Cervical metastases following radical neck dissection that preserved the spinal accessory nerve.

In contrast to the original neck dissection technique, the spinal accessory nerve is routinely sacrificed in the so-called classical neck dissection. The benefit of this routine has never been documented; on the contrary, facts have accumulated that indicate that the nerve should be preserved. The results in this article serve to emphasize this opinion. Of 80 patients who underwent radical neck dissection that preserved the spinal accessory nerve, the potential for cure was not jeopardized in a single case.