RECURRENT PAROTITIS NOT DUE TO MUMPS

Background: Apart from mumps, recurrent parotitis is the most common i nflammatory salivary gland disease in childhood. The cause is still un known. Case report: We present a ten-year-old boy with a recurrent swe lling of the left parotid gland, who had difficulties in chewing and a sensation of tension on the left face. Since one year the child wore orthodontic appliances. There were no serological signs of viral infec tion or an autoimmune process. Ultrasound demonstrated an enlarged lef t parotid gland with multiple hypoechoic areas. The sialogramm reveale d the typical image of multiple cystic ectasies and stenoses of the du ct. Treatment of choice were saliva liberating measures. Four months l ater parotitis relapsed and orthodontic applicances were removed. Sinc e then the patient was free of relapses. Discussion: Recurrent parotit is should be treated symptomatically, because of its favourable progno sis. An inflammation of the parotid gland secondary to trauma to Stens en's duct caused by orthodontic applicances suggested.