Investigation of arguments against properly indicated extracapsular dissection in the parotid gland.

BACKGROUND The ideal extent of surgical intervention for benign parotid tumors remains a matter of controversy. The purpose of this study was to examine the existing arguments against extracapsular dissection and present our experience over the last 16 years. METHODS A retrospective evaluation was carried out on the records of all patients who underwent extracapsular dissection for benign parotid tumors at a tertiary referral center between 2000 and 2015. RESULTS A total of 1359 cases were included in the study. Temporary postoperative facial palsy was detected in 68 cases (5%), permanent facial palsy in 5 cases (0.37%), and postoperative Frey's syndrome in 31 cases (2.3%). Recurrences of pleomorphic adenomas were shown in 4 cases (0.87%). CONCLUSION Our analysis could not justify the arguments against correctly indicated implementation of extracapsular dissection and showed that increased performance of this modality was associated with excellent oncologic and functional outcomes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 498-502, 2017.