What is a simple ranula in the mouth?
What is a simple ranula in the mouth?
A ranula is a fluid collection or cyst that forms in the mouth under the tongue. It is filled with saliva that has leaked out of a damaged salivary gland. If a ranula stays in the mouth underneath the tongue it is called a simple ranula. If it grows down into the neck it is called a plunging ranula.
How do you remove a ranula?
Traditionally, open surgical procedures drain the ranula and remove the diseased gland through an incision in the mouth or under the chin. A percutaneous treatment was developed in Interventional Radiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital around 2004 and has been used successfully since then to treat ranulas without open surgery or incisions.
What are the symptoms of a plunging ranula?
A plunging ranula can produce additional symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing, difficulty speaking, and tracheal compression. What causes a ranula to develop? Sometimes, the cause of a ranula is unknown and the swelling occurs spontaneously. In other cases, ranulas occur after trauma to the floor of the mouth (like an oral surgery).
What is the difference between trauma and ranula?
Trauma can include biting the lower lip or cheek or getting hit in the face. Plunging or diving ranulas are caused by a rapidly growing simple ranula that ruptures. Who is most at risk? Ranulas can occur in anyone but are more common in Pacific Island Polynesians and the Maori people of New Zealand.
What are the treatment options for a ranula?
If your doctor preserves the gland, a new cyst may develop. Another treatment option for a ranula is marsupialization. This is when your doctor cuts a slit in the cyst and sutures the edges. This procedure allows the cysts to drain freely.
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