[Transitory swelling of a parotid gland following general anesthesia. Description of a case]

An acute transient swelling of the parotid glands is recorded after general anaesthesia in orthopaedic surgery. The first differential diagnosis is bacterial parotitis; other causes of gland enlargement are viral infections, lymphoma, leukemia, sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome, malnutrition cirrhosis, vomiting, and poor oral hygiene. Excluding the above mentioned conditions, the most probably factors involved in our case are drugs used for anaesthesia, congestion of the venous drainage of the gland because of parasympathetic stimula during tracheal intubation and head positioning during surgery.