[Feasibility of endoscope assisted resection of submandibular gland through a dermatoglyph incision]

To investigate the feasibility of endoscope assisted resection of submandibular gland through a dermatoglyph incision.

We choose 5 patients diagnosed as benign diseases of submandibular gland from 2005 to 2010 in Beijing Tongren Hospital. Each patient was given a careful design of dermatoglyph incision preoperatively and an endoscope assisted surgery on the submandibular gland. The details of surgery procedure were described as follow. The inferior edge of the capsule of the submandibular gland was incised, and the traveling characteristics of facial artery, submandibuar gland branch of submental artery, branches of anterior facial vein were identified with endoscopic assistance. Branches of vascular and submandibular postganglionic fibers were treated with bipolar coagulation hemostasis. The submandibular duct was identified and isolated, teased downward from the floor of the mouth, and then ligated. The gland was lifted off the digastric tendon and removed. Suction drainage was used with a plastic tube and the incision was closed with mattress suture. The incision length, intraoperative bleeding, complication and operation duration were retrospectively, reviewed in the traditional group.

Of the endoscopic group, the incision lengths varied from 2.0-2.5 cm with an average of 2.3 cm. The operation durations varied from 41-87 min, with an average of 64 min. The total intraoperative bleeding was about 5 to 10 ml. No facial paralysis nor infection occurred both intra-and post-operatively. No relapse was detected in the long-term follow-up (4 months to 5 years). Compared with the traditional group, the incision length and bleeding decreased dramatically while the operational duration increased.

Endoscope assisted resection of submandibular gland through dermatoglyph incision will minimize the damage to surrounding tissue and obtain good cosmetic results.