Surgical Treatment of Primary Parapharyngeal Space Tumors: A Single-Institution Review of 28 Cases

Abstract

This study evaluated the surgical treatment of tumors arising from the parapharyngeal space (PPS) in a single-center setting. This retrospective study was conducted with 28 patients who underwent surgery for primary PPS tumors from 2011 to 2018. Patient clinical features, histologic tumor type, surgical approach, complications, and follow-up data were evaluated. All patients underwent surgery in this series. The transmandibular approach was most frequently performed (35.7%), followed by the transcervical (28.6%), transparotid (17.9%), and transoral (17.9%) approaches. A surgical navigation system was applied to the surgery of 4 cases with superior PPS tumors. The mean surgical duration of these cases (205.0minutes) was shorter than that of cases without surgical navigation, and the mean maximum size (MMS) of tumors (5.8cm) was larger (P<.01). Eleven different tumor types were diagnosed after surgery (78.6% benign and 21.4% malignant). For postoperative complications, there were 10 cases of lower lip numbness, 4 of facial nerve dysfunction, 2 of trismus, and 1 each for the remaining types. During 4- to 81-month follow-up, 27 patients had no recurrence, metastasis, or death and 1 patient was lost to follow-up. The histopathologic diagnoses were consistent with those of previous reports. Surgical resection is the main treatment for PPS tumors, with relatively low rates of recurrence and death. For superior PPS tumors, the surgical navigation system can substantially shorten the operative duration and is more suitable for larger tumors.