Predictive factors for postoperative wound complications after neck dissection

The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate risk factors for wound complications after neck dissection. One hundred and nineteen patients were treated with neck dissection for squamous-cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract at the National Cancer Institute in Rome between 2006 and 2009. Postoperative wound complications were divided into major or minor and were related to different variables to identify risk factors. Postoperative wound complications were found in 20.2% of patients with an individual patient probability for different risk factors ranging from 2% to 34.1%. Preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) and the type of neck dissection were associated with a higher risk of major complications (p ≤ 0.05). Previous CRT and radical neck dissection/modified radical neck dissection are risk factors for major wound complications in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing neck dissection. Patients requiring neck dissection after CRT should be informed about the increased risk of the procedure, and selective neck dissection, if oncologically appropriate, should be considered to reduce complications.