[Benign parotid tumors : Surgery and management of perioperative complications].

Abstract

Tumors of the parotid gland are rare and predominantly benign. The surgical management is challenging due to the close anatomical relationship to the facial nerve. Pleomorphic adenoma and cystadenolymphoma are among the most frequently occurring lesions. The surgical approach depends on the location, size and suspected diagnosis of the lesion. While radical surgical techniques were favored in the past, current practice emphasizes reducing surgical morbidity through less invasive resection methods. In this context, extracapsular dissection offers functional advantages over more extensive resections, with similarly low recurrence rates. Complications such as facial nerve palsy, salivary fistulas and Frey's syndrome occur less frequently with milder severity and are generally well-treatable, for example, with botulinum toxin. In selected cases, such as confirmed bilateral cystadenolymphoma, a conservative wait-and-scan approach may be considered as an alternative to surgery. The goal remains the complete resection of the lesion with maximum preservation of function.