2011 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 267-270
Eight patients developing complications of postoperative salivary fistulas were targeted from a group of 178 patients who had undergone parotid tumor surgeries in our hospital between April 2004 and August 2009. First, we pressed and evacuated the subcutaneously-stored saliva from the incision line on the skin formed during the surgery. Next, we rubbed the prescribed tretinoin tocoferil ointments onto regions excreting saliva. Postoperative wounds were washed and cleaned every day, and ointments were applied. The time period from surgery to development of salivary fistulas was 6 to 27 days, with the average being 12.6 days. The time period between initial treatment of the identified fistulas to cure was 14 to 31 days, with the average being 17.8 days. We believe that this treatment method will improve the QOL of patients while reducing the burdens of medical practitioners, and therefore, expect that it will become an option for the future treatment of salivary fistulas of post-surgical parotid tumors.
