Ranula and the sublingual salivary glands
C. A. Quick and S. H. Lowell
The term "ranula" is poorly understood and is frequently applied to a
variety of cystic structures in the head and neck. Ranulas classically are
cysts of salivary gland origin, usually the sublingual glands, of which two
varieties are described: a simple, epithelial lined cyst resulting from
ductal obstruction, and a pseudocyst without epithelial lining resulting
from extravasation of saliva that dissects through the tissue planes of the
neck and may appear as a neck mass. Four cases are presented that
illustrate the difficulties in diagnosis; treatment consists of meticulous
dissection of the thin-walled sac in continuity with the excision of the
sublingual glands that are the origin of these lesions.
