S. K. Kashyap1, Pallavi Agrawal2, Ashwini Kumar3, Vineet Kumar4, Manish Pandey5
The parapharyngeal space is a complex anatomical area. Tumors located in the parapharyngeal space are relatively rare and account for 0.5% of all the head and neck tumors. Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common parapharyngeal space tumor. The clinical features are slow growing swelling of parotid and upper cervical region, bulging on lateral oropharyngeal wall, dysphagia, u/l Eustachian tube dysfunction, pain, trismus, and obstructive sleep apnoea. The pre-styloid tumours displace the lateral pharyngeal wall medially, parotid gland laterally and carotid artery laterally while maintain the fat plane with deep lobe of parotid gland. Post-styloid tumour displace the carotid artery medially and anteriorly with obliteration of fat plane around the vessels and pre-styloid fat anterolaterally.
We report a series of two cases of pleomorphic adenoma, involving the prestyloid parapharyngeal space, and in continuity with the deep lobe of the parotid gland. However no medial bulge was seen on lateral oropharyngeal wall. Complete excision of the lesion was performed using the cervical-transparotid approach preserving the facial nerve.
Main aim of our study is to emphasize that the parapharyngeal tumors are not always presented with oropharyngeal symptoms like lateral pharyngeal wall bulge, dysphagia, dysarthria and trismus.
