Frequency of surgical complications and recurrence rate after extracapsular dissection of benign tumors of the parotid.

Abstract

Objective: To determine surgical complications and recurrence rate in patients with benign lesions of the parotid undergoing extracapsular dissection. Study Design: Case Series. Setting: Department of Surgery, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi. Period: January 2010 and December 2018. Material & Methods: The hospital records of all 50 patients who underwent extracapsular dissection with a diagnosis of either Pleomorphic adenoma or War thin tumor between reviewed retrospectively. Data regarding demographics, tumor, complications and recurrence was collected. Results: Out of 50 patients, 40 were males and 10 were females with age ranging from 26 to 52 years and mean age of 42 years. 44 of 50 parotid lumps were diagnosed as Pleomorphic adenoma and 6 were cases of Warthin tumor. The range of lesion size was 1.5 to 3 cm. 15 (30%) patients suffered from transient facial nerve weakness, whereas only 1 (2%) sustained a facial nerve injury which required repair. There was no case of Frey syndrome, sialocele and hematoma, however, salivary fistula was seen in 1 (2%) patient. Capsule rupture during surgery occurred in 15 (30%) patients and recurrence was seen in only 1 patient (2%). Conclusion: Extracapsular dissection has low recurrence rate, very few complications and is a safe and effective treatment for Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin tumor.