Impact of great auricular nerve sacrifice on sensory disturbance after parotidectomy.

Authors

• Emily S Sagalow
• Alyssa K Givens
• Kurren Gill
• Kabir Malkani
• Vivian Xu
• Nicholas Elmer
• Rohan Ganti
• Tingting Zhan
• Joel Stanek
• Michelle S Hwang
• Howard Krein
• Ryan Heffelfinger

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-2022

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between great auricular nerve (GAN) sacrifice during parotidectomy and postoperative sensory disturbance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent parotidectomy between November 2016 and May 2020 at a single academic institution were included in this retrospective chart review. Operative notes were reviewed to determine incidence of GAN sacrifice. Prevalence of patient-reported sensory complaints in the GAN distribution and time to spontaneous resolution of symptoms were assessed.

RESULTS: Of 305 parotidectomy patients, 111 (36.4%) endorsed complaints of postoperative sensory disturbances in the GAN distribution typically characterized by numbness or shooting pains. GAN sacrifice was present in 9 (8.1%) of 111 patients who experienced sensory disturbances compared to 9 (4.6%) who reported no sensory disturbances (p > 0.05). Twenty-five patients (32.5%) experienced spontaneous resolution of symptoms at their most recent follow-up at a mean of 6.2 months after onset of symptoms. Of those that experienced a sensory disturbance, GAN preservation was not significantly associated with likelihood of spontaneous recovery (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: We report the largest series to date of post-operative sensory disturbance in parotidectomy patients as it relates to intraoperative GAN sacrifice. Although the relationship between GAN sacrifice and the incidence of postoperative sensory disturbance and its subsequent resolution were not significant, we continue to advocate for GAN preservation to reduce incidence of postoperative sensory disturbances.

Volume

43

Issue

2

First Page

103387

Last Page

103387

ISSN

1532-818X

Published In/Presented At

Sagalow, E. S., Givens, A. K., Gill, K., Malkani, K., Xu, V., Elmer, N., Ganti, R., Zhan, T., Stanek, J., Hwang, M. S., Krein, H., & Heffelfinger, R. (2022). Impact of great auricular nerve sacrifice on sensory disturbance after parotidectomy. American journal of otolaryngology, 43(2), 103387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2022.103387

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

35149344

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article