TECHNICAL SURGERY on the parotid gland has become standardized in the past 20 years in the form of two basic operations, namely, lateral lobectomy and total parotidectomy. The biological disadvantages associated with simple enucleation of a tumor have relegated this technique to an insignificant role. The physiological effects of the extirpative operations upon the parotid gland have received little attention.1 It was therefore felt that a study of the residual parotid apparatus and parenchyma following parotidectomy and lateral lobectomy, with and without ligation of Stensen's duct, would not only elucidate the fate of the residual parotid system but could possibly suggest a basis for therapy in certain conditions in the parotid gland.
The Study
The present study comprises a group of 24 patients operated for parotid lesions under the supervision of two surgeons. The postoperative intervals on these individuals ranged from three weeks to ten years following surgical intervention of