부산대학교 도서관

A 51-year-old male complaining of nasal obstruction and snoring was, sent to our hospital for further examination of a pharyngeal deformity. Examinations including CTscan, MRI, carotid artery angiography and fine needle aspiration biopsy led to a diagnosis of giant tumor in the left parapharyngeal space. Under general anesthesia, the tumor was removed through a cervical. approach without mandibulotomy. The tumor had a nodular surface with a fibrous capsule, and its cut surface was milkywhite. It was 63×35×28mm in size and weighed 63g. Histopathological study revealed a carcinoma in pleomorphic adenoma. Postoperatively, there were no noticeable complications except slight paresis of the left soft palate. CTscan, MRI, and carotid artery angiography are considered to be useful in the preoperative diagnosis of parapharyngeal tumor as well as in the selection of the best surgical approach.