical metastasis. It depends on careful dissection of neurovascular tissues during surgery and preserved shoulder function due to chronic neurological degeneration caused by surgery. Also, radiotherapy has an evident negative effect on the accessory nerve. Objectives. To perform postoperative electrophysiological tests on the spinal accessory nerve (SAN) after FND and postoperative radiotherapy. Subjects and methods. A study group of 16patients with head and neck cancer who underwent 22FNDs and 10volunteers in the control group were evaluated. The SAN latency and amplitude were measured and then upper trapezius muscle electromyography (EMG) was performed on all the patients and the volunteers. Results. The EMG results of the study group revealed 19cases with ...