[Two cases of Frey's syndrome].

Abstract

During the taking of meals, complex symptoms such as perspiration, rubor, and febrile sensation can appear on the skin overlying the temporal area or the parotid gland after the passage of some time after an operation in the parotid area or trauma inflicted to this area. This phenomenon is usually called Frey's syndrome. We recently encountered two cases of this syndrome. The patients were a 16-year-old boy who developed this syndrome following open reduction of the fractured left temporomandibular articular process and a 72-year-old man who developed it following left hemimandibulectomy and left radical neck dissection performed for the treatment of left mandibular gingival cancer. Frey's syndrome is a relatively rare surgery-associated complication. However, it may be advisable to inform the patient of this possibility prior to an operation, because patients may be severely afflicted by heavy perspiration if this syndrome develops over an extensive area.