Trident Landmark as a Safe and Easy Method for Facial Nerve Trunk Identification During Superficial Parotidectomy

The parotid gland was exposed with its capsule by subplatysmal and SMAS flaps. Dissection was performed from the tragal cartilage until the bony anterior wall of the external auditory canal; from there, the dissection was done using a blunt instrument. The styloid process's base is the upper point of the trident landmark; it is the superior portion of the trident landmark. Identification of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle till its origin was performed deep to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. ); it is the lower point of the landmark. The FNT is located in the region between these two structures. The dissection after identification of the main trunk of the facial nerve was similar to the routine parotidectomy. The surgical defect was closed over a removac suction drain using Vicryl materials; the skin was closed by 6-0 absorbable sutures. A dressing was applied to the surgical site. Then, a gauze was wrapped over the parotid area and secured around the forehead and neck.