Isolated Parotitis Following a Cheek Slap: A Case Report and Clinical Implications

Parotitis, inflammation of the parotid gland, is most commonly attributed to infection, salivary duct obstruction, or autoimmune disease; trauma-induced parotitis is uncommon, and blunt-trauma cases are reported less frequently than penetrating injury.

We describe a 4-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department with left-sided facial swelling one day after a low-velocity slap to the cheek during play. Examination showed tender left parotid swelling without bruising, pain-limited trismus, and no facial nerve, otologic, oral cavity, or temporomandibular joint abnormalities; a whole-body skin survey and a formal social-work assessment for non-accidental injury were unremarkable. Computed tomography, obtained because the mechanism of injury required clarification and mandibular fracture could not initially be excluded on clinical grounds, showed parotid enlargement with adjacent fat stranding and no fracture. Markedly elevated serum amylase, with normal inflammatory markers and negative viral serology, supported a diagnosis of traumatic parotitis after systematic exclusion of infectious, obstructive, and suppurative causes. The child was managed conservatively and recovered fully within two weeks.

This case adds to the limited literature on post-traumatic parotitis by illustrating that even a low-velocity, everyday mechanism such as a slap can produce isolated parotid swelling in children, an association not previously emphasized outside higher-energy blunt trauma. It highlights the value of a structured differential work-up, judicious imaging, and routine safeguarding assessment in this presentation.