Evaluation of harmonic scalpel assisted extracapsular dissection for benign parotid tumors

PURPOSE To investigate the clinical outcomes and prognosis of harmonic scalpel assisted extracapsular dissection for benign parotid tumors. METHODS A total of 132 patients with full medical archives who were diagnosed as benign parotid tumors from 3 medical centers were retrospectively analyzed. The included patients were divided into 3 groups according to tumor positions, namely, superficial pre-auricular, superficial tail, and deep lobe. The intra- and peri-operative variables, complications, functional outcomes and recurrence rates were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 software package. RESULTS The surgical and drainage time were longer and the blood loss and drainage amount were significantly greater in deep lobe group (P 0.05). More patients with decreased sensation or sialocele were observed in deep lobe group (P=0.004, 0.043, respectively), and no significant differences were found for wound infection and Frey's syndrome among 3 groups (P>0.05).Transient facial nerve paralysis occurred more frequently in deep lobe group (P<0.01), while permanent facial nerve paralysis was similar (P=0.052). No significant difference was observed for tumor recurrence (P=1.000). CONCLUSIONS HS-ECD displays good outcomes and prognosis for benign tumor of parotid gland, with improved esthetic and functional results as well as fewer complications and recurrence rate postoperatively.