Parotid surgery/parotidectomy

Parotid surgery is required when there is a lump in the parotid gland.  The aims of surgery are

• to determine the nature of the lump
  
• to  prevent a benign lump from becoming malignant
• because a benign lump will relentlessly grow and become more difficult to remove later
  
  

Parotidectomy is done under a general anesthetic so that the patient is asleep and unaware during the operation. Generally the first part of the operation is dissecting between the ear and the gland to find the facial nerve which runs through the gland and divides into branches to the various muscles in the face. By finding the nerve first, the chance of injury to it is minimised. The second part of the operation consists of dissecting the abnormal parotid tissue away from the nerve.

The photo to the left demonstrates the curved incision for a parotidectomy. This incison is required to gain access to the facial nerve and to also separate the skin and soft tissue from the lump. It heals as a fine scar.

The procedure takes about 2 hours but can be longer depending on its complexity.

The hospital stay is 1-2 days and planned time off work should be 10-14 days.