Vol.101 No.8 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 101 No. 8 August 2008
A Modified Transcervical Approach to
Benign Parapharyngeal Tumors
Tetsu Iwanaga
(National Hospital Organization (NHO) Nagasaki Medical Center, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences)
Noriyuki Sakihama, Haruo Yoshida, Fujinobu Tanaka and Haruo Takahashi
(Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences)
The aim of this paper was to describe our surgical technique and retrospective review of the treatment of benign parapharyngeal tumors. We used a modified transcervical approach in twelve patients with large tumors. Pathological diagnose comprised 7 cases of pleomorphic adenoma, 4 cases of schwannoma, and 1 case of oncocytoma. The mean maximal tumor diameter was 4.8 cm (range: 2.0-9.0 cm) and the mean vertical distance from the skull base was 1.3 cm (range: 0-3.5 cm). The mean surgical time was 198 minutes (range: 104-369 minutes), and the mean blood loss was 82 ml (range: 25-200 ml). The average follow-up time was 37 months (range: 8-74 months) and there was no clinical or radiological signs of residual or recurrent tumor. The modified transcervical approach facilitates the removal of large tumors, but only in benign cases.
Key words :modified transcervical approach, benign parapharyngeal tumor, surgical technique