Management of Sialolithiasis of Submandibular Gland: Sialendoscopy-Assisted Intraoral Stone Removal

Park, Sungmin; Choi, Jeong Seok; Lim, Jae Yol; Kim, Young Mo

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Intraoral removal is one of the most common treatments for sialolithiasis, and although newly introduced, sialendoscopy is becoming a popular tool for it. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that influenced the removal of sialolithiais by sialendoscopy and also to compare its usefulness with intraoral removal alone.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
We retrospectively reviewed surgical results of 89 patients who underwent therapeutic sialendoscopy and compared them with the result of 43 patients who underwent intraoral removal without sialendoscopy between June 2006 and February 2012. We analyzed the success rate of sialendoscopy for sialolithiasis by age, location, stone size, stone shape and stone mobility. Then we compared sialendoscopy-assisted intraoral removal group with intraoral removal alone group by location, size and mobility.
RESULTS
Among the total 89 patients with sialolithiasis of submandibular gland who underwent sialendoscopy-assisted intraoral removal, 47 were successfully treated by therapeutic sialendoscopy alone (52.8%), and 84 by sialendoscopy-assisted intraoral removal (94.3%). In cases of proximal stones and those larger than 5 mm in size, sialendoscopy-assisted intraoral removal (95.0%) was more successful than intraoral removal alone (30%). The mean operation time (min) for sialendoscopy was 39 min and that for intraoral removal after sialendoscopy was 43 min. Sialendoscopy-assisted intraoral removal took 82 min and intraoral removal alone took 56 min.
CONCLUSION
Results of sialendoscopy assisted stone removal supports the less invasive therapy of proximal stones via intraoral route. We thus recommend considering sialendoscopic approach prior to considering other approaches.