Objectives: Conservative parotidectomy has been for several decades an effective and well-established technique for the treatment of benign parotid gland tumor. But one of the annoying complications of parotidectomy is the visible scar in the face and neck. In this article, we have introduced a method of parotidectomy with no preauricular incision.

Material and method: From 2005 to 2009, a total of 73 cases of parotidectomy were performed using our modified incision. Pathology of parotid gland included tumoural or not tumoural, and any size and localization. The diagnosis was confirmed by frozen section biopsy during operation. All the cases were performed by the same surgeon in oral and maxillofacial surgery department at the stomtology hospital of Jiangsu province. All the parotidectomies were under general anaesthesia. Incision starts from the earlobe roots and extends upward about 2/3 of the ala auris along the junction of ear and mastoid process. Then the incision turns posterior and runs down within the scalp and ends at the edge of the hairline.

Results: All the parotidectomies were successfully performed in the 73 patients. The tumor size ranged from 10 mm × 10 mm × 8 mm to 70 mm × 50 mm × 30 mm with mean 25 mm × 20 mm × 10 mm. None of the tumor capsule was found broken. Postoperative complications were mainly temporary facial nerve dysfunction. No recurrence of tumor was found. Aesthetic results were satisfactory.

Summary: The aesthetic incision for parotidectomy provides the surgeon the opportunity to perform the operation safely with an optimal cosmetic scar, thus improving patient satisfaction.

Conflict of interest: None declared.