OBJECTIVETo summarize and analyze the clinical features, diagnosis methods, surgical approaches and treatment outcomes of patients with primary parapharyngeal space tumors.

METHODSA retrospective review of 91 cases with primary parapharyngeal space tumors treated from January 1999 to December 2011 was performed. All patients underwent preoperative enhanced CT scan and postoperative histopathologic examination. Intraoperative frozen section biopsies were performed in 36 of 91 cases. The surgical approaches included trans-cervical approach in 73 cases, trans-parotid approach in 5 cases, trans-oral approach in 5 cases, and mandibulotomy in 8 cases.

RESULTSThe postoperative pathological diagnoses consisted of 29 variants, including 20 for benign tumors and 9 for malignant tumors. Of the 80 cases with benign tumors, 6 cases were lost to follow-up and 74 cases were followed up for 31-84 months with no recurrence. Eleven cases with malignant tumor were followed up for 8-51 months (median 29 months), of them 7 cases died and 1 case was lost to follow-up. The post-operative complications included Horner syndrome in 3 cases, hoarseness in 2 cases, hypoglossal nerve palsy in 1 case, accessory nerve palsy in 1 case, upper airway obstruction in 1 case, and internal carotid artery cavernous sinus fistula in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONSParapharyngeal space tumors are rare, with atypical clinical manifestation, and have pathological types of diversification. CT or MRI is helpful to evaluate the tumor size, location and possible sources, and to make operation scheme. Surgery is the first choice for parapharyngeal space tumors. Trans-cervical approach can be applied to most tumors. Parapharyngeal benign tumors have good prognosis, but malignant tumors have poor prognosis.