Objectives: Sialolithiasis accounts for about 50% of major salivary gland diseases. Sialendoscopy allows direct visualization of the salivary ductthrough a small-caliber endoscope and treatment of sialolithiasis. In spite of developing technologies and techniques, there may be some difficultiesor limitations in the sialendoscopic approach.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of sialendoscopic procedures at our department.Materials and Methods: Medical records of 34 patients, who underwent sialendoscopy between December 2015 and September 2018, wereretrospectively reviewed, and surgical data, success rates, stone characteristics and complications were noted.Results: Sialendoscopy was performed in the submandibular gland in 26 (76.5%) patients and in the parotid gland in the remaining 8 (23.5%)patients.
The mean sialolith size and number were 6.5 mm and 1.5, respectively. The sialoliths were located in the duct in 22 (64.7%) patients and inthe hilum in 12 (35.3%) patients. The sialoliths were mobile in 15 (44.1%) patients and immobile in 11 (32.4%) patients. Diagnostic and therapeuticsialendoscopy were successfully performed in 33 (97.1%) patients and 25 (73.5%) patients, respectively.
There was not statistically significantdifference between success rates and sialolith dimensions (p>0.05); however, a statistically significant difference was found between success rateswhen the localization and mobility of sialoliths were taken into account (p=0.004, p=0.018).Conclusion: Sialendoscopy is a minimally invasive and reliable surgical technique in the treatment of sialolithiasis, which can be affected by manyfactors such as size, localization, mobility, number of sialoliths, surgeon’s experience, and the availability of the sialendoscopic equipment.