When using the anterior approach for performing superficial parotidectomy, the first thing to do is to find the buccal branch of the facial nerve and the parotid duct. The buccal branch usually runs transversely with the parotid duct from the anterior border of the parotid gland. We wanted to check the relationship between the two structures during the operation and to get clinically helpful information.

Twelve patients with parotid mass were treated with superficial parotidectomy between May 2012 and August 2012. The outline of superficial and deep lobes of the parotid gland, parotid duct, and the buccal branch of the facial nerve were drawn on the transparent film by tracing the structures intraoperatively.

In 7 (58.3%) of 12 cases, the buccal branch of the facial nerve was located more caudally than the parotid duct at the anterior border of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. In 3 cases (25%), the buccal branch was located more cephalically than the parotid duct. The mean distance between two structures were 2.54±1.48 mm. In 11 cases, the parotid duct was located deeper than the buccal branch.

The buccal branch of the facial nerve tends to be located more caudally than parotid duct and runs more superficially than parotid duct in all cases. We identified the relationship between the parotid duct and the buccal branch of the facial nerve during the operations on living subjects, not from the cadavers, so it would be a clinically helpful study which supplied more accurate anatomical information.