Parotid Gland Surgery

Tumor Recurrence:

Benign and malignant tumors can come back after surgery

Frey's Syndrome:

This is common. Nerves that tell the salivary gland to produce saliva are cut and can re-grow to the sweat glands. Therefore some people may sweat on their face when they eat. Usually this is not significant and may be helped with an antiperspirant.

Injury to the facial nerve:

Facial nerve damage may be temporary or permanent. Injury may involve one or more nerve branche causing part or all of that side of the face to be weak or paralyzed. Most often this involves the nerve which pulls the corner of the mouth back and down. Damage to the nerve branch to the eye can make the eyelid not able to close all of the way requiring eye drops or ointment to prevent corneal scratching, scarring, and loss of vision.

Other nerve injury:

Expect loss of feeling in the area of the cheek and ear after surgery. This area should get smaller with time. However, it may never completely go away. Not often, a tender mass will form because of a cut end of a nerve.

Infection:

Infection is rare, when it happens we treat with antibiotics.

Skin necrosis:

Necrosis means cell death in a live person. Skin cells can die and cause a larger scar. This is usually worse in diabetics and /or smokers.

Bleeding and hematoma:

It is not usual to have large amounts of bleeding during surgery. If bleeding happens after surgery, the surgeon often opens the wound to help stop it or may decide to re-operate.

Sialocele and seroma:

Saliva (sialocele) or fluid (seroma) can collect under the skin and is usually fixed by draining the fluid repeatedly. Saliva that leaks from the skin incision usually stops, but if long term drainage occurs (a fistula) this may require another surgery.

Trismus:

Rare difficulty opening the mouth after surgery is usually mild and goes away with time.

Cosmesis:

The scar is hidden as much as possible using plastic surgery techniques. Sometimes there might be a raised scarring or keloid formation. Because tissue is removed, there will be a flattening or depression in the cheek/neck after surgery.

Complications from general anesthesia are rare, but can be serious. You may discus these with your anesthesia care provider before surgery.