Rubber Band Ligation for Treatment of Mucoceles: A Potential Minimally Invasive Treatment Approach

Mucoceles are benign lesions caused by the accumulation of mucus such as saliva, and are common in children. Surgical intervention is effective but is not well tolerated by children because of its invasiveness, and alternative treatment methods are being explored. A boy aged 2 years and 5 months presented at our hospital with a chief complaint of mucocele. Considering the patient's age, micro-marsupialization was initially selected to avoid surgical excision; however, the cyst did not resolve. We decided to apply the rubber band ligation method used for treatment of internal hemorrhoids, and ligated the mucocele using an orthodontic elastic separator. At the 3-week follow-up visit, the mucocele had disappeared. According to the patient's guardian, the rubber band fell off after 1 week, and the mucocele subsequently detached and fell off spontaneously shortly thereafter. Although further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of this treatment method, this report suggests that rubber band ligation may represent a novel, minimally invasive, and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of mucoceles.