Investigation of arguments against properly indicated extracapsular dissection in the parotid gland.

Abstract

The ideal extent of surgical intervention for benign parotid tumors remains a matter of controversy. The purpose of this study was to examine the existing arguments against extracapsular dissection and present our experience over the last 16 years. A retrospective evaluation was carried out on the records of all patients who underwent extracapsular dissection for benign parotid tumors at a tertiary referral center between 2000 and 2015. A total of 1359 cases were included in the study. Temporary postoperative facial palsy was detected in 68 cases (5%), permanent facial palsy in 5 cases (0.37%), and postoperative Frey's syndrome in 31 cases (2.3%). Recurrences of pleomorphic adenomas were shown in 4 cases (0.87%). Our analysis could not justify the arguments against correctly indicated implementation of extracapsular dissection and showed that increased performance of this modality was associated with excellent oncologic and functional outcomes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 498-502, 2017.