title: Surgical anatomy of the spinal accessory nerve: is the great auricular point reliable?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was to exam if the great auricular point is a dependable landmark for finding the spinal accessory nerve.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study from January 2004 to August 2006 in a tertiary medical centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  A tertiary medical centre, Tzu Chi General Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the modified radical neck dissection, the topographic anatomy of spinal accessory was studied in 50 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The great auricular point (GAP) was identified and the length of sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) below was measured. The distance between the spinal accessory nerve and the greater auricular point was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ratio of the length of the SCM below the nerve exiting point to the total length of the muscle was near 0.66. The mean distance between the GAP and the accessory nerve was 0.92 cm (SD +/- 0.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The great auricular point is a reliable landmark for identification of the accessory nerve during the neck dissection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Peir-Rong
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: I-Shian
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Hong-Pin
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Po-Kai
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chia-Fone
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yu-Fu
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000055:Accessory Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000294:innervation*; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation; D011446:Prospective Studies