A Misleading Stone: Case Report of a Giant Sialolithiasis and Review of Literature

Sialolithiasis is defined as the presence of calculi inside salivary glands. This affection can either be located in the gland's duct, or inside the glandular parenchyma. This issue is considered as one of the most frequent non-neoplasic salivary gland diseases. Salivary gland stones are a relatively frequent affection and are estimated to affect up to 12 out of 1,000 subjects in the adult population. Sialoliths form in the secretory system of the submandibular gland and can range in dimension from less than a millimeter to a few centimeters in diameter. Calculi are usually less than 10 mm large and giant sialoliths are defined as those measuring 1.5 cm or larger in any dimension. Our aim is to report a case of giant sialolithiasis of the submandibular gland in a male adult, and to describe its clinical, radiological, and pathological presentation. The submandibular gland stone was treated surgically through a transcervical approach. Along with our case report, this work carries an exhaustive review of literature on all documented cases of giant salivary gland calculi.