Cervicomastoidfacial versus modified rhytidectomy incision for benign parotid tumors

The modified rhytidectomy incision is an alternative to the classic cervicomastoidfacial approach for parotid surgery, camouflaging the scar in barely visible areas, resulting in better cosmesis. However, there are very few studies comparing the incidence of complications and functional results of patients submitted to parotidectomy through these two different approaches. OBJECTIVE: Compare the incidence of complications and functional results of patients with benign parotid neoplasms submitted to surgery through the classical incision versus the modified rhytidectomy approach. METHOD: Retrospective cohort study evaluating the demographics, surgical and post-operative characteristics of an equally distributed group of sixty patients submitted to parotidectomy via cervicomastoidfacial incision or modified rhytidectomy approach. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in complications rates and functional results between the groups, except for a lower incidence of early facial movement dysfunction for the modified rhytidectomy approach - which was 86% lower in this group of patients. CONCLUSION: Modified rhytidectomy incision has shown comparable complication rates to those of the classic approach and a lower incidence of immediate facial movement impairment.