Unilateral Sialendoscopy for Juvenile Recurrent Parotitis: What Happens to the Other Side?

Current literature has confirmed the benefits of sialendoscopy for the treatment of juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP). However, this procedure is often performed unilaterally, although the disease can affect both sides. This article investigated the clinical course of the contralateral parotid (CL) gland in children requiring unilateral sialendoscopy with the goal of clarifying the necessity of primary bilateral sialendoscopy.

Prospective cohort study in a tertiary center.

Over an eight-year period, 77 children with JRP underwent unilateral sialendoscopy. We observed the clinical course of the CL parotid over a minimum follow-up period of 24 months. New episodes of sialadenitis were recorded on both sides along with the need for a second sialendoscopy. These data were correlated with the preoperative symptoms of the contralateral side as well as ultrasound (U/S) findings at baseline assessment.

In total, six children required sialendoscopy on the CL side (7.8%), 62 children remained asymptomatic or with scarce swellings (80.5%), and nine children improved (11.7%). The preoperative U/S findings on the CL side positively correlated with the number of postoperative swellings. The proportion of children needing CL sialendoscopy was higher (21.4%) among children needing a second sialendoscopy on the operated side.

In the long term, the vast majority of children needing unilateral sialendoscopy do not require similar treatment of the CL parotid gland. However, a history of bilateral swellings along with U/S findings of parenchymal disorganization on the CL side significantly increases the risk of needing further sialendoscopy at a later time.

4 Laryngoscope, 131:1404-1409, 2021.