Endoscopic transoral approach to accessory parotid tumors-an updated approach and literature review

Transoral endoscopic resection is an updated treatment of accessory parotid gland tumors. The aim of this study was to present the endoscopic transoral resection surgical technique and clinical outcomes of accessory parotid tumors.

Articles on endoscopic transoral approach for accessory parotid tumors were searched in PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Web of Science databases. Patient information from these articles was extracted and retrospectively analyzed along with data from patients we treated. The procedure was reported in detail using a classic case.

A total of 119 articles were identified through database searches, of which 7 were included in the final analysis, providing medical information for 30 patients. Additionally, 10 cases of endoscopic transoral surgery were performed at West China Hospital of Stomatology and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2022 to April 2024. There are five male patients and five female patients, with a mean age of 42.50±15.56 years. The average operation time was 54.70±7.73 minutes. Lesion diameters varied from 1 to 3 cm, averaging 1.90±0.57 cm. Most patients were diagnosed with pleomorphic adenoma. One patient was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma according to intraoperative frozen biopsy, and a complete parotid lobectomy was performed with traditional standard S-shaped incision instead. All of the 40 patients were aesthetically satisfied during postoperative follow-up, with only five patients reporting postoperative complications: swelling, hydrops, and transient facial palsy.

The endoscopic transoral approach to accessory parotid tumors avoids external facial scars and offers good aesthetic outcomes.