[Frey syndrome].
AIMS: The incidence of Frey's syndrome after parotidectomy as cited in the literature varies distinctively. Strategies for successful treatment are also assessed differently. PATIENTS: Between 1980 and 1994 a total of 372 parotidectomies were performed in 364 patients at the Bochum University Hospital. RESULTS: After an average of 18 months following parotidectomy, 86 patients (23.5%) developed Frey's syndrome. Thirty-five patients were treated with scopolamine ointment. The symptoms improved in nine cases after an average of 25 months of therapy. Of the patients receiving no treatment (n = 20), seven improved after an average follow-up of 20 months. Therapy with scopolamine ointment did not elicit significantly better results compared to no treatment at all. CONCLUSION: Gustatory sweating after parotidectomy still has to be regarded as an unpleasant complication which is difficult to cure.