A case of bilateral pleomorphic adenoma of the parapharyngeal spaces

We report a rare case of bilateral pleomorphic adenoma of the parapharyngeal spaces. A 45-year-old male patient was referred to Tenri Hospital with a slowly growing mass in the right parotid region. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed large, hypervascular masses in the parapharyngeal spaces of both sides. Fine needle aspiration cytology from the right-sided lesion showed no evidence of malignancy, however we could not confirm the diagnosis. After selective embolization of the major feeding vessels, the tumors of either side were enucleated via the cervical approach. The patient developed no significant complications that could be potentially problematic clinically, including facial paralysis or dysphagia. Histopathologically, all the tumor lesions were diagnosed as pleomorphic adenoma. Bilateral pleomorphic adenoma of the parapharyngeal spaces is extremely rare and has been scarcely reported in the literature.