Abstract
There exists a subgroup of patients who undergo neck dissection (ND) who postoperatively
complain of either neuropathic pain, dysaesthesia and/or discomfort that is located
within the dermatomal distribution of the cervical plexus. The purpose of our study
was to determine the prevalence, characteristic, and demographics of these symptoms
in our patient cohort. We undertook a retrospective randomised observational cohort
study of 105 patients who had undergone ND. The primary predictor variable was the
undertaking of a ND. The secondary outcome variable was the complaint of either neuropathic
pain or a noxious neuropathy, at a minimum of twelve months after surgery. A recognised
symptom questionnaire and a visual analogue score was employed for the purpose of
the study. A descriptive and statistical analysis was applied to the assembled data.
Twenty patients (19%) complained of either spontaneous (n = 9) or evoked (n = 11) neuropathic pain that occurred within the surgical site. In addition, 71 patients
(68%) described an altered sensation in the dermatomal distribution of the great auricular
or tranverse cervical nerves while 70 patients (67%) described the feeling of ‘neck
tightness’. There were no characteristics of the study cohort that underpinned these
results. Neuropathic pain can occur following ND. This can cause distress to a small
but defined group of patients. Despite its importance, we found a paucity of studies
in the literature that have investigated neuropathic pain following ND. We believe
this condition requires more research attention and clinical awareness
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 14, 2020
Accepted:
August 11,
2020
Received:
April 11,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
