Arturo Mario Poletti
Humanitas Clinical and Research Hospital
Italy
Title: The management of the parapharyngeal space tumors
Biography
Biography: Arturo Mario Poletti
Abstract
The tumors that arise in the parapharingeal space can be primary, metastatic and secondary to extension from contiguous structures. Up to 50% of all primary PPS lesions are of salivary origin, while 20% are neurogenic and 30% are of varied histology. Surgery is the treatment of choice and many approaches are proposed. We have analyzed our cases operated in the last 11 years. The role of the cervical and lateral skull base approaches will be summarized and discussed. Trans-parotid and trans-cervical approaches were adequate in most benign tumors. Combined trans-parotid-trans-cervical, trans-cervical-trans-mandibular, infratemporal fossa and petro-occipital trans-sigmoid approaches were needed for bigger tumors, malignant tumors, tumors with skull base involvement and trans-cranial extension