Parapharyngeal Space Overview

Summary Thoughts: Parapharyngeal Space

The 4 key spaces of the suprahyoid neck (SHN) surround the parapharyngeal space (PPS), which is the fat-filled lateral SHN space. When large lesions of the SHN become hard to localize to a space of origin, the direction of the PPS displacement may be used in combination with the space where most of the tumor is located to make a determination as to where the lesion originated. Once a space of origin is assigned, the space-specific differential diagnosis can be applied to narrow the diagnostic possibilities.

The PPS has been described in terms of prestyloid and poststyloid compartments. Here we will define the PPS as the prestyloid component only . The poststyloid component will be called the carotid space (CS) .