Video-assisted resection in mediofacial lateral tumors

Tumors that developed into the soft tissues of the cheek rising from the anterior prolongation of the parotid gland, minor salivary glands, and the masseter muscle are the most profitable with the use of video-assisted surgery.In the Department of Plastic Surgery at Argerich Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1999 to 2010, video-assisted approaches were used in the treatment of 158 patients, 16 of them presented tumors that developed into the tissues of the cheek.Intraoral approach such as natural orifice surgery was performed in 13 cases; in the other 3 cases, a preauricular incision was performed. Minor complications such as hematoma and transitory paresis of the superior buccal nerve were detected.Video-assisted technique offers both good illumination and excellent magnification, permitting not only a safe anatomic dissection by means of surgical maneuvers in avascular planes but also contributed to avoid injuries of facial nerve branches and secondary obstruction of the Stensen duct. On the other hand, when intraoral incisions are used, visible scarring is avoided; the uses of transoral areas are the most feasible approaches of natural orifice surgery.The outcome achieved with endoscopic techniques in mediofacial lateral areas has permitted to consider it as the first election in the surgical treatment in tumors that developed into the soft tissues of the cheek, offering more advantages than the classic approaches.