Cervical Root Branches Preservation in Head and Neck Surgery

Abstract

Objective: 1) Evaluate the hypothesis that the preservation of cervical root branches will be associated with better quality of life (QoL), greater shoulder motility, and lower loss of sensation in the neck after functional neck dissection sparing spinal accessory nerve. 2) Investigate the impact of physiotherapy.

Method: This retrospective study evaluated 41 patients surgically treated for head and neck cancer between 2006 and 2009 at our department. Patients were divided in 2 groups, according to the preservation or removal of cervical root branches during functional neck dissection. QoL, shoulder motility, and neck sensation were evaluated.

Results: The analysis of the University of Washington-Quality of Life questionnaire, fourth version, demonstrated lower pain, less shoulder complaints, and less limitations to activities and recreation in patients who hadn’t undergone removal of cervical root branches (P 0.05).

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the preservation of cervical root branches improved QoL and shoulder motility in patients who underwent functional neck dissection. Physiotherapy had a positive impact on the analyzed outcomes.