Patency of the internal jugular vein following modified radical neck dissection

Although the internal jugular vein is commonly preserved in modified radical neck dissections, the English literature contains only a single study assessing postoperative vein patency including only 13 patients. The present study was instituted to better determine the patency of the internal jugular vein following modified radical neck dissection and to identify factors associated with venous occlusion. Preoperative and postoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 69 patients undergoing 79 vein sparing neck dissections. Sixty-eight veins (86%) were patent postoperatively. A retrospective chart review revealed that compression by either a musculocutaneous flap or recurrent carcinoma in the neck was associated with venous occlusion. We conclude that the internal jugular vein is likely to remain patent after modified radical neck dissection with vein preservation.