Sialendoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of juvenile recurrent parotitis

Purpose The aim of the current study was to analyze the use of sialendoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP), note possible complications, and the rate of disease recurrence. We believe that this cutting edge procedure may be very effective both for the diagnosis and treatment of JRP, with few complications and low rates of recurrence. Patients and methods A retrospective descriptive case study was conducted on a sample of patients presenting with JRP. Data was collected from the patient's medical records. Diagnostic sialendoscopy was performed to identify and classify the ductal pathology, treated by interventional therapeutic sialendoscopy. We carefully noted all complications and the disease recurrence rates. Results The patient sample included 50 children presenting with JRP (33 M, 17 F; age range: 2 to 16 years). Seven children presented with bilateral parotitis, the remaining 43 with unilateral parotitis. The study was conducted from 2003 to 2012. There was a statistically significant association between sialendoscopic data and the actual outcome. Seven children underwent additional sialendoscopy because of recurrence. They were all in the group of children presenting with unilateral parotitis. Discussion Our results validate the expected outcome. Sialendoscopy is an accurate technique for the diagnosis of JPR, and an effective tool for the treatment of JRP, with a low rate of complications and recurrence.