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Radical neck dissection - discharge; Modified radical neck dissection - discharge; Selective neck dissection - discharge DefinitionNeck dissection is surgery to remove the lymph nodes in your neck. Cells from cancers in the mouth or throat can travel in the lymph fluid and get trapped in your lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are removed to prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of your body. When You're in the HospitalYou were likely to be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days. To help get ready for going home, you may have received help with:
What to Expect at HomeYour health care provider will give you a prescription for pain medicines. Get it filled when you go home so you have the medicine when you need it. Take your pain medicine when you start having pain. Waiting too long to take it will allow your pain to get worse than it should. Do not take aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) unless your provider tells you to. These medicines may increase bleeding. You will have staples or sutures in the wound. You may also have mild redness and swelling for the first couple of weeks after surgery. You may have a drain in your neck when you leave the hospital. Your provider will tell you how to care for it. Healing time will depend on how much tissue was removed. Diet and NutritionYou can eat your regular foods unless your provider has given you a special diet. If pain in your neck and throat is making it hard to eat:
Keep an eye out for swallowing problems, such as:
Activity
Other Self-careYou will need to learn to care for your wound.
Follow-upYou will need to see your provider for a follow-up visit in 7 to 10 days. The sutures or staples will be removed at this time. When to Call the DoctorContact your provider if:
ReferencesRonen O, Samat S, Robbins KT. Neck dissection. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 118. Tang AL, Reid LM, Randolph GW, Steward DL. Central neck dissection: indications and technique. In: Randolf GW, ed. Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 38. | |
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Review Date: 11/29/2022 Reviewed By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. | |