Preoperative determination of the location of parotid gland tumors by analysis of the position of the facial nerve

• DOI: 10.1053/joms.2001.22682
• Publication Date: 2002-08-25T03:46:10Z
• Authors: J.Alexander de Ru; Ronald L.A.W. Bleys; Peter Paul G. van...; Gert Jan Hordijk
• Keywords: Models, Anatomic; 0301 basic medicine; Facial Nerve; 03 medical and health sciences; Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; Cephalometry; Humans; Parotid Gland; Mandible; Patient Care Planning; Parotid Neoplasms; Veins

This study examined the usefulness of anatomic lines in predicting the intraparotid course of the facial nerve.To make the comparison, 3 lines were drawn on 69 transverse sections of 5 cadaver heads. Then, the shortest and the longest distance from the lines to the facial nerve were measured.Of the tested lines, the one that connects the most dorsal point on the ipsilateral half of a vertebra to the dorsal side of the retromandibular vein had the shortest distance to the facial nerve. It also ran more parallel to the facial nerve than the other 2 lines.Because the line that connects the most dorsal point on the ipsilateral half of a vertebra to the dorsal side of the retromandibular vein best predicts the intraparotid course of the facial nerve, it might be useful in assessing whether parotid tumors are located in the superficial or deep lobe.