Congenital atresia of the submandibular gland duct is a rare congenital anomaly in which an imperforate duct orifice, caused by incomplete formation of the duct during the embryonic period, results in the retention of saliva in the submandibular gland duct. Although its clinical appearance is very similar to that of ranula, they are different disorders and should therefore be differentiated appropriately.
Herein we report a case of congenital atresia of the submandibular gland duct and a review of the literature on the differences between this congenital anomaly and ranula.
An 8-month-old male infant was referred to our department due to a ranula-like swelling in the right oral floor, which had been present since birth. We performed magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and diagnosed the patient with congenital atresia of the submandibular gland duct. We performed marsupialization according to the method for ranula under general anesthesia when the patient was one year and eight months old. The resected specimen was also histologically diagnosed as congenital atresia of the submandibular gland duct. Normal salivary flow from the formed duct orifice was observed and there was no recurrence one year since the operation.
