The risk of facial nerve palsy after benign parotidectomy. A quality project.

BACKGROUND: Facial nerve palsy is a potential complication of parotidectomy for benign salivary gland tumours, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of its incidence and associated risk factors for improved patient counselling and preoperative planning.

AIM/OBJECTIVES: This single-centre retrospective study aimed to assess the rate of facial nerve palsy following benign parotidectomy at a University Teaching Hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over a 3-year period, 160 patients undergoing parotid surgery for benign tumours were included. Data, encompassing sex, age, operation technique, tumour pathology, facial nerve function, and follow-up duration, were collected from medical records. Exclusion criteria comprised patients with prior parotid gland surgery or preoperative facial nerve palsy.

RESULTS: The study revealed a 3.75% incidence of facial nerve palsy with no total paralysis post-parotidectomy for benign disease. Pleomorphic adenoma (50.6%) and Warthin's tumour (44.4%) were the predominant tumour types. No significant differences were noted between groups with and without postoperative facial palsy based on obtained covariates.

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings endorse partial superficial parotidectomy and extracapsular dissection as low-risk treatments for benign parotid tumours. However, prospective studies are warranted to elucidate recovery rates and long-term consequences of facial nerve palsy, contributing to refined surgical approaches and patient care in parotid surgery.