Radical dissection of structures of the neck is usually done as part of definitive treatment for carcinoma of the head and neck. Sometimes it is done as a procedure separate from removal of the primary lesion; sometimes it is part of a combined procedure in which the regional lymphatic structures are dissected and the primary lesion is widely excised. Ideally, such dissection should be en bloc, as in radical mastectomy, and should include the intermediary lymphatic vessels. An operation for carcinoma must be radical, and, in the course of it, enough tissue must be removed to circumvent spread of the lesion. At the same time, anatomic or physiological defects that would be incompatible with life must not be inflicted. Possibly the best illustration of a complete operation for carcinoma would be a hindquarter or forequarter amputation for a lesion of an extremity, in which all tissue immediately involved in the