Surgical Approaches to Parapharyngeal Space Tumors: An Example and Review of the Literature

Parapharyngeal space tumors (PPS) are rare. They represent less than 1% of all head and neck tumors. They are of various histologies. Pleomorphic adenomas originating from the parotid (prestylian parapharyngeal space) are the most frequent. We report the case of a 50-year-old patient treated for a pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of PPS. His initial complaints were apnea and dysphagia. The correct diagnosis was preoperatively suspected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The surgery was carried out using two approaches: transoral and cervical transparotid approaches. Definitive histology was consistent with encapsulated pleomorphic adenoma. In the present work, we reviewed clinical, radiological, and histological features of parapharyngeal space tumors. We tried to summarize the common surgical approaches. The chosen approach is, in fact, scheduled taking into account several parameters including tumor volume and purpose of the surgery.