Effectiveness of sialendoscopy for salivary gland occlusions.

INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive procedures using sialendoscopy have emerged as a safer alternative to traditional interventions for non-neoplastic occlusions of the salivary glands. To illuminate the procedure's efficacy, demographics and outcomes of patients undergoing sialendoscopies are presented. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Medical files of patients who underwent sialendoscopy at Godstrup Hospital from 27 October 2018 to 30 June 2023 were reviewed. Surgical success was defined as complete symptom relief and no complications within a three-month follow-up, while surgical failure was defined as any symptoms or complications within the follow-up period. RESULTS: Complete sialendoscopy was performed in 110 patients of whom 94 attended a follow-up after three months. The mean age at the time of surgery was 44.2 years (95% confidence intervals (CI): 40.3-48.1), and 48.2% were male. Surgical success was achieved in 53 cases with follow-up (56.4% (95% CI: 46.4-66.4%)). Additionally, symptom relief was achieved in another 23 cases, meaning that a total of 76 patients benefited from the procedure (80.9% (95% CI: 72.9-88.8)). Patients with sialolithiasis had a significantly higher surgical success rate, while patients with stenosis had a significantly lower surgical success rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that sialendoscopy is a safe, effective and feasible procedure for diagnosing and treating non-neoplastic occlusions of the salivary gland. Our findings indicate better results for patients with sialoliths than those with stenosis. FUNDING: None. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not relevant.