[Indication and treatment results in elective neck dissection (author's transl)].

Only in about 17 per cent of 129 patients was elective radical neck dissection (RND) carried out in a seven-year-period from 1970 to 1976. In spite of clinical negative lymphatic-nodes-palpation-findings there were 10 observations of histological sured metastases from 22 patients. There occurred especially often tonsil-lateral larynx-entry-and tongue carcinoma of tumour stage T3 as primary localisation. Because of the high seize-rates in the resection-preparations we recommend inclusion of operation in so-called tumour findings more than before in treatment plan.