What is Neck Dissection?
Neck nodes are described in levels from level one under the chin and jaw to level five at the back of the neck. Running through them are the nerve that lifts the shoulder, the nerve to the lower lip, the large neck vein, the nerve to the tongue and, on the left, the thoracic duct. A selective dissection removes only the levels at risk for that primary site; a modified radical dissection removes levels one to five while preserving the shoulder nerve, vein or muscle; a radical dissection removes those structures when tumour involves them.
