[Salivary calculi--diagnosis and therapy]

The etiology for salivary gland stone formation, one of the most common salivary gland problems, is still unknown. In many cases the diagnosis is easy due to obvious clinical features, but for treatment considerations, imaging studies are very often necessary. Sonography or MR sialography have replaced sialography in the evaluation of patients with sialolithiasis. Besides traditional surgical procedures, new conservative treatment modalities like extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy or interventional sialendoscopy are now available for the management of salivary gland stones.