Background: Surgical management of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland has a considerable risk of facial nerve injury and a high re-recurrence rate. To obtain more insight into the issue of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma and more specifically to evaluate our experience and results of treatment, a retrospective study was carried out.
Materials and Methods: During the period from 1989 to 2002, the medical records of 14 patients who underwent a operation for recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland were reviewed retrospectively. The initial operation for parotid tumor, clinical features of recurrence, reoperation after recurrence, po stop complication were analysed.
Results: The male to female ratio was 6 : 9. Median age of the patients at the time of the initial operation was 33 years and at the time of the reoperation was 43 years. The median interval until recurrence was 105 months (6-252 months). The initial operations performed were excision or enucleation in 10 patients, superficial parotidectomy in 3 patients, total parotidectmy in 1 patients. The thirteen patients were underwent reoperation (8 superficial parotidectomies, 3 total parotidectomies, 1 neartotal parotidectomy, 1 wide excision). The facial nerve paralysis after the reoperation occured in 6 patients but all of them were recovered from 3 months to 1 year after surgery.
Conclusion: In the management of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland, excision or enucleation is to be avoided due to the higher recurrence rate and superficial or total parotidectomy with preservation of the facial nerve are to be preferred. Because the risk of facial nerve injury during operation for the recurrent tumor was higher than initial surgery, more careful surgical procedure is mandatory for preserving the facial nerve.
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