Free fat grafting in superficial parotid surgery to prevent Frey's syndrome and improve aesthetic outcome.

Background: Frey's syndrome and cosmesis are important considerations in parotid surgery. Placement of an interpositional barrier can prevent these complications; however, surgical technique and efficacy remain controversial.

Methods: A prospective case series was collected comprising all patients undergoing primary superficial parotidectomy for benign pathology with abdominal free fat grafting between June 2007 and December 2010, performed by a single surgeon. A survey was also distributed to otorhinolaryngology consultants across Australia to assess current practice.

Results: Twenty-eight patients were included. No patient had clinical symptoms of Frey's syndrome. Seventy-five per cent of patients were completely satisfied with their aesthetic outcome, 18 per cent scored 4/5 and the remaining 7 per cent (2 patients) scored 3/5. The survey revealed that 79 per cent of respondents did not use interpositional grafts.

Conclusion: Abdominal free fat is ideal for grafting as it is an effective, safe, simple, accessible, fast and inexpensive method of providing an interpositional graft.