Abstract

We performed a retrospective analysis of the data of patients who underwent the initial operation for a benign parotid tumor in our department between September 1999 and March 2023. Data of a total of 1228 patients were analyzed. The most commonly diagnosed tumor was pleomorphic adenoma (764 patients), followed by Warthin tumor (257 patients). In regard to the tumor localization, superficial lobe tumors accounted for 56.7% of all tumors, deep lobe tumors for 19.6% of all tumors, and lower pole tumors for 23.7% of all tumors. Fine-needle aspiration cytology and frozen-section histopathological examination were used to identify the tumor histopathology. The overall rate of postoperative facial nerve palsy was 19%. A multivariate analysis was performed, which identified large-diameter tumors and deep-lobe tumors as the most important predictors of facial palsy. The postoperative facial palsy improved within 12 months of surgery in all cases, and there were no cases of permanent facial palsy. It is important to explain the risks of the postoperative complications to the patients so as to obtain appropriate informed consent from them for surgery.