In my experience doctors still say the phrase radical neck dissection, but they often are actually doing something else. A modified radiacal neck dissection is a much lesser procedure for instance ( what I had ), but my doc didn't say that to me. I would be sure of what he was going to do before I got involved with others. Sometimes, the decision of what to take, from modest amounts or nodes only, to other muscular structure, cannot be made until the doctor is wet fingers in the proceedure.