Management of pediatric plunging ranula.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: There appears to be a high incidence of ranula in New Zealand. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of plunging ranula in children at Auckland Starship Children's Hospital, New Zealand. METHODS: A prospective study of 21 pediatric patients with a clinical diagnosis of plunging ranula was conducted. All children underwent clinical assessment and fine needle aspiration cytology. Cytological diagnosis was considered definitive and radiological investigations were not conducted. Surgical treatment comprising intraoral excision of the ipsilateral sublingual gland and pseudocyst was performed. RESULTS: The preoperative diagnosis was unchanged after surgery and histopathological analysis in all cases. There were no recurrences at 24-month follow up. There are no long-term complications to date. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoral removal of the sublingual glands and pseudocyst is an effective and safe method for the treatment of plunging ranula in the pediatric population.