Parotidectomy in outpatient surgery: Retrospective analysis of selection criteria

Outpatient surgery is in full expansion, because it allows hospital resources to be optimized. Although parotidectomy, often performed in hospital, it is possible to perform this procedure on an outpatient basis thanks to recent advances, but a rigorous selection of patients is necessary. This study aims to evaluate the results of conventional parotidectomies, analyze postoperative complications and propose criteria to identify patients suitable for outpatient care.

After approval by the ethics committee, this retrospective study included 90 patients who underwent parotidectomy between January 2018 and September 2024. The variables analyzed included demographic, clinical, operative and postoperative data. Statistical analyses were performed with IBM® SPSS®, using appropriate tests (Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney, Student, Chi-square) according to the data, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05.

The study included 90 patients who underwent parotidectomy, mostly partial (90 %). Tumors were benign in 90 % of cases, with a mean size of 2.5 cm. The median operative time was 132.5 min, and 72.2 % of patients had a hospital stay of ≤ 2 days. A significant association was observed between operative time ≥ 120 min and prolonged hospital stay (p < 0.001). Quantities drained (≥ 30 mL for 86.7 % of patients) were related to longer operative time, but without correlation with comorbidities, tumor size or malignancy. No significant association was established with postoperative complications.

Ambulatory parotidectomy offers advantages, but requires rigorous patient selection, based on well-defined factors such as tumor size, histological type and operating time. In outpatient surgery, post-operative monitoring is essential to ensure the success of the procedure.