CLINICAL CASES   

Minerva Stomatologica 2006 April;55(4):223-8

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Radiological evaluation of major salivary glands agenesis. A case report

D’Ascanio L., Cavuto C., Martinelli M., Salvinelli F.

¹ Department of Otolaryngology School of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy 2 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Holy Spirit Civil Hospital, Pescara, Italy 3 Department of Odontostomatology School of Medicine G. D’Anunzio University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy

Congenital agenesis of major salivary glands is a rare entity with unclear etiopathogenesis, sometimes presenting in a bilateral form. This pathologic condition is often diagnosed with delay because of the poor clinical presentation. Only bilateral forms of parotid aplasia are responsible of such a severe lack of saliva causing dental caries, periodontal diseases, ascending sialadenitis and candidosis. In most cases, the aplasia involves more than a single major salivary gland and is occasionally associated with other developmental anomalies of the head-neck region. A case is presented in which an aplasia of the right parotid gland is associated with hypoplasia of the thyroid’s right lobe and homolateral angioma of the homolateral cheek. We report the clinical and radiological findings in our patient and a review of the diagnostic imaging approach in such anomalies.