Internal jugular vein patency after lateral neck dissection: a prospective study

In spite of anatomical preservation of the internal jugular vein (IJV), an occlusion rate of the vessel of up to 30% has been documented after selective or modified radical neck dissections. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the patency of the IJV following selective lateral neck dissection (LND) in 34 patients affected by squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract who underwent surgery concomitantly on the primary site and the neck. Eighteen patients received unilateral and 16 bilateral LND, for a total of 50 IJVs. Postoperative radiotherapy on the neck was delivered in four patients with histologic evidence of micro-extracapsular spread; the impact of this variable on IJV patency was assessed by the Fisher test. A preoperative baseline study of vein patency and flow by ultrasonography (US) was obtained. Postoperative controls were scheduled at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months following surgery. No patient developed either wound infection or a pharyngocutaneous fistula, and no signs or symptoms of IJV occlusion were observed during the postoperative course. At the first US control, 25 IJVs (50%) did not present any alteration in patency, and 23 (46%) and 2 (4%) had a reduced or absent flow, respectively. At the second and third controls, 33 (66%) and 45 (90%) of the IJVs presented with normal flow, respectively. At the end of the study, none of the patients showed evidence of occlusion. Postoperative radiotherapy did not have a statistically significant impact on IJV patency ( P=0.09). In conclusion, long-term IJV occlusion after LND has to be considered an exceedingly rare event with negligible morbidity. However, alterations of IJV flow frequently occur in the immediate postoperative course.