Surgical treatment for facial nerve involvement in salivary gland tumor

Surgical treatment for facial nerve involvement in salivary gland tumor

The most important consideration in performing a parotidectomy is to accurately identify the facial nerve and preserve its function. There are various descriptions of the location and branching types of the facial nerve trunk. During parotid surgery, knowledge about the incidence and prognostic aspects of facial nerve involvement caused by parotid tumors is necessary. The extent of dissection and the method of anatomical tissue separation will be determined not only by anatomical variations of the facial nerve, but also by the size and location of the tumor Invasion of the facial nerve in parotid malignancies is one of the most significant factors affecting prognosis, which may require radical parotidectomy for proper treatment. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for cancer of the parotid gland, and there is general agreement that facial nerve should not be sacrificed unless the tumor is adherent to, or surrounds the nerve. The following statement describes general principles of troublesome management of the facial nerve during surgery for parotid tumor.