Outcomes of Drainless Outpatient Parotidectomy

Background: Superficial parotidectomy has traditionally been completed with a drain and overnight hospital stay. We report perioperative and postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing drainless outpatient parotidectomy vs traditional drained extended stay parotidectomy.

Methods: Retrospective chart review from a single surgeon from 2009 to 2017 of patients undergoing parotidectomy, including demographic data, surgical approach, tumor pathology and size, blood loss, drain placement, postoperative pain control, and complications, was done. A comparison was performed between patients undergoing drain placement and those treated with "drainless" technique.

Results: Ninety-one patients underwent parotidectomy (42 drainless; 49 drained). Intraoperative blood loss was lower in the "drainless" group (16.0 mL vs 34.9 mL, P < .001). There was a lower rate of facial nerve paresis in the "drainless" group compared with the "drained" cohort (7% vs 16.3%, P = .18). Seroma formation and infection rate was similar.

Conclusion: In the properly selected patient, outpatient drainless parotidectomy is a viable procedure with comparable outcomes to traditional extended stay drained parotidectomy.