Extracorporeal lithotripsy of salivary gland stone: A 55 patients study

Sialolithiasis are the most frequent salivary gland disease, mainly affecting the submandibular gland. With the advent of minimally invasive techniques, total salivary gland removal should not be considered as the first-line treatment anymore. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is an alternative to surgery preserving the gland. The objective of our retrospective study was to evaluate the efficiency of ESWL on pain and obstructive syndrome in patients suffering from sialolithiasis. The global result felt by the patients was also considered. All patients treated between October 2009 and July 2016 for sialolithiasis by ESWL in our department were included. They were divided into two groups according to the concerned gland: a parotid gland (PG) and a submandibular gland (SMG) group. Our retrospective telephone questionnaire consisted in 4 questions about their symptomatology before and after ESWL, including pain self-evaluation before and after treatment. They were finally asked to evaluate the global result of the ESWL treatment: excellent, good, mean, or poor. In total, 55 patients were included in this study, 38 patients in PG group and 17 patients in SMG group. We observed a decrease of pain and obstructive syndrom after ESWL procedure in both groups. Better results were found on the obstructive syndrome in the PG group. Very few side-effects were reported by patients. Given that it has very few side effects, ESWL can easily be considered as first line treatment for sialolithiasis to avoid heavier treatments such as surgery. It should be the first-line treatment for symptomatic parotid sialolithiases. The treatment of symptomatic submandibular sialolithiases depends on the topography of the lithiasis.