Vol.95 No.11 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 95 No. 11 November 2002
A Clinical Study of Sialolithiasis in
the Submandibular Gland
Hitoshi Umeoka, Katsunari Yane and Hiroshi Hosoi
(Nara Medical University)
We studied 149 patients (70 male and 79 female) who were diagnosed as having sialolithiasis in the submandibular gland at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nara Medical University between January 1985 and April 2000. We investigated the age, sex, laterality of affected glands, chief complaints, interval from first symptom to consultation, the size and number of stones, composition, and methods for examination and treatment. The age ranged from 4 to 86 years with an average of 39.4 years, the most prevalent age group was the twenties, followed by the thirties and forties. Almost all patients complained of swelling in the submandible on their first visit. About one third reported pain in the submandible area immediately after eating. In this study, CT scanning was the most suitable form of examination for sialolithiasis in the submandibular gland. Treatments consisted mainly of surgical removal of the stones, which were approached from the oral cavity. However, after an attack we sometimes observed the stone was naturally expelled from Wharton's duct during progression of the disease. If the condition of the patient is mild, the course of the disease can be observed for a period of time before the final plan for treatment is determined.
Key words : sialolithiasis, submandibular gland, swelling of submandible, usefulness of CT scanning