Abstract

A Cervical Ranula: A Case Report

Ranula refers to a collection of extra-glandular and extra ductal saliva in the floor of the mouth originating from the sublingual salivary gland. It may rarely originate from injury to the submandibular gland (SMG) duct. It is a pseudocyst, as it does not contain an epithelial lining. It classically presents as a soft submucosal swelling in the floor of the mouth. A plunging ranula extends into the submandibular triangle of the neck through a defect in the mylohyoid muscle, or less commonly, by passing behind the posterior edge of the muscle. A ranula may also track posteriorly along tissue planes into the parapharyngeal space. The simplest way to clinch the diagnosis is by examining a needle aspirate of the typically thick, straw coloured saliva. However, the diagnosis can be easily missed if the patient does not have any introral lesion. The purpose of this paper is to present clinical and radiographic findings of a rare case of plunging ranula without any intraoral lesion along with the relevant review of the literature.

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