Herniation of Parotid Gland into Masseter Muscle: A Rare Case Report

A herniation is the abnormal protrusion of an organ or other body structure through a defect or natural opening in a covering membrane, muscle, or bone. The parotid gland is the largest of the salivary glands, which is situated below the external acoustic meatus and overlaps the masseter muscle anteriorly. In this rare case report, a 35 years old female patient complained of pain in the cheek region for 3 years and gave a history of pain aggravating while having sour food. On palpation, multiple nodules were found bilaterally in the cheek area which was tender. Ultrasonography of the masseter and parotid region showed herniation of the lower lobe of the parotid gland into the masseter muscle which is 1 cm on the right side and 0.8 cm on the left side. The findings obtained from ultrasound images were further confirmed with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).