Aunt Zhang (pseudonym), 56 years old, developed recurrent throat pain and foreign body sensation in her throat six months ago. She went to a hospital in Ya'an for examination and found a mass the size of a broad bean in her neck (left submandibular gland).
Because the mass was small at the time, Aunt Zhang was advised to observe it first and review it regularly. However, Aunt Zhang thought it was nothing serious and it might just be ordinary pharyngitis, so she didn't take it to heart.
Until last month, Aunt Zhang found that the mass in the left submandibular gland had become significantly larger, and the foreign body sensation in the throat became more and more obvious. There was sometimes pain when touching the mass...
After realizing the seriousness of the problem, Aunt Zhang I went to the Otolaryngology Department of Ya'an Hengbo Hospital on the recommendation of a friend.
Neck color ultrasound examination revealed that Aunt Zhang’s left submandibular gland was a hypoechoic mass approximately 21.5×16.1mm in size.
Dr. Huang Dingqiang, chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology, said that Aunt Zhang’s condition was considered to be a mass in the parapharyngeal space (the parapharyngeal space is an inverted cone-shaped soft tissue space located on both sides of the oropharynx and below the skull base). Tumors at this location can be benign or malignant (80% are benign tumors). Even benign tumors can cause harm to the body and cannot be ignored. Aunt Zhang recommended surgical treatment.
Because the parapharyngeal space contains important blood vessels and nerves, as the tumor grows, it will compress or invade the surrounding important blood vessels and nerves entering and exiting the brain, causing hoarseness, coughing when drinking water, difficulty swallowing, taste disorders, facial paralysis and skewed mouth corners, etc. .
Moreover, the parapharyngeal space is in a hidden position, so surgical exposure of this area is difficult, the field of view is small, and the technical requirements for the surgeon are very high. Afterwards, after making adequate preoperative preparations, Dr. Huang performed endoscopic transoral parapharyngeal space surgery on Aunt Zhang.
The tumor was completely removed during the operation. The result of the post-operative medical examination was: (parapharyngeal space tumor) pleomorphic adenoma, which means that Aunt Zhang suffered from a benign tumor in the parapharyngeal space.
Following up, Aunt Zhang only needs to take a good rest and check up regularly.
Dr. Huang further analyzed: Parapharyngeal space tumor is a disease with low incidence and diverse pathological types, and surgical treatment is the main treatment method. However, the anatomical location of parapharyngeal space tumors is hidden and they have no specific symptoms. They are easily misdiagnosed as common throat diseases in the early stage.
About 80% of patients seek treatment due to intraoral or cervical masses (some patients have both), which manifests as pharyngeal lateral wall protrusion, palatine tonsils or and soft palate displacement, mandibular angle rear, cervical or There is a palpable enlarged mass in the parotid gland area.
It is recommended that patients with long-term throat foreign body sensation, unexplained throat discomfort, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, hoarseness whose cause cannot be identified, or unexplained irregular heartbeat , dizziness, etc. should be alert to the possibility of parapharyngeal tumors. , go to the hospital for examination in time. (Contributed by: Ya'an Hengbo Hospital)
