A transoral surgical approach to a parapharyngeal-space pleomorphic adenoma

It is relatively difficult to gain surgical access to pleomorphic adenomas of the parapharyngeal space. Since the lateral border is the mandible, gaining access to them can put several important neurovascular structures at risk. A number of surgical approaches have been developed to overcome this difficulty, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman with a parapharyngeal-space pleomorphic adenoma that was accessed via a transoral approach. Transoral approaches are controversial and rarely used. However, we feel that for a selected group of tumors, this approach provides clear benefits by decreasing cosmetic and functional disability while providing good surgical access to the tumor.