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Complications in head and neck surgery and how to avoid trouble*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

P. H. Rhys Evans
P. H. Rhys Evans*
Affiliation:
London
*
P. H. Rhys Evans, FRCS, 106 Harley Street, London W1N 1AF.
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Abstract

Increasing litigation in recent years has made it more and more necessary for the surgeon to be aware of the problems, pitfalls and complications which may arise as a result of surgery. The risks are compounded in the head and neck not only because of its complex anatomy but also because of additional difficulties relating to surgery of the upper aero-digestive tract.

Some problems are unavoidable. The potential risks of surgery and its complications should be carefully weighed against the natural history of the pathological process and a realistic expectation of the surgical outcome compared with alternative treatments. Other problems may result from genuine mistakes, but a number of complications are caused through actions or omissions which are avoidable and which in certain circumstances may be construed as professional negligence. Some of the more common pitfalls and complications in head and neck surgery are discussed with particular reference to their causation and possible avoidance.

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 103 , Issue 10 , October 1989 , pp. 926 - 929
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1989

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Footnotes

*

Paper read to the Section of Laryngology, Royal Society of Medicine—December 1987.

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