A rare cause of unilateral parotid gland swelling: compensatory hypertrophy due to the aplasia of the contralateral parotid gland

An Unusual Asymptomatic Case of Unilateral Parotid Gland Agenesis

Congenital absence of the major salivary glands, especially of the parotid gland, is a very infrequent condition of poorly understood etiology. This condition may be unilateral or bilateral and may occur alone or in association with the absence of other salivary glands or with other developmental craniofacial deformities of maxillofacial first and second branchial arch. Only 24 cases are documented in the literature. The authors present a case of a 79-year-old female who was referred to the Neurosurgery Department for neurocognitive impairment. The brain computed tomography with contrast enhancement incidentally showed a complete absence of the left parotid gland. The medical history and physical and radiographic examinations were indicative of nonsyndromic and nonfamilial asymptomatic unilateral aplasia of the parotid gland.

Asymptomatic unilateral aplasia of the left parotid gland: an unusual entity and case report

Congenital agenesis of major salivary glands is considered a very infrequent condition and typically appears to be a coincidental finding. It can be present as sporadic case or may be combined with aplasia or hypoplasia of other salivary glands or the lacrimal glands, or as a part of syndromes. Only 23 cases documented in the literature to date, while the youngest patient was 50 days old. Plenty of radiographic useful techniques and treatment is closely related to the clinical manifestations; therefore. We present a case of 52 year old female who was referred to our radiology department for recurrent numbness of the left upper limb, experienced over the previous three months. Complete absence of the left parotid gland was incidentally demonstrated at the brain MRI scan. Based on the patient's past medical history, physical examination and demonstrated radiographic techniques it was an asymptomatic, no-syndromic and no-familious unilateral aplasia of the parotid gland. In the present report, we aimed to underline that this rare condition may be asymptomatic and co-exist with other medical conditions and syndromes.

Congenital Unilateral Agenesis of the Parotid Gland: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Congenital unilateral agenesis of the parotid gland is a rare condition with only few cases reported in the literature. A review of 21 cases in the available literature is presented in this article. We report on a further case of a 34-year-old woman with agenesis of the left parotid gland and lipoma of the right cheek. Clinicopathological characteristics of described cases in the literature were discussed.

Simultaneous Bilateral Hypertrophies of the Parotid Gland and Masseter Muscle: Case Report

Increased salivary demand can lead to enlarged parotid salivary glands, and increased activity of the masseter muscles can cause masseter hypertrophy. This report describes a most unusual case of simultaneous bilateral hypertrophies of the parotid gland and masseter muscle originating from the very extensive habit of chewing gum. An extensive literature review uncovered many cases of the independent existence of masseteric or parotid hypertrophy, but no example of the simultaneous occurrence of these 2 conditions.