Pediatric Parotidectomy: Do Surgical Indications Affect Outcomes?

BACKGROUND: Parotid gland pathologies requiring resection present with varying effects on surrounding tissue architecture, and we hypothesize that this spectrum of indications confers different risks of adverse events. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the complication profiles of parotidectomy in children across a spectrum of pathologies requiring parotid resection.

METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric data set was queried for parotidectomies performed from 2012 through 2017. Indications were subclassified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision codes. Complications, readmissions, and reoperations were analyzed with appropriate statistics.

RESULTS: Parotidectomies in children (n = 208) were mostly performed for neoplasms (47.6%), followed by inflammatory conditions (24.0%). Total parotidectomies took significantly longer (P < 0.001) and remained in the hospital significantly longer than superficial parotidectomies (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference (P = 0.417) between benign neoplasms (29.3%) and malignant neoplasms (37.9%) requiring total parotidectomy. However, there was a significant difference (P = 0.014) across various malformations, with 83.3% of lymphatic malformations requiring total parotidectomy. Although lymphatic malformations required more aggressive resection, these procedures had the lowest rate of adverse events (0%). Despite the unappreciable predilection toward total parotidectomy based on nature of neoplasms, parotidectomy performed for malignant neoplasms had a significantly increased risk of nerve injury (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 3563) and medical complications (P < 0.001; OR, 67.2), whereas those performed for benign neoplasms did not have an increased risk of these complications (all P's > 0.209). Parotidectomy performed for vascular malformations had significantly increased risk of bleeding requiring transfusion (P < 0.001; OR, 14.9) and surgical complications (P < 0.001; OR, 9.2). Bleeding requiring transfusion was significantly related to longer surgical procedures (P < 0.001; 409 vs 191 minutes).

CONCLUSIONS: Parotidectomy in pediatric patients for malignant neoplasms is associated with a significantly higher risk of nerve injury compared with parotidectomy for benign neoplasms. Parotidectomy for vascular malformations has a significantly higher risk of bleeding requiring transfusion, whereas parotidectomy for lymphatic malformations is associated with the lowest risk of medical and surgical complications.