Mucocele

A mucocele, also referred to as mucus extravasation phenomenon, is a swellingof connective tissueconsisting of collected mucinfrom a ruptured salivary gland duct, which is usually caused by local trauma. The mucocele is a bluish translucent color, and is more commonly found in children and young adults.

Locations

The most common location to find a mucocele is the the surface of the lower lip. It can also be found on the inner side of the cheek (known as the buccal mucosa), on the anterior ventral tongue, and the floor of the mouth. When found on the floor of the mouth, the mucocele is referred to as a ranula. They are rarely found on the upper lip.

Characteristics

The size of mucoceles vary from 1 mm to several centimeters. On palpation, mucoceles may appear to fluctuant but can also be firm. Their duration lasts from days to years, and may have recurrent swelling with occasional rupturing of its contents.

Variations

A variant of a mucocele is found on the palate, retromolar pad, and posterior buccal mucosa. Known as a "superficial mucocele", this type presents as single or multiple vesiclesand bursts into an ulcer. Despite healing after a few days, superficial mucoceles recur often in the same location.

Histology

Microscopically, mucoceles appears as granulation tissuesurrounding mucin. Since inflammationoccurs concurrently, neutrophilsand foamy histiocytesusually are present.

Treatment

Some mucoceles spontaneously resolve on their own after a short time. Others are chronic and require surgical removal. Recurrence may occur, and thus the adjacent salivary gland is excised as a preventive measure..

References

• Kahn, Michael A. Basic Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Volume 1. 2001.

External links

• Image

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucocele Wikipedia article Mucocele.