Acute Salivary Gland Enlargement Following Instrumentation of the Upper Airway

Effects of anaesthesia using endotracheal intubation or the laryngeal mask airway, or spinal anaesthesia, on oral mucosal host defences during minor surgery

“…ET using a laryngoscope, by contrast, is more damaging to the oral mucosa than blind insertion of the LMA and may even cause direct tissue trauma (16, 17). Transient salivary gland enlargement has been reported after ET (18–20), but transient swelling may also occur after insertion of a laryngeal mask (21, 22).…”

An interesting post endoscopy occurrence

“…[14] Other theories include retrograde passage of air due to a loss of muscle tone around Stenson's duct, retention of secretions causing a blockage of the salivary ducts, dehydration, and head positioning during the procedure. [6,9,15,16] Management of this condition is conservative, with a resolution of the swelling over a few hours to a few days. [8,14] Our patient was well hydrated prior to the procedure, and it was performed under sedation using propofol and glycopyrrolate, the latter being anticholinergic in action.…”

Acute bilateral parotid gland enlargement

“…Matsuki et al [11] and Attas et al [12] proposed that coughing and straining can also produce salivary gland swelling and may lead to venous congestion of the salivary glands. Bonchek [10] and Strowbridge [13] proposed that most likely explanation to be instrumentation of the upper airway or oesophagus stimulates a reflex arc, with the afferent stimulus coming from the tongue, mouth or pharynx, and intense parasympathetic stimulation resulting in vasodilation and transient enlargement of the glands. All the three namely parotid, submandibular and submaxillary salivary glands may be enlarged, but parotid is the most commonly reported in literature.…”