A case of Frey's syndrome following neck disection

Gustatory sweating (Frey's syndrome) presents as localized flushing and sweating of the skin in the anterior region of the ear lobe and the temporal region after a certain period of time after surgery or trauma to the region of the parotid gland or the angle of the mandible over the site of the parotid bed. It is an intractable disease, and effective therapy has not been established yet.We report a case of gustatory sweating that occurred after radical neck dissection. A 65-year-old woman underwent radical neck dissection for cervical metastasis of maxillary cancer. The post operative course was uneventful, and there was after no local recurrence or distant metastasis in the year after operation.However, the patient complained of gustatory sweating near the operative region, and Minor's starch iodine test was positive.We attemped to treat gustatory sweating by subcutaneously implanting solventdehydrated human dura mater in regions of the skin where sweating and flushing were observed.There was no evidence of a foreign body reaction, infection, or other adverse reactions as of 1 year after dura implantation.Therefore, this method is useful in the treatment of Frey's syndrome.