The minimally invasive approach for the removal of parotid tumors was first described by our team of surgeons in the article "Minimal incision in parotidectomy" (Int.J. Oral Maxillofac, Surg., 2007; 36: 72-76). The design of this approach is in the form of "V" and requires only prearicular incisions that are continued by the fold of the lobe until reaching the back of the ear, instead of the classic approach that goes from the scalp line to the upper part of the neck.
Since then, the minimally invasive approach has been widely used in other centers to approach almost the entire superficial parotid region, with very good results and hardly visible scars.
At the Maxillofacial Institute, faithful to our commitment to minimally invasive treatments, we implement this approach not only to treat the simplest cases, but to treat much more complex cases, such as parotid tumors that are at deeper levels and close to the base of skull and cervical vessels, among other noble structures.
This type of tumors, which usually require much more complicated and less aesthetic approaches (even to perform osteotomies of the jaw), are performed in our center at a surgical time of around 120 minutes, and a hospital stay of less than 48 hours, No case of paralysis of the facial nerve or necrosis in the wound has been reported so far.
Thus, in the Maxillofacial Institute we have consolidated the technique of minimally invasive approach for the removal of benign parotid tumors located at parapharyngeal level, since the results obtained show that it is a safe excision technique and much more respectful of the aesthetics and functionality of the patients than classic approaches.
