The patient was brought into the operating room and identified by name and medical record number.  General endotracheal anesthesia was successfully induced by the anesthesia service. The patient was placed in the supine position and a shoulder roll was placed.  No paralytic was used.  The patient was then prepped and draped in the usual fashion for parotidectomy. A modified-blair incision was marked and injected with XX cc’s 1% lidocaine, 1:100,000 epinephrine. An incision was made with a scalpel through the dermis.  A flap was raised anteriorly superficial to the parotid fascia all the way to the masseter.  Posterior flaps were then raised with identification of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the posterior belly of the digastric.  The great auricular nerve was identified and the anterior division was divided with scissors.  Once the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle had been freed, the dissection was carried out along the anterior cartilaginous ear canal.  A scissors was used to spread atraumatically along the anterior ear canal down to the tragal pointer.  The tissues between the sternocleidomastoid and tragal pointer were then divided using a hemostat and bipolar cautery.  The main facial nerve trunk was then identified and the branches were traced out through the gland in their entirety until reaching the masseter anteriorly.  The parotid duct was identified and divided and the superficial parotid gland specimen was removed from the field.  The wound was copiously irrigated, a drain was placed and the wound was closed in anatomic layers.  The procedure was then terminated and the patient was turned over to the anesthesia team for recovery.  There was minimal blood loss and no complications.  All surgical pauses were observed.  Standard operating room protocol and universal precautions were utilized throughout the procedure.