Abstract
In cases where both right and left internal jugular veins are to be ligated in bilateral radical neck dissection or in a patient who had previously undergone radical neck dissection on the other side, the authors performed anastomosis of the internal and external jugular veins in order to help drain the blood in the cranium. In this procedure the authors preserved the external jugular vein till the rest of the procedure for radical neck dissection were completed. The authors then cut the internal jugular vein and performed an anastomosis with the external jugular vein.
The authors performed the anastomosis in 2 cases of cancer of the hypopharynx. Postoperative venography revealed that the blood flow at the site of the anastomosis in the two cases was good.
