Salivary Glands

Abstract

The parotid gland is the largest salivary gland in the parotid area; in addition, it involves the facial nerve, the retromandibular vein, the branches of the external carotid artery and the intraparotid lymph nodes. It is important to understand the course of the facial nerve that emerges from the mastoid foramen of the skull base, reaching the dorsal gland and dividing into five branches. It divides the parotid gland into a deep lobe and a superficial lobe. Diagnosis must be based on the course of each of the excretory ducts of the parotid gland.

The submandibular gland is the second largest salivary gland, and opens through the Wharton’s duct sublingual along the floor of the mouth in the caruncle. In the box of the submandibular in addition to the anterior belly of the digastrics muscle, the hypoglossal nerve and adipose tissue gland can be found. The submandibular gland lies under the mucous membrane on the ventral floor of the mouth on the mylohyoid muscle. In the compartment of the sublingual gland runs the lingual nerve as well as the branches of the glossopharyngeal and hypoglossal nerve.

In the region of the salivary glands three major paired glands, the parotid, submandibular, sublingual and several hundred small salivary glands throughout the pharynx and the parapharyngeal space, are located.

The most common clinical symptoms are unilateral or bilateral swelling of the affected gland. The swelling may be associated with pain or without symptoms. Other symptoms may occur as hyper-/hyposalivation or a sialorrhoea/Sicca syndrome.