Conservative Surgical Treatment of Benign Parotid Tumors: Extracapsular Dissection

Abstract

Parotid tumor resection, parotidectomy, is a surgical procedure that requires considerable experience from surgeons in most of the cases because of the risk of facial nerve damage. In addition, it is often times difficult to identify and preserve the facial nerve during the procedure, because it requires removal of a considerable amount of normal parotid tissue even when it is not related to the location of the tumor itself. Post-operative cosmetic problems and complications associated with inevitable removal of the normal parotid gland tissue cannot be ignored. For these reasons, parotidectomy has been evolved over the years to ensure the oncological safety, avoid complications, and improve functional and cosmetic results. Recently, the use and importance of extracapsular dissection (ECD) has become more recognized because it is a more conservative surgical method than partial superficial parotidectomy with preservation of facial nerve function, minimization of functional and cosmetic complications, and limited removal of unnecessary normal parotid gland tissue. Herein, we review the literatures related to ECD for benign parotid tumors and explain the efficacy of this emerging procedure based on the previous study results reported by the authors.