Characteristics and outcomes of malpractice claims after tonsillectomy.

Objective: To characterize the background and outcomes of tonsillectomy malpractice claims.

Methods: Review of 69 New York State insurance claims (Part I) and 87 national court trials (Part II) alleging injury after tonsillectomy.

Results: Part I.

Limited parotidectomy: the role of extracapsular dissection in parotid gland neoplasms.

Objective: Surgical techniques for parotid gland neoplasm removal have been shaped over the years by the importance of the gland's relationship with the facial nerve, histologic behavior of parotid tumors, and recurrence rates from specific techniques. Parotidectomy with facial nerve dissection has become the procedure of choice in removal of parotid gland neoplasms because of the resulting low recurrence rate. However, these more comprehensive dissections can cause significant postoperative complications, some cosmetically devastating.