OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of nodal @entity3 in the submuscular recess (SMR) in @entity1 undergoing @entity135 ( @entity135 ) and to identify potential risk factors for the presence of metastatic disease in the SMR. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic tertiary care referral center. @entity1 : Consecutive @entity1 undergoing @entity135 for @entity957 of the @entity135 between January 5, 1998, and November 23, 2001, were prospectively analyzed. @entity1 with a history of neck dissection or whose pathology reports did not clearly distinguish the SMR from other nodal levels were excluded from the study. INTERVENTIONS: @entity1 underwent @entity135 based on the @entity5 site and well established regional lymphatic drainage patterns.Main Outcome Measure Presence of histopathologically proven @entity66 in the SMR. RESULTS: Seventy-four @entity1 underwent 90 SNDs, 16 of which were bilateral. The prevalence of @entity3 in the SMR was 1.6% (1/63) in clinically N0 necks and 11.1% (3/27) in clinically node-positive necks, with an overall incidence of 4.4% (4/90). There was a statistically significant association between SMR @entity3 and advanced pathologic N stage (P =.003), particularly with positive @entity66 in level IIa (P =.001). Extracapsular @entity5 spread was also shown to have a statistically significant association with @entity3 in the SMR (P =.01). No significant associations were observed between SMR @entity3 and @entity5 site (P =.06), clinical N stage (P =.09), a history of @entity5 recurrence (P =.52), or previous radiation therapy (P =.68). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that nodal @entity3 in the SMR are rare in @entity135 @entity1 undergoing @entity135 .

Prevalence of nodal XXXX in the submuscular recess (level IIb) during @entity135 .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity135 :: ('MESH:D006258', 'Disease') :: ['head and neck', 'head and neck cancer', 'selective neck dissection', 'SND'] @entity66 :: ('MESH:D004194', 'Disease') :: ['nodal disease'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'primary tumor'] @entity957 :: ('MESH:D002294', 'Disease') :: ['squamous cell carcinoma'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastases']
@entity3 :: (MESH:D009362,Disease) :: ['metastases']
