Microwave Ablation: A Novel Treatment for the Mucoceles of Anterior Lingual Salivary Glands.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of microwave ablation as a substitute for surgery in patients with a mucocele of the anterior lingual salivary glands.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University (Chengdu, China), 78 patients with a clinical diagnosis of a mucocele of the anterior lingual salivary glands underwent microwave ablation from November 2012 to May 2015. Outcome and data on age, gender, size of lesion, history of trauma, and duration of lesion development for each patient were collected.

RESULTS: In this series, all patients fully recovered and only 5 patients received a second ablation. Wound healing was uneventful in all cases and a small scar was observed in only 6 patients. No serious complications were observed except for local discomfort in 2 cases and tongue tip numbness in 3 cases, but the problems resolved within several days without management.

CONCLUSION: Microwave ablation is a safe, straightforward, less invasive, economic, and effective therapeutic method for a mucocele of the anterior lingual salivary glands and can be used as a primary treatment modality before considering surgery.