Prevalence of Facial Paralysis After Surgical Treatment of Malignant Tumors of the Parotid Gland: A Systematic Review

D’Assunção, Nathália Cunha Lima; Lima, Andrea Marcia da Cunha; Gomes, Arthur Barbosa; Sousa, Fátima Regina Nunes de

doi:10.1590/pboci.2026.025

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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW • Pesqui. Bras. Odontopediatria Clín. Integr. 26 • 2026 • https://doi.org/10.1590/pboci.2026.025 linkcopy

Prevalence of Facial Paralysis After Surgical Treatment of Malignant Tumors of the Parotid Gland: A Systematic Review

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of facial paralysis in patients with malignant parotid tumors who underwent parotidectomy.

Material and Methods: The method employed was a systematic review, with a search conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS. Grey literature from Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses was also used. The included studies were observational, performed with patients with malignant parotid tumors, diagnosed from the histopathological examination of the gland, with permanent or transient facial paralysis, verified by clinical examination, as a result of surgical treatment for the neoplasm.

Results: Among the 2156 studies identified, 16 were selected for this systematic review. The prevalence of facial paralysis after parotidectomy due to malignancy varied according to the type of facial paralysis, the size of the tumor, the kind of parotidectomy performed, the presence of preoperative facial paralysis, and the need for adjuvant radiotherapy.

Conclusion: The prevalence of facial paralysis after parotidectomy due to malignancy ranged from 9.09% to 100% among the studies.

Keywords:
Parotid Neoplasms; Facial Paralysis; Facial Nerve; Surgery.

Author/ Year / Country	Study	Sample	Type of Parotidectomy		Prevalence of Facial Paralysis
					N (%)
Pecorari et al./ 2023/ Italy [⁹]	RO	18	Superficial: 3 / Total: 15	Transient: 5 (27.70) / Permanent: 5 (27.70) / Total: 10 (55.40)
Lee et al. / 2023/ South Korea [¹⁰]	RO	180	Partial: 27 / Superficial: 66 / Total: 72 / Radical: 15	Transient: 16 (8.88) / Permanent: 19 (10.55) / Total: 35 (19.43)
Bhardwaj et al. / 2020/ India [¹¹]	AFTER	4	Superficial: 1 / Total: 3	Transient: 2 (50.0) / Permanent: 2 (50.0) / Total: 4 (100.0)
Li et al. / 2020/ China [¹²]	RO	16	Total: 10 / Subtotal: 6	Transient: 3 (18.75) / Permanent: 1 (6.25) / Total: 4 (25.0)
Park et al. / 2019/ South Korea [¹³]	RO	256	Conservative: 110 / Total: 146	Transient: 35 (13.67) / Permanent: 5 (1.95) / Total: 40 (15.62)
Wu et al. / 2019/ China [¹⁴]	RO	108	Partial: 9 / Superficial: 8 / Total: 7 / Local extensive: 84	Transient: 22 (20.37) / Permanent: 15 (13.88) / Total: 37 (34.25)
Dombrowski et al. / 2019/ USA [¹⁵]	RO	11	Superficial: 7 / Total: 2 / Revision: 2	Transient: 2 (18.18) / Permanent: 0 (0.0) / Total: 2 (1818)
Correia-Sá et al. / 2016/ Portugal [¹⁶]	RO	27	Superficial: 8 / Total: 11	Transient: 9 (33.33) / Permanent: 9 (33.33) / Total: 18 (66.66)
Chang et al. / 2015/ South Korea [¹⁷]	RO	98	Superficial: 38 / Total: 36 / Radical: 24	Transient: 15 (15.30) / Permanent: 3 (3.06) / Total: 18 (18.36)
El-Shakhs et al. / 2013/ Egypt [¹⁸]	RO	11	Total: 11	Transient: 0 (0.0) / Permanent: 1 (9.09) / Total: 1 (9.09)
Henney et al. / 2009/ England [¹⁹]	RO	6	Superficial: 3 / Total: 3	Transient: 5 (83.33) / Permanent: 1 (16.66) / Total: 6 (100.0)
Gomez et al. / 2009/ USA [²⁰]	RO	35	Subtotal: 21 / Total: 14	Transient: 13 (37.14) / Permanent: 10 (28.57) / Total: 23 (65.71)
Marchesi et al. / 2006/ Italy [²¹]	RO	24	Superficial Total: 20 / Total Deeh: 4	Transient: 4 (16.66) / Permanent: 3 (12.50) / Total: 7 (29.16)
Lim et al. / 2005/ South Korea [²²]	RO	43	Conservative: 43	Transient: 5 (11.62) / Permanent: 0 (0.0) / Total: 5 (11.62)
Aguirre and Vent/ 2004/ Chile [²³]	RO	8	Superficial: 2 / Total: 6	Transient: 0 (0.0) / Permanent: 7 (87.50) / Total: 7 (87.50)
Witt/ 1999/ USA [²⁴]	RO	5	Partial Superficial: 5	Transient: 2 (40.0) / Permanent: 0 (0.0) / Total: 2 (40.0)

Author	Age Group	Gender	Preoperative Facial Paralysis	Facial Nerve Resection/ Reconstruction	Postoperative Radiotherapy
Pecorari et al. [⁹]	Av: 80.6	M: 8 / F: 10 / M/F: 1.25:1	1	1/-	12
Lee et al. [¹⁰]	Av: 60 / Int: 11-92	M: 102 / F: 78 / M/F: 1.3:1	1	-/-	106
Bhardwaj et al. [¹¹]	Av: 40.1*	M/F: 1.54:1*	-	2/-	-
Li et al. [¹²]	Av: 13.7 / Int: 3-18	M: 8 / F: 8 / M/F: 1:1	0	1/1	16
Park et al. [¹³]	Mdn: 50 / Int: 8-82	M:128 / F: 128 / M/F: 1:1	4	-/-	135
Wu et al. [¹⁴]	Av: 41.7 / Int: 18-79	M: 48 / F: 60 / M/F: 1:1.25	3	3/3	108
Dombrowski et al. [¹⁵]	Mdn: 12.4 / Int: 9.8-19.2	M: 3 / F: 8 / M/F: 1:2.3	-	1/1	5
Correia-Sá et al. [¹⁶]	Av: 60.19	M: 15 / F: 12 / M/F: 1.25:1	-	/	18
Chang et al. [¹⁷]	Av: 49.7 / Int: 12-88	M: 56 / F: 42 / M/F: 1.33:1	13	-/-	55
El-Shakhs et al. [¹⁸]	Av: 49	M: 6 / F: 5 / M/F: 1.2:1	-	1/-	5
Henney et al. [¹⁹]	Mdn: 66.5 / Int: 16-88	M/F: 1:1*	-	-/-	-
Gomez et al. [²⁰]	-	M: 18 / F: 17 / M/F: 1.05:1	1	12/5	22
Marchesi et al. [²¹]	Av: 51* / Int: 27-72*	M/F: 1.04:1*	-	2/-	-
Lim et al. [²²]	Av: 55 / Int: 8-84	M: 16 / F: 27 / M/F: 1:1.68	0	-/-	10
Aguirre and Vent [²³]	Int: 18-80	M: 4 / F: 4 / M/F: 1:1	-	4/-	7
Witt [²⁴]	Av: 52* / Int: 18-80*	M/F: 1:1.03*	-	-/-	-

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[TFN1] ^*
= Not distinguished from other data; Int = Interval; Av= Average; Mdn= Median; M= Male; F = Female; M/F= Proportion between male and female in the study;