Benign parotid lesions: is near total parotidectomy justified?

INTRODUCTION Benign tumours of the parotid gland constitute about 80% of parotid tumours. The most common benign tumour of the parotid gland is pleomorphic adenoma. Other conditions, like Kimura's disease, may mimic a tumour when they present as a parotid mass. Various modes of treatment have been advocated for the treatment of benign parotid lesions, ranging from enucleation to near-total parotidectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS This is an audit of an 18-year period where 173 lesions of the parotid gland (34 malignant and 139 benign lesions) were treated by the author. RESULTS There were 139 benign lesions, of which 123 were benign tumours and 16 non-tumour conditions. Fourteen cases of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of parotid that had been treated elsewhere were also operated on. Near-total parotidectomy was performed on all these cases with benign lesions. CONCLUSIONS There has been no recurrence in all the patients who was treated this way. Near-total parotidectomy should be considered when there is a need to treat benign parotid swellings.