• Kenji Nishinari, Nelson Wolosker, Guilherme Yazbek, Luiz Caetano Malavolta, Antônio Eduardo Zerati, and Luiz Paulo Kowalski.
• Departamento de Cirurgia Vascular, Hospital do Câncer A.C. Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil. marken@uol.com.br
• Sao Paulo Med J. 2002 Sep 2; 120 (5): 137140137-40.

ContextPatients with malignant head and neck neoplasia may present simultaneous involvement of large vessels due to the growth of the tumoral mass. The therapeutic options are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery or combined treatments.ObjectiveTo analyze the result of surgical treatment with carotid reconstruction in patients with advanced malignant head and neck neoplasia.DesignProspective.SettingHospital do Câncer A.C. Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil.ParticipantsEleven patients operated because of advanced malignant head and neck neoplasia that was involving the internal and/or common carotid artery.Main MeasurementsBy means of clinical examination, outpatient follow-up and duplex scanning, we analyzed the patency of the carotid grafts, vascular and non-vascular complications, disease recurrence and survival of the patients.ResultsSix patients (54.5%) did not present any type of complication. There was one vascular complication represented by an occlusion of the carotid graft with a cerebrovascular stroke in one hemisphere. Non-vascular complications occurred in five patients (45.5%). During the follow-up, eight patients died (72.7%), of whom seven had loco-regional tumor recurrence and one had pulmonary and hepatic metastases (at an average of 9 months after the operation). Seven of these patients presented functioning grafts. The three patients still alive have no tumor recurrence and their grafts are functioning (an average of 9 months has passed since the operation).ConclusionsPatients with advanced malignant head and neck neoplasia involving the carotid artery that are treated surgically present a prognosis with reservations. When the internal and/or common carotid artery is resected en-bloc with the tumor, arterial reconstruction must be performed. The long saphenous vein is a suitable vascular substitute.

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