SUBMANDIBULAR-GLAND EXCISION - A 5-YEAR REVIEW

Excision of the submandibular gland is a surgical procedure often unde rtaken. The procedure is the treatment of choice for patients with neo plasm of the submandibular gland and those with non-neoplastic submand ibular disorders which are not controlled with conservative medical me asures. Extirpation of the submandibular gland may also be undertaken for diagnostic purposes. This retrospective study of 93 consecutive pa tients who underwent excision of the submandibular gland in the Depart ment of Otolaryngology, Singapore General Hospital over a ave-year per iod was undertaken to study the indications of surgery, the pathology of the excised submandibular gland and the demographic prone of patien ts. Fifty-six (60.2 per cent) patients underwent submandibular gland e xcision for non-neoplastic salivary gland disease while 37 (39.8 per c ent) had neoplastic submandibular gland disorders. The commonest patho logy encountered was sialadenitis/sialolithiasis (53.76 per cent) foll owed by pleomorphic adenoma (33.33 per cent). Fine needle aspiration c ytology (FNAC) was a valuable pre-operative investigation with a sensi tivity and specificity of 94.7 per cent and 100 per cent respectively for neoplastic diseases. The morbidity rate for this surgery was 4.3 p er cent.