Irrigation Solutions in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: It is common practice to irrigate the operative site following tumor resection during major head and neck surgery. A variety of irrigation solutions are used, but there are few data on their relative efficacies in this context. Methods: The effect of different irrigation solutions on cell survival was assessed by clonogenic survival assay in 5 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines at different time points. Results: Saline had no effect on cell survival in any of the cell lines tested. Hydrogen peroxide, povidone-iodine, and a hydrogen peroxide/povidone-iodine mix caused complete cell death in all cell lines. Irrigation with distilled water caused a significant reduction in cell survival in 3 cell lines. Duration of exposure showed no effect on cell survival. Conclusion: These data suggest a significant difference in the cytocidal effect of commonly used irrigation solutions on head and neck cancer cells in an in vitro model.