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Review
. 2022 Aug 18;14(8):e28147.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.28147. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Contemporary Review of Submandibular Gland Sialolithiasis and Surgical Management Options

Ido Badash  1 , Jonathan Raskin  2 , Michelle Pei  3 , Liuba Soldatova  4 , Christopher Rassekh  5
Affiliations
Review

Contemporary Review of Submandibular Gland Sialolithiasis and Surgical Management Options

Ido Badash et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

One of the most common disorders of the salivary glands is obstructive sialolithiasis. Salivary gland obstruction is important to address, as it can significantly impact patient quality of life and can progress to extensive cellulitis and abscess formation if left untreated. For small and accessible stones, conservative therapies often produce satisfactory outcomes. Operative management should be considered when stones are inaccessible or larger in size, and options include sialendoscopy, laser lithotripsy, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, transoral surgery, and submandibular gland adenectomy. Robotic approaches are also becoming increasingly used for submandibular stone management. The purpose of this review is to summarize the modern-day management of submandibular gland obstructive sialolithiasis with an emphasis on operative treatment modalities. A total of 77 articles were reviewed from PubMed and Embase databases, specifically looking at the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of submandibular sialolithiasis.

Keywords: maxillofacial surgery; operative management; salivary gland; sialolithiasis; submandibular gland.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. An updated treatment algorithm for the management of submandibular sialolithiasis
CT: Computed Tomography; US: Ultrasound; TORS: Transoral Robotic Surgery
Figure 2
Figure 2. Surgical treatment algorithm for the management of submandibular sialolithiasis
References: Bodner L [8]; Zenk et al. [21]; Capaccio et al. [59]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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