Recently, the Center for Ear, Nose and Throat, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said that it had just received Mr. Long's case in Binh Dinh to be examined in early August.
CT-scan image of the patient's submandibular stone. (Photo provided by the hospital).
Notably, Master, Doctor Pham Thai Duy said that the patient had a strange mass under the right jaw, swelling as big as a hand, causing the face to deform. This mass was initially as small as a finger, gradually increased in size over two years, causing pain when eating.
The CT-scan results showed three salivary stones under the right jaw, the largest 1,5 cm, the smallest 0,8 cm. Stones cause inflammation, enlargement of the lumen of the salivary glands.
MSc.BS.CKII Tran Thi Thuy Hang, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology Center, said that the patient's salivary glands were enlarged due to repeated inflammation, making surgery difficult.
The doctor said that if the manipulation is incorrect, it can cause sagging lips, weak tongue movement, taste disturbances due to nerve damage. After two hours, the team removed all the stones, preserving important nerve structures.
Salivary gland stones are common in adults, accounting for 50% of salivary gland diseases. Salivary gland stones are usually 0,2-1 cm in diameter, only 7,6% of cases are larger than 1,5 cm. The majority of salivary gland stones are benign, but large growth stones can cause facial deformities, inflammation, and abscesses of the salivary glands, affecting aesthetics.
The stones are removed after surgery. (Photo provided by the hospital).
The case of salivary gland stones under Mr. Long's jaw, according to doctors, is large in size and very rare. Some causes of salivary gland stone formation include mineral accumulation in the ducts that drain the salivary glands for a long time, use of certain medications, infections, tumors, autoimmune diseases. According to Dr. Hang, the cause of Mr. Long's case has not been determined.
According to doctors, patients should go to the doctor when they have suspected symptoms such as pain in the mouth, around the jaw, difficulty opening the mouth, dry mouth, swelling under the tongue ... lasting more than three weeks. In addition, it is necessary to maintain good oral hygiene, not to smoke, to limit exposure to harmful chemicals, to contribute to protecting the face and to minimize the risk of salivary gland stones.
Le Trang
