Parotideomasseteric fascia flap is an effective management for prevention of postoperative salivary collection arising from radical surgery of oral cancer

Salivary collection (SC) following surgery for oral cancer represents an underreported and unrecognized complication. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of parotideomasseteric fascia flap (PFF) in preventing postoperative SC, comparing its effectiveness with other conventional methods.

Between November 2019 and January 2023, 221 patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) undergoing wide tumor ablation and neck dissection at Xiangya Hospital were included in the study. Patients were randomly allocated into four groups based on different intraoperative techniques to assess the preventive efficacy of PFF against SC.

The incidence of SC in the PFF group was only 5.9%, which was significantly lower than the other three groups (p < 0.05). Among the 221 patients, the highest SC incidence occurred in buccal cancer cases (19.6%). However, in the PFF group, the incidence was not significantly different (9.5%; p > 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed a higher SC incidence associated with advanced clinical T stage (p = 0.02), N(+) stage (p = 0.01), low average serum albumin (SA) level (p = 0.00), and a large parotid wound (p = 0.00). In multivariate analysis, only average SA (p = 0.01; odds ratio [OR] 4.104; 95% CI 0.921–11.746) emerged as the most prevalent factor predisposing to SC.

The utilization of PFF demonstrated a notable reduction in the incidence of postoperative SC, establishing it as a safe, effective, and convenient method for patients undergoing radical ablation for OSCC.