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Determination of Intraparotid Relationship Between Retromandibular Vein and Facial Nerve
摘要
Background: Determine the intraparotid relationship between retromandibular vein and facial nerve and assess its role in parotid surgery, by in vivo measurements during parotid surgery. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all patients with parotid mass receiving parotidectomies from July to December 2017. Results: Sixteen patients aged from 27 to 66 were reviewed. The facial nerve trunk, its upper division and lower division had a mean diameter of 3.4, 3.5, and 2.9 mm, respectively. The mean diameter of retromandibular vein and the distance between retromandibular vein and facial nerve were 4.1 and 3.8 mm, respectively. At the level of submandibular vein, two and nine cases bifurcated along the upper and lower division of facial nerve, respectively, whereas five cases remained without bifurcation. In all patients the retromandibular vein coursed beneath the facial nerve. Conclusions: The retromandibular vein is used as a landmark during preoperative imaging to identify the most likely location of the facial nerve within the parotid gland. Our data concerning the intra-parotid relationship between retromandibular vein and facial nerve may be applied as a reference for parotid surgery to avoid unpleasant complications.