Evaluation and management of the drooling patient.
Drooling, or sialorrhea, may appear to be a most mundane problem but in fact can be a condition with a wide spectrum of etiologies. Unhappily, drooling also may lead to several unfortunate medical and psychosocial outcomes for the affected patient. The senior author (WSC) has had a 13 year interest in the treatment of drooling patients. This paper is essentially a distillation of the experience gained in managing these patients. Since 1979 he has participated in a team (which includes an otolaryngologist, a dentist and a speech pathologist) that attends these patients and makes recommendations in a consensus fashion. This team concept, as well as historical and physiologic background material, will be discussed below.
Finkelstein
D M
DM
Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Crysdale
W S
WS
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome