A contribution to the study of the accessory nerve: surgical implications.

The anatomy of the accessory n. is defined in the light of 100 dissections with particular regard to the following aspects: its relations with the internal jugular v.; its participation in the innervation of the sternocleidomastoid m.; its location in relation to the anterior and posterior borders of that muscle and to the anterior border of the trapezius; and its branching and anastomoses in the supraclavicular fossa.