Subtotal petrosectomy in the management of advanced parotid neoplasms.

Circumferential growth of parotid neoplasms may involve the external auditory meatus posteriorly, the floor of the middle cranial fossa superiorly, and the neurovascular structures of the jugular foramen medially. Inadequate tumor resection in these anatomically complex regions will result in local disease recurrence at the lateral skull base. A subtotal petrosectomy approach has been combined with a standard total parotidectomy in the management of 27 patients with aggressive parotid tumors. Twenty-two patients had malignant lesions and 10 individuals had recurrent disease. The resultant conductive hearing loss is outweighed by the following advantages of this technique: (1) the ability to obtain tumor-free bony margins, (2) proximal intratemporal facial nerve identification, (3) vascular control of the jugular bulb and petrous carotid artery, and (4) the dissection and protection of cranial nerves IX through XII. Our series of 27 patients will be detailed with an emphasis on surgical technique and overall patient results.