ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Otorinolaringologia 2003 December;53(4):145-50

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Parapharyngeal space tumors. Computerised tomography defining its surgical approaches

Gupta A. K., Mathur N.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

Aim. The aim of our ­work was to ­study the ­space occu­py­ing ­lesions in the parapharyngeal ­space and how CT ­scan can ­help in selec­tion of appro­pri­ate sur­gi­cal approach­es, on the ­basis of the ana­tom­i­cal rela­tion of the ­tumour ­with the ­vital struc­tures, assess­ing its ­nature and to ­plan its sur­gi­cal ­approach.
Methods. The par­a­pha­ryn­geal ­space is a ­deep ­space sit­u­at­ed on ­either ­side of ­neck. Clinical assess­ment, radiological asso­ci­a­tion and sur­gi­cal approach­es ­have ­been dis­cussed in 26 ­patients ­worked up and oper­at­ed in the Depart­ment of Otorhinolaryn- gology and Head Neck Sur­gery of the Postgraduate insti­tute of med­i­cal edu­ca­tion and ­research, Chandigarh (India). This was a pros­pec­tive ­study con­duct­ed in our depart­ment ­over a period of 1 ­year. The cas­es ­were select­ed ­from the depart­ment ­from October 2000 and September 2001. The cas­es who had exten­sive inop­er­able malig­nant ­tumours ­with intra­cra­ni­al exten­sion, malig­nan­cies of nasoph­a­rynx extend­ing ­into PPS ­were not includ­ed in ­this ­study. Detailed ­work up of all the ­patients includ­ing radio­log­i­cal inves­ti­ga­tions was con­duct­ed. All ­patients under­went sur­gi­cal exci­sion of the ­tumour.
Results. Lesions in the par­a­pha­ryn­geal ­space are ­rare and com­prise ­only 0.5% of head and neck neo­pla­sia. The major­ity of ­lesions are ­benign and ­only a few are malig­nant. Tumours in ­this ­space orig­i­nate ­from var­i­ous tis­sues ­present in ­this ­space, occa­sion­al­ly exten­sion ­from neigh­bour­ing struc­tures and rare­ly ­through ­blood or lym­phat­ic.