Extracapsular dissection versus superficial parotidectomy in benign parotid gland tumors: The Vienna Medical School experience.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome in patients with benign parotid gland tumors after extracapsular dissection or superficial parotidectomy (SP). METHODS Eight hundred ninety-four patients with primary pleomorphic adenoma or Warthin's tumor were included from this study. Type and length of surgery, tumor size, resection margins, and complication rates were assessed. RESULTS Three hundred ninety-five (44.2%) extracapsular dissections and 499 SPs (55.8%) were performed. The rate of positive margins was significantly higher in the extracapsular dissection compared to the SP group (29.4% vs 10.2%; p < .0001). Recurrent disease (extracapsular dissection = 7.2% vs SP = 2.2%; p = .0003) and permanent facial palsy were significantly more frequent after extracapsular dissection than SP (2.2% vs 0.6%; p = .0396). Significant prolonged surgery time was observed after SP (146 vs 94 minutes; p < .0001). CONCLUSION Because extracapsular dissection led to a significantly higher percentage of permanent facial palsy, recurrent disease, and positive resection margins compared to SP, we recommend SP for treating benign parotid gland tumors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 356-360, 2017.