Surgical management of chronic parotid disease

This is a retrospective review of a single surgeon's experience over a 20-y ear period, and covers the presentation, investigation, histology, manageme nt and complications of the surgical treatment of chronic parotid disease. There were 46 superficial parotidectomies (23 with ductal ligation); 3 requ ired removal of calculi and there was one ductoplasty and one total parotid ectomy. There were 28 cases of temporary palsy of the VIIth cranial nerve ( 55%, mean duration 4 months) and this was predominantly panfacial (79%), Th ere were no cases of permanent palsy. Five patients who initially had a sup erficial parotidectomy required subsequent total parotidectomy for recurren t disease (11%). We have now adopted a policy of near total parotidectomy f or the surgical treatment of chronic parotid disease. (C) 2000 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.