Head and neck surgery is an important extension subfamily of otolaryngology, which mainly uses surgery to treat head and neck tumors. The treatment scope includes benign and malignant tumors of the skull base, nasal cavity and sinus cancer, oral and maxillofacial benign and malignant tumors, as well as head and neck tumors such as laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, thyroid cancer, nasal cavity and sinus cancer, cervical esophageal cancer, and salivary gland cancer. Head and neck surgery organs are delicate, functionally complex, and closely adjacent to each other in anatomy, which can easily lead to many complications. Let's take a look at the complications below.
1、 Postoperative hoarseness and coughing when drinking water
During neck surgery, it is inevitable to stretch the trachea and esophagus. There are recurrent laryngeal nerves (controlling speech) and superior laryngeal nerves (controlling swallowing) on both sides of the trachea. Pulling may affect these two nerves, affecting the recurrent laryngeal nerves. Postoperative hoarseness may occur, and more vocal training can restore the condition; If it affects the superior laryngeal nerve, postoperative patients may cough and drink water, drink less liquid food, receive intravenous fluids to replenish water, mainly consume solid foods, and gradually recover
2、 Postoperative throat pain and discomfort, difficulty swallowing
The tracheoesophagus is located in front of the cervical spine, and it must be pulled to one side to expose the cervical spine. This pulling will inevitably cause discomfort in the throat after surgery, even swelling and difficulty swallowing. But it usually gets better in a few days.
3、 Esophageal injury
The esophagus is located in front of the cervical spine and closely adheres to the cervical spine. During surgery, the traction of the esophagus and the operation of surgical instruments can cause esophageal injury, which may require repair in severe cases.
4、 Postoperative anterior cervical hematoma, breathing difficulties
Postoperative incision bleeding causes hematoma. When the amount of bleeding is large, the hematoma can collapse the trachea, leading to breathing difficulties, suffocation, and even death. It often occurs in the early postoperative period. If there is difficulty breathing, the doctor should be notified as soon as possible. If a cervical hematoma occurs, the incision should be opened immediately to clean the hematoma, and the bleeding should be properly stopped before suturing.
5、 The stimulation of the spinal cord and nerve roots may manifest as worsening postoperative symptoms or the appearance of new limb weakness. Surgery inevitably involves the use of instruments to operate around the spinal cord and nerve roots, which can easily stimulate the spinal cord or nerve roots. The more severe the compression, the more likely it is to cause stimulation, resulting in damage or even loss of the function controlled by the stimulated area after surgery. However, there is no need to be nervous, as medication treatment can alleviate the symptoms and gradually recover.
6、 Postoperative infection
When the human body has low resistance or does not pay attention to the cleanliness of the incision site, infection is prone to occur. Patients should enhance their nutrition, observe whether the incision dressing leaks, falls off, contaminates, etc., and change dressing in a timely manner. If the patient experiences chills, high fever, redness, swelling, pain, or inflammation at the incision site, timely notification to the doctor, administration of antibiotics, and local treatment of the incision site can cure the infection.
7、 Spinal cord injury leads to cerebrospinal fluid leakage, resulting in headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting: The spinal cord does not directly contact the spinal canal, and is protected by a thin film on the outside. The spinal cord is connected to the brain, and this film is like a closed bag that wraps around the spinal cord and brain tissue as a whole. This bag is filled with clear and transparent liquid called cerebrospinal fluid. When opening the spinal canal for decompression surgery, it is inevitable to touch the dura mater, causing it to rupture and cerebrospinal fluid to flow out, known as cerebrospinal fluid leakage. After surgery, there will be more drainage fluid, and the loss of leaked fluid will lead to a decrease in intracranial pressure, resulting in symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Cerebrospinal fluid is renewable, and the dura mater is healable. Resting more will help.
8、 Loosening or dislodgement of internal fixation devices, non healing or displacement of bone grafts, etc. can be detected through postoperative follow-up examination or the appearance of symptoms. If necessary, surgical revision is required.