[The diagnosis and treatment of tumors in the parapharyngeal space].

We have recently encountered 6 cases of tumor that developed in the parapharyngeal space (2 cases of neurinoma, a case of angioneurinoma, pleomorphic adenoma, mucoepidermoid tumor and acinic cell tumor). This paper reports these cases and discusses the problems on diagnosis and treatment. As for the surgical approaches, the oral method and external cervical incision with or without median mandibulotomy are available. Adopting the external cervical incision method for all of the six cases, we were able to remove the tumor safely. It is characteristic that the tumor is benign and large in most cases and that the site of development is anatomically complex and the surgical field is restricted. Even with the external cervical incision, therefore, the surgical field is narrow and finger dissection is necessary, though the tumor can easily be extirpated since it is surrounded by loose connective tissue without invasion. Whether or not the tumor is benign and the relationship between the tumor and the surrounding tissue should therefore be studied throughly before surgical procedure. We have stressed that the CT examination is the most useful for this purpose.