Abstract
It has been reported that movement and sense of the shoulder are often disturbed after neck dissection and that this disturbance is related to amputation of the accessory nerve. However, significance of preservation of the cervical nerve is still unclear. Function of the cervical nerve in patients who under went functional neck dissection in the present study was examined. The subjects included 19 patients whose accessory and cervical nerves were preserved, 6 patients whose accessory nerve was preserved, and 10 patients whose both nerves were cut off during surgery. These patients were examined for flexibility of the shoulder joint and trapezius muscle strength and provided information on subjective symptoms through a questionnaire. The results indicted that the cervical nerve had a close relation to flexibility of the shoulder joint and trapezius muscle strength. Therefore, it is likely that preservation of the cervical nerve as well as the accessory nerve contributes to the better quality of life of patients after surgery.
