Sialolithiasis of minor salivary glands: A review of 17 cases

Abstract

Background/purpose: To our knowledge, sialolithiasis in minor salivary glands is very rare, and information about the disease is limited. The current study aimed to provide updated data regarding the disease in Taiwan. The data were compared with those of previous case series studies.

Materials and methods: The features of 17 cases of histopathologically confirmed sialolithiasis in minor salivary glands between 1991 and 2015 in our institution were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Most of the patients were male (n = 14; 82.35%), with only three female patients (17.65%). The mean age of the 17 patients was 62.93 years (range, 35-82 years). Fifteen cases (∼88%) were found within the 6^th-9^th decades. Seven cases (∼41%) were identified in patients aged ≥70 years, six of which had been diagnosed in the most recent 5 years (2011-2015). The most common site was the buccal mucosa (n = 7; 41.18%), followed by the upper lip (n = 5; 29.41%), lower lip (n = 3; 17.65%), and vestibule and retromolar area (each n = 1; 5.88%). Only one case (5.88%) was clinically diagnosed as sialolithiasis prior to biopsy examination.

Conclusion: The current study demonstrated an aging tendency and a male predilection of sialolithiasis in minor salivary glands in Taiwan when compared with published case series studies.

Keywords: minor salivary gland; sialolith; sialolithiasis.

Figure 1

Clinical and pathological presentation of Case 17. (A) An 82-year-old male found a firm mass over his right upper lip. (B) An excisional biopsy was performed with the clinical impression of a salivary gland tumor, and yellowish hard tissue was found in the lesion during the operation. Microscopically (×100, hematoxylin–eosin stain), it was characterized by (C) inflammatory minor salivary gland tissue and (D) laminated oval-shaped calcified tissue.