Salivary Gland Disease

Question 1

What is sialadenitis?

Answer 1

Acute infection of the submandibular or parotid salivary glands

Question 2

Who usually gets sialadenitis? Why?

Answer 2

Elderly or debilitated patients

Dehydrated or poor oral hygiene

Question 3

What are the symptoms of sialedinitis?

Answer 3

Painful diffuse swelling of the gland
Fever
Pain and swelling on eating is common

Question 4

What is the treatment of sialedinitis?

Answer 4

Antibiotics
Good oral hygiene
Sialogogues
?Surgical draining

Question 5

What is sialolithiasis?

Answer 5

Salivary stones

Question 6

What are the signs and symptoms of sialolithiasis?

Answer 6

Pain and tense swelling of the gland during and after meals

Palpable stone in the floor of the mouth?

Question 7

What is the treatment of sialolithiasis?

Answer 7

Small stones may pass spontaneously
Sialogogues are often helpful
Larger stones may need surgical removal

Question 8

Where do most salivary gland tumours occur?

Answer 8

80% in the parotid gland

Question 9

What type of tumour are the majority of parotid gland tumours?

Answer 9

80% are pleomorphic adenomas

Question 10

What are risk factors for malignancy in the salivary glands?

Answer 10

Radiation to the neck

Smoking

Question 11

What are symptoms suggestive of malignancy in the salivary glands?

Answer 11

Hard, fixed mass with or without pain 
?overlying skin ulceration 
Local lymphadenopathy 
?associated facial nerve palsy 
No variation in size (like in stones)

Question 12

What are investigations for salivary gland tumours?

Answer 12

US/MRI

FNAC/CT guided biopsy

Question 13

What is the most common tumour of the salivary glands? Where does it usually occur?

Answer 13

Pleomorphic adenoma

Parotid

Question 14

What is the treatment of pleomorphic adenomas?

Answer 14

Surgical removal (risk of recurrence)

Question 15

Is there a risk of malignant transformation in pleomorphic adenomas?

Answer 15

Yes

If they are present for many years

Question 16

Who usually gets Warthin’s tumours?

Answer 16

Elderly men

Question 17

Where to Warthin’s tumours usually occur?

Answer 17

Parotid gland

Question 18

What malignant tumour of the salivary gland is most common in the UK?

Answer 18

Adenoid cystic carcinoma

Question 19

What is adenoid cystic carcinoma?

Answer 19

Painful slow growing tumours that tend to spread along the nerves (perineurial invasion)

Question 20

What are 2 malignant tumours of the salivary glands?

Answer 20

Adenoid cystic carcinoma

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma