How much will a Parotidectomy cost you?
A parotidectomy would usually cost about $7000 to $13000 depending on where you are having the surgery. Since this is a very delicate surgery, you should discuss the type of parotidectomy that will be performed and the complications that may arise. You should also be sure of the hospital and the surgeon performing the surgery. It is usually performed by otology and neuro-otology surgeons and under general anesthesia. Some of the risks involved include nerve paralysis, pain when chewing, lack of feeling in the ear, scars, ear pain, etc.
The salivary glands help in the production of saliva which in turn helps to soften food in the mouth. The salivary glands can be divided into Major and minor glands. While there are tons of minor salivary glands, there are only three major salivary glands and they are:
Parotid glandsSubmandibular glandsSublingual glands
These glands use a system of ducts to bring the saliva to the mouth and they are located around the tongue area. The submandibular glands can be founds beneath the jaw after the sublingual glands. The parotid glands are the largest of the three types of glands and are mainly responsible for swallowing and chewing food in the mouth. They can be found on either side of the mouth, just below the ear. Each Parotid gland uses a pathway called the parotid duct to pass saliva into the mouth. The surgical removal of the parotid gland for any reason is known as Parotidectomy.
Why do you have to perform Parotidectomy?
It has been discussed that the parotid gland is very important for the proper digestion of food. One cannot remove it for fashion. The reason most people remove their parotid glands is when a tumor starts growing on them. Tumors in the parotid gland are mostly benign (tumors that don’t spread to other parts of the body and grow slowly) but in rare cases, they can be malignant (tumors that grow abnormally and spread to other parts of the body). A parotidectomy is done to remove tumors, in cases of chronic infection of the salivary glands or blockage of the glands.
Types of Parotidectomy
Each parotid gland is divided into the superficial, which is the upper part of the gland, and the deep lobe, which is the lower (deeper) part of the gland. There are facial nerves that pass through the parotid gland and are in between the lobes. The area of the parotid gland that is removed and how it affects the facial nerves can be used to differentiate the types of parotid surgeries.
Superficial Parotidectomy: This is the most common type of parotidectomy and simply involves removing the entire superficial lobe but not touching the facial nerves.
Partial Superficial Parotidectomy: This involves removing only the tumor in the superficial lobe and also removing some healthy gland tissue around it to make sure the tumor would not grow back.
Deep Lobe Parotidectomy: This involves removing the deep lobe but not touching the facial nerves.
Total Parotidectomy: This involves totally removing the parotid gland. This is usually done when the tumor is malignant.
Total Parotidectomy with Facial Nerve Resection and Repair: This involves not only removing the parotid gland and the facial nerves but also attempting to repair and reconstruct the facial nerves. This is usually done when the tumor has spread to the facial nerves in the glands.
Extended Total Parotidectomy: This not only involves removing the entire parotid gland but also surrounding structures may need to be removed
Conclusion:
A successful salivary gland removal surgery will usually take at most about three to four months to heal totally. It might be lesser than that depending on the person and the type of parotidectomy. Most times when you leave the hospital there would be a tube in your neck that would be removed after some days. Depending on the type of surgery it is, you may not be able to chew and swallow properly for a while. It is important to rest properly at home and try light exercises like walking but you should not over-extend your neck until it has healed properly.
Frequently Asked Question?
How long will a standard parotidectomy take?
A parotidectomy procedure would last between 2 to 5 hours.
Is Parotidectomy a dangerous surgery?
Yes. It is fairly dangerous because if it is not done carefully, it can cause total facial paralysis.
