To study the safety and efficacy of Artiss fibrin sealant in lateral neck dissection, focusing on drain retention time, length of hospital stay and post-operative complications.

A retrospective review was conducted of patients who underwent neck dissection in a UK hospital over a 12-month period.

Twenty-three patients were identified; 13 patients had Artiss and a drain, 10 patients had Artiss only. All drains were removed by post-operative day 2. No post-operative fluid collections or complications were recorded. Patients who had Artiss only without a drain were discharged on post-operative day 1.

The use of Artiss reduced the drain retention time and hospital stay, with no post-operative complications. Neck dissection can be safely undertaken with no drain, and can potentially be carried out as a day-case procedure, with the application of Artiss. These findings benefit patients and the National Health Service by improving the patient journey and reducing overall costs.

Traditionally, fine needle aspiration cytology was the primary diagnostic investigation for head and neck lumps; however, ultrasound-guided core biopsy offers the advantage of preserving tissue architecture with increased tissue yield. This study reviews the diagnostic utility of ultrasound-guided core biopsy for investigating head and neck lumps.

Overall, 287 ultrasound-guided core biopsies were reviewed between May 2017 and April 2019 at a single tertiary site for head and neck cancer.

On initial ultrasound-guided core biopsy, a diagnostic sample was obtained in 94.4 per cent of patients and in 83.7 per cent of patients with lymphoma. Where the initial ultrasound-guided core biopsy was non-diagnostic, 50 per cent of samples were diagnostic on repeat ultrasound-guided core biopsy. Overall, five complications were seen related to ultrasound-guided core biopsy, and all were managed conservatively. No cases of disease recurrence were identified at the biopsy site.

Ultrasound-guided core biopsy is a safe procedure with a high diagnostic yield when investigating head and neck lumps. Patients whose ultrasound-guided core biopsies were non-diagnostic should be considered for excisional biopsy over repeat ultrasound-guided core biopsy.