Small access postaural parotidectomy: an analysis of techniques, feasibility and safety.

For cosmetic consideration of parotidectomy, the surgical approaches have evolved from Blair incision through modified facelift incision to postaural-hairline incision. The present study aims at evaluating the feasibility and safety of the new technique of postaural approach. Parotidectomy was performed with a 4-5 cm incision in the postaural sulcus. There were 69 patients who were assessed pre-operatively feasible for consideration of the postaural parotidectomy. There were 56 (81 %) patients who could have the postaural parotidectomy successfully without complications. The minimally invasive postaural approach is a further step in cosmetic consideration of parotidectomy. It is a feasible and safe approach for most small to medium size benign parotid tumors located in the mid and lower pole regions of the parotid gland.