Endoscopic Selective Neck Dissection via Retroauricular Approach

Abstract

Lymph node metastasis is the single, most powerful prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell cancer, which means that cervical lymph node management should be considered even in treatment of a clinically node-negative neck. More conservative and selective techniques of neck dissection have been developed ever since radical neck dissection was first introduced. Despite that selective neck dissection provides less functional damage, disfiguring scar after neck dissection still remains inevitable. Recently, surgical endoscopy and robotic system was introduced and many clinical trials for aesthetic approach for neck dissection using endoscopy have shown their feasibility and safety. Hereby, we describe the preparation and surgical procedure for endoscopic selective neck dissection (level I, II, and III) via retroauricular approach for 41-year-old male patient with clinically node-negative oral tongue cancer.