Am J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg | Volume 4, Issue 6 | Research Article | Open Access
Pacheco-Ojeda Luis1*, Moncayo-Young Victoria2, Merlo-Cifuentes Felipe3, Del Salto- Aguagallo María4 and Zabala-Parreño Andres2,3,4,5
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital Metropolitano, Ecuador
2Pontificia Universidad Católica, Ecu
3Hospital de Especialidades Carlos Andrade Marín, Ecuador
4Hospital Eugenio Espejo, Ecuador
5Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Epidemiology MCEP
*Correspondance to: Pacheco-Ojeda Luis
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: The main challenge of parotid surgery is dissection and preservation of the facial nerve. Many studies about its surgical anatomy, based on cadaver dissections, have been reported, but less frequently on patients undergoing parotid surgery.
Objective: The current study aimed to study the diagrammed facial nerves and three morphological parameters.
Methods: The clinical records of patients who underwent parotid surgery at a third level hospital in Quito, Ecuador were reviewed. The facial nerve was diagrammed after dissection, a picture taken, and anatomic measurements registered.
Results: The most common anatomic branching types were I and III, and IA and IB, according to Davis’ and Katz’s classifications, respectively. Mean value of the angle between the anterior border of the mastoid process and the trunk of the facial nerve was 64o. Mean value of the length of the trunk of the facial nerve was 17 mm, and mean value of the distance between the stylomastoid foramen and the tip of the mastoid process, was 18 mm.
Conclusion: Two surgical landmarks to identify the facial nerve during parotidectomy, not previously described, were analyzed. Firs table, the angle between the anterior border of the mastoid process and the trunk of the facial nerve which may be an important guide for dissection but may vary anatomically or according to the position of an adjacent tumor. Secondly, the distance
from the tip of the mastoid process to the stylomastoid foramen which is extremely important for identification on the trunk at the beginning of the surgical procedure.
Parotid gland; Facial nerve; Anatomy
Luis P-O, Victoria M-Y, Felipe M-C, Salto-Aguagallo María D, Parreño Andres Z. Anatomic Patterns of the Facial Nerve in Parotidectomized Patients. Am J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021; 4(6): 1143..