Submandibular Salivary gland Removal : Curehealth

Submandibular Salivary gland Removal

Submandibular Salivary gland Removal is a type of surgery performed to remove a saliva gland below the lower jaw.

Some facts about Submandibular Salivary gland Removal:

Parotid (in the cheeks), submandibular (under the jaw) and sublingual (under the tongue) are the three pairs of major salivary glands present in the human body.
Saliva is produced by these glands which aids in digestion and lubricates the mouth to maintain oral health
Submandibular glands are the second largest of your salivary glands which is most commonly removed for tumors.
Stones lodged in the gland which block saliva from draining, or for recurrent infections of the gland that have failed medical management can also be the reason for the removal of Submandibular Salivary gland.
Most tumors found in the submandibular gland are benign and causes no harm. However, they can be malignant also.
Swelling, pain and infection of the salivary gland can result when salivary flow is blocked by salivary gland stones or scarring in the drainage pathway of the glands.
Salivary gland stones mostly occur in the submandibular gland.
Surgical removal of the submandibular gland can result in rare serious complications, such as damage to the nerves affecting the lower face.
A minimally invasive technique called Sialendoscopy can be done for the treatment of stones and narrowed ducts without gland removal.

Specific instructions such as when to arrive and food/drink restrictions will be received from your physician for how to appropriately prepare for the procedure.
Medications containing aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) should be before and after surgery as these medications may increase bleeding.
Stop smoking if you smoke as smoking can increase your risk of having problems during and after surgery and also can slow the healing process.
General anesthesia will be used before the surgery to put you to sleep during the surgery.

Surgical time for submandibular gland excision may take 1 to 2 hours.
Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IOM) is performed during submandibular gland removal procedure.
Nerve monitoring is a technique that is used to monitor the function of nerves of a patient during surgery to help prevent damage to the nerves, and reduce the risk of surgery related nerve damage.
Electrodes are attached to your body to monitor nerve pathways prior to surgery and a special computer is used by a technologist to read these signals.
An incision ill be made in a pre-existing crease in your neck below your jaw during submandibular gland removal.
The gland will be dissected away from surrounding muscles, nerves and blood vessels.
Any communication from your mouth to your neck will be prevented by tieing off the salivary duct.
A small drain will be placed in the wound after the gland has been removed.
The incision is held together again with stitches once the gland has been removed which usually need to be removed around a week after surgery.
You will need to spend about an hour in the recovery area after the surgery and then you can go home.
You may experience a little swelling following submandibular gland removal.
You should avoid strenuous activity at least or a week during recovery period.