The Effects of Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System Flap on the Development of Frey's Syndrome and Cosmetic Outcomes After Superficial Parotidectomy.

Objective To investigate the outcomes of superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) flap and classic techniques in superficial parotidectomy in terms of Frey's syndrome (FS) and cosmetic satisfaction. Methods In this study, a retrospective chart review of patients that underwent superficial parotidectomy was performed. These patients were divided into two subgroups: group 1 included patients in which the SMAS flap was harvested and group 2 comprised the remaining patients on whom classic superficial parotidectomy was performed. All the patients were evaluated clinically and with Minor's starch-iodine test for FS. For the evaluation of the cosmetic results, the patient's satisfaction was queried according to the incision scar and surgical field skin retraction/facial symmetry. Both groups were compared in terms of complications and numbness of surgical area. Results Fifty-five patients (31 male and 24 female) with a mean age of 50.19 years were included in the study. Thirty-two patients were in group 1 and 23 in group 2. Thirteen patients (23.7%) described as having FS and six of them were in group 1, while seven were in group 2. Minor's starch-iodine test was positive in nine patients in group 1 (28.1%) and six patients in group 2 (26.1%) (p=1.000). With regard to cosmetic satisfaction, eight patients (25%) stated mild discomfort from the incision scar and two patients (6.3%) stated cosmetic dissatisfaction for facial asymmetry in group 1. In group 2 for the same factors the number of patients were 11 (47.8%) and 2 two (8.7%), respectively (p=0.027). There were no statistically significant differences in means of complication and numbness (p>0.05). Conclusion According to our study results, there was no superiority between both the groups in terms of FS and incision scar satisfaction. We determined that there was a significant benefit of SMAS flap application in the prevention of volume loss and surgical area retraction.