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Sacrificing the buccal branch of the facial nerve during parotidectomy
Author(s) -
Dhiwakar Muthuswamy,
Khan Zubair A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.24514
Subject(s) - facial nerve , parotidectomy , buccal administration , medicine , anatomy , dentistry
Background The need for and consequence of sacrificing the buccal branch of the facial nerve during parotidectomy is unknown. We sought to determine the indication, frequency, and functional outcome of buccal branch sacrifice. Methods We conducted a prospective study of all cases of parotidectomy at a tertiary referral center. Results Of 100 consecutive cases of parotidectomy, the buccal branch was sacrificed in 23 cases. This subgroup was more likely to have anterior or deep lesions ( p < .001), retrograde facial nerve dissection ( p = .037), and immediate postoperative upper and lower facial weakness ( p = .051 and .002, respectively). However, if the temporozygomatic and cervicomandibular branches were anatomically preserved, full facial (including buccal) function was restored. Conclusion Deep or anterior lesions may warrant sacrifice of the buccal branch for adequate access and excision. However, this does not result in long‐term impairment of facial function. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1821–1825, 2016