Patency and caliber of the internal jugular vein after neck dissection.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence of thrombosis and change in caliber of the internal jugular vein after neck dissection.


METHODS
Between September 1999 and December 2000, we studied 68 patients who underwent 76 neck dissection that spared the internal jugular vein. Thrombosis of the internal jugular vein was determined using duplex Doppler scans. The examination was performed about 10 days after the operation. Preoperative and postoperative imaging was available for 28 patients who underwent 32 neck dissections after April 2000. These 28 patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 5 internal jugular veins which were treated with supraomohyoid neck dissection. Group 2 included 17 internal jugular veins which were treated with functional neck dissection. For group 3, ten patients underwent simultaneous bilateral neck dissections that spared the ipsilateral internal jugular vein with concurrent contralateral radical neck dissection. For each group, the mean ratio of the post- to pre-operative caliber of the internal jugular vein was calculated. Measurements were planned for 7 days, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively.


RESULTS
The overall patency of the 76 internal jugular veins after neck dissection was 100%. In all groups, the mean ratio of the post- to pre-operative caliber of the internal jugular vein was lowest during the early postoperative period, and gradually increased within 3 months after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The caliber of the internal jugular veins decreased the most during the early postoperative period; however, internal jugular vein thrombosis is uncommon.
Harada
Hiroyuki
H
Oral Surgery, Department of Oral Restitution, Division of Oral Health Sciences, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. hiro-harada.osur@tmd.ac.jp
Omura
Ken
K
Takeuchi
Yosuke
Y
D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D014654:Vascular Patency