A subtotal parotidectomy is a conservative resection in which less than a superficial lobectomy is performed and less than a full facial nerve is dissected. From 1985 to 1994, 146 subtotal parotidectomies were performed for a variety of benign and limited, low-grade malignant tumors. The procedure is based on the premises that adequate margins are necessary, that the procedure can be terminated when these margins are obtained, and that the true margin is usually the tumor-to-nerve margin. For selective neoplasms the subtotal parotidectomy has many advantages with results that equal or surpass the classic superficial lobectomy.