Morbidity associated with removal of the submandibular gland

Postoperative complications in 206 submandibular gland excisions, excluding those resulting from benign or malignant tumours, carried out during a 15-year period were reviewed. Most patients (62%) had sialolithiasis. Coexistence of sialolithiasis and nephrolithiasis was documented in 5.5% of cases. Early postoperative complications (particularly infection) developed in 14.6% of the cases, whereas late complications appeared in 25.3% of the cases (residual inflammation in Wharton's duct 7.3%). Neurological complications were observed in 16% of the cases. In 7 cases (3.4%) several nerves were involved and almost always the hypoglossal nerve. In 37.4% of the cases, these lesions resolved spontaneously in a mean period of 4 months. In those cases with a permanent neurological deficit, the facial nerve was the most often affected (7.7%) followed by the hypoglossal (2.9%) and the lingual nerve (1.4%). A single case of gustatory sweating (Frey's) syndrome was observed.