Does the Retromandibular Transparotid Approach Provide Quicker Access to Fracture of Mandibular Subcondyle Compared With the Retromandibular Transmasseteric Anterior Parotid Approach?

Limited studies are available in the literature comparing various surgical approaches for the management of condylar fractures, and those comparing different types of retromandibular approaches are even fewer in number. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of 2 variants of the retromandibular approach—retromandibular transmasseteric anterior parotid (RMTMAP) and retromandibular transparotid (RMTP) in terms of exposure time, blood loss, facial nerve palsy, sialoceles or parotid fistula formation, infection, and esthetics of scar tissue. A randomized controlled trial was designed in patients with mandibular subcondylar fractures requiring operative intervention. Patients were randomized into 2 groups based on a computer-generated randomization table. Group A included 37 cases, treated with the RMTMAP approach, and group B included 38 cases treated with the RMTP approach. The primary outcome variable was exposure time. Secondary outcome variables were blood loss during exposure, complications like facial nerve palsy, sialocele formation, surgical site infection, and scar esthetics. All patients were followed for 3 months. Collected data were analyzed using the χ2 and analysis of variance tests. The mean exposure time for fractures treated with the RMTMAP approach and RMTP approach was 21.08 ± 9.18 and 13.57 ± 6.09, respectively (P