Reflex sympathetic dystrophy following neck dissections.

PURPOSE

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), which is a disorder that occurs after injury or surgery on the extremities, has not been reported as a complication of neck dissections until now. A group patients with head and neck cancer have been examined to determine the incidence of RSD in neck dissections.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Forty-six patients with head and neck cancer, who had undergone neck dissections together with the removal of the primary tumor, were evaluated for RSD on their routine controls.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

The presentation of RSD in two patients who were treated with radical neck dissection is probably a result of sympathetic hyperactivity that is secondary to surgical trauma.