Surgical management of primary parapharyngeal space tumors in 103 patients at a single institution

Purpose: To evaluate clinical features, diagnosis, surgical management, and treatment of parapharyngeal space tumors in a single-center setting due to limited knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of parapharyngeal space. Methods: Clinical records of 103 patients were included for the analysis of such clinical characteristics. Results: A total of 29 different types of tumors were diagnosed after operation: 20 benign and 9 malignant. With a follow-up of 31–84 months for 90 benign cases, 84 cases had no recurrence and 6 cases were lost to follow-up. In contrast, with an 8- to 51-month follow-up for 13 malignant cases, 11 patients died and 2 were lost to follow-up. Furthermore, for postoperative complications, 3 cases had Horner syndrome, 2 had hoarseness, 2 had facial nerve dysfunction, and each for other types. Conclusions: Surgery remains the first choice for the treatment of parapharyngeal space tumors, with the transcervical approach used for most tumors. Moreover, CT or MRI may assist in making decisions about operation schemes.