Abstract

Of 58 patients whose parotid glands were extirpated because of a chronic parotitis, 90% could be cured. The rate of success of this operation is reduced to 70-80% if its is based on those 31 patients alone who showed the typical symptoms of a chronic-recurrent parotitis. The incidence of persisting facial pareses is about twice as high as after removal of non-inflamed parotid glands. This figure is based on seven patients suffering, with one exception, from only slight disorders of innervation in the region of the angle of the mouth. In our opinion total parotidectomy is the method of choice for the treatment of chronic parotitis, if all attempts at conservative treatment have failed. We attribute our failures to remaining glandular parenchyma that was both inflamed and still secretory-active. To further improve the rate of success of parotidectomy, its combination with procedures suitable for occlusion of the duct system is proposed. In this way one should succeed in completely eliminating any secretory-active gland tissue.