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Case Reports
. 2022 May-Jun;36(3):1349-1353.
doi: 10.21873/invivo.12837.

COVID-19-associated Parotid Gland Abscess

Reinhard E Friedrich  1 , Tabea-Luise Droste  1 , Fabian Angerer  1 , Bogdan Popa  1 , Robert Koehnke  1 , Martin Gosau  1 , Christian Knipfer  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

COVID-19-associated Parotid Gland Abscess

Reinhard E Friedrich et al. In Vivo. 2022 May-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Human infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a pandemic characterized by a plethora of diseases, of which those affecting the internal organs and nervous system can have severe, life-threatening consequences. Among the manifestations of the disease at the viral entry site, diseases in oral mucosa adnexa are rarely reported. This case report describes a COVID-19-associated aggravating parotid gland disease.

Case report: The 47-year-old, SARS-CoV-2-positive male patient, already hospitalized and now in need of ventilation, had been referred for intensive care treatment due to increasing respiratory problems. A unilateral swelling of the cheek was noticed, the cause of which was initially a parotid gland infection. Examination ruled out mechanical causes of the parotid gland. During further treatment, the patient developed a parotid abscess, which was drained extra orally.

Conclusion: The oral cavity is primarily considered as a reservoir of the pathogen. There is an increasing number of reports detailing inflammation of the major salivary glands associated with SARS-CoV-2 virus. Knowledge of this association facilitates therapeutic decisions.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV 2; non-invasive ventilation; parotid gland abscess; parotitis; xerostomia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The Authors have no conflicts of interest with regard to the published report. This research received no support from private or public institutions.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. COVID-19 associated parotid abscess. A-C: Computed tomography (CT) scans of the head after transfer to ECMO therapy. A) Axial CT reveals swelling of the left cheek and external auditory canal. B) Axial CT reveals extensive parotid gland swelling and inhomogeneous gland on both sides of the mandibular ramus. C) Coronal CT shows intracapsular lesions and glandular demarcation to the medial side by curved hypointense structure. D-E: Clinical findings. D) Left parotid gland swelling. E) Swollen gland and residues of hemorrhage of the external auditory canal. F) Drained parotid abscess.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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