Thermal versus cold instrument incisions in cervical dissection for oral squamous cell carcinoma: A comparative study.

The impact of thermal versus cold instrument incisions in cervical dissection is of interest. A prospective comparative research was conducted on 40 patients with histopathologically confirmed OSCC undergoing neck dissection. EC significantly reduced incision time (7.4 ± 1.2 vs. 10.1 ± 1.6 min) and blood loss (142.5 ± 30.2 vs. 198.4 ± 35.7 mL). However, postoperative pain was higher in the EC group (VAS 6.8 ± 0.7 vs. 5.2 ± 0.9) and wound healing was delayed (11.2 ± 1.3 vs. 9.1 ± 1.4 days). No significant difference in operative duration or oncologic margin status was noted. While EC offers intraoperative advantages, CS incisions yield better postoperative healing and lower pain.