title: Agenesis of submandibular glands: a report of two cases with review of literature.
abstract: Background. Congenital absence of the submandibular gland (SMG) is a rare condition. Although complaints such as dry mouth, dental problems, or difficulty in swallowing may be seen, the subjects may also be asymptomatic. The absence of the SMG may be associated with hypertrophy of the contralateral SMG. Case Report. We report the case of a 44-year-old woman with incidentally detected left SMG aplasia, with contralateral SMG hypertrophy mimicking a mass, and the case of a 46-year-old woman with incidentally detected bilateral SMG aplasia, demonstrated by computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conclusion. It is important for the clinician to know that this very rare abnormality may exist. When such a case is encountered, symptoms and findings should be reevaluated and, if necessary, conservative therapy should be initiated. The possibility of observing additional deformities should be kept in mind and an evaluation should be done for other cases in the family.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Medical Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Medine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Medical Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Güçlü
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Medical Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fevzi Sefa
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Dereköy
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Medical Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Resorlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Medical Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gürhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adam