ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the complication rates and surgical effectiveness of extracapsular dissection (ECD) versus superficial parotidectomy for the treatment of primary benign parotid neoplasms. ECD was defined as the dissection of the tumour with a thin margin of surrounding gland tissue without the intention for identification of the main trunk or branches of the facial nerve. Studies were excluded if they included recurrent or multiple tumours where the data could not be separated from primary solitary tumours, tumours of non-parotid origin located in the parotid gland, or included histologically proven malignant neoplasms. Article abstracts were reviewed to determine whether the inclusion and exclusion criteria were fulfilled in each case. ECD in its current form has been performed for almost 30 years. ECD is a simple procedure but in terms of defining proper indications is also an advanced treatment modality, and can be very demanding intraoperatively.
