The changing landscape of pediatric salivary gland stones: A half-century systematic review

Spontaneous cutaneous-parotid fistula of the cheek caused by sialolithiasis in a child: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Cheek fistulas of salivary origin in children are very rare, predominantly of congenital or traumatic origin but rarely caused by parotid sialolithiasis given its low prevalence in paediatric populations.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 3-year-old child with no history other than substantial left-cheek swelling for 2 months was referred. We identified a cutaneous fistula with seropurulent discharge. At this time, we only observed mild inflammation of the left parotid duct papilla with no visible calculi. A first ultrasound scan only detected acute inflammation of the parotid duct that was treated with antibiotics. The discharge subsided but the fistula persisted. Two more episodes of infection occurred at 6-month intervals that were both treated by antibiotics. After this second treatment, a second ultrasound scan showed dilatation of the left parotid duct upstream of the cheek fistula with the presence of a calcification. We performed sialoendoscopy under general anaesthesia 10 days later. Before introduction of the sialoendoscope, we noticed a whitish calculus within the papilla that was removed by intraoral incision and digital pressure alone. Sialoendoscopy went on to detect a dilated parotid duct that was highly inflamed and bled upon contact at the site of the cheek fistula. No other sialoliths were detected. The fistula had healed four months later without any recurrence of parotitis or discharge.

CONCLUSION

Sialolithiasis should be considered for spontaneous cheek fistulas in children. Sialoendoscopic-assisted diagnosis and treatment can result in complete resolution of cutaneous-parotid fistulas without the need for more aggressive surgery.

Pediatric Salivary Gland Pathology

Benign and malignant salivary gland disorders are uncommon in the pediatric population; however, these can be frequently seen in pediatric otolaryngology or oral and maxillofacial surgery practices. The astute clinician should be aware of the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management options for common inflammatory, infectious, benign, and malignant disorders of salivary glands.

Clinical audit of ultrasonography for detecting sialoliths in the submandibular gland in paediatric patients: A comparison to computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

Objectives

To compare the performance of ultrasonography with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) for detecting submandibular sialoliths.

Methods

Thirteen patients with suspected submandibular sialoliths who underwent ultrasonography and CT or MRI were included. Sialoliths were diagnosed using CT (11 cases) or MRI (two cases). The submandibular duct was classified into distal and proximal ducts based on the point around the mylohyoid muscle. Sialoliths located in the proximal duct were difficult to differentiate from those located within the submandibular gland (SMG). Therefore, the location of the sialoliths was classified as follows: within the SMG/proximal duct and within the distal duct. The ultrasound results were compared with CT/MRI results.

Results

Of the 13 patients included, two had sialoliths in both the SMG/proximal duct and the distal duct, three had sialoliths in the SMG/proximal duct, and five had sialoliths in the distal duct on CT or MRI. In this small cohort, all five sialoliths in the SMG/proximal duct were detected by ultrasoonography; however, of the seven cases with sialoliths located in the distal duct, only three could be detected by ultrasonography.

Conclusions

The incidence of sialoliths in the distal duct was higher than that in the SMG/proximal duct. Ultrasonography showed a good performance compared with CT/MRI in the SMG/proximal duct but not in the distal duct.

Pivotal Role of Ultrasonography and Radiology in Diagnosing a Case of Sialolith

Sialolithiasis is a condition that affects the salivary glands, which commonly occurs within the body of the submandibular gland or the Wharton duct. This condition is characterised by pain in the submandibular area after meals. Conservative therapies such as duct milking and palliative care can provide positive results for small, easily accessible calculi. This report describes the results of radiographic imaging of a 43-year-old patient with pain and swelling in the submandibular region. During the extraoral examination, a 1.5 cm wide diffuse swelling was present in the left submandibular region, and the left submandibular gland was tender and firm. In addition, a solitary, tender left submandibular lymph node was observed. Intraorally, the opening of the submandibular duct was erythematous and inflamed. The patient was advised for necessary investigations, including an orthopantomogram, cone beam CT, neck ultrasound, and left submandibular gland sialography. Ultrasonography was preferred over other imaging techniques due to its non-invasive nature and high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in diagnosing sialolithiasis. Timely management of sialolith is critical as delayed treatment can lead to serious consequences. A conclusive diagnosis of left submandibular sialolithiasis, accompanied by sialadenitis, was made based on clinical, radiographic, and ultrasound findings.

The effectiveness and safety of sialendoscopy for sialolithiasis in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Sialendoscopy is a new, minimally invasive method that is becoming increasingly more popular than traditional methods for the treatment of sialolithiasis. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the effectiveness and safety of this method in children with sialolithiasis are investigated.

METHODS

Inclusion criteria were children with sialolithiasis. The information sources were databases MEDLINE and PubMed Central (through PubMed), ScienceDirect, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), citation indexes Scopus and Google Scholar, trial registries, and "gray literature". The last search was performed on September 18, 2022. The risk of bias in included studies was assessed using ROBINS-I tool (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions). The pooled proportion of weighted means was calculated for the quantitative synthesis of available data.

RESULTS

The effectiveness of the method was estimated at 95.5% (95% CI 89.8-99.3%), from 13 studies including 133 cases. The safety was estimated at 97.2% (95% CI 91.8-100%), from 10 studies including 113 cases.

CONCLUSION

The limitations of this study, briefly summarized, are the small number of included studies, the fact that they are mostly retrospective, the difficult application of the guidelines suggested by the PRISMA statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and Cochrane handbook due to the nature of this specific condition and intervention, and the difficulty in assessing reporting bias. The results of the current study indicate that sialendoscopy is an effective and safe method for the treatment of sialolithiasis in children and should be implemented in daily clinical practice.