title: Epidural Tube: A Useful Device in Sialendoscopy Operations.
abstract: Salivary endoscopy, which was first described in 1991, is a safe technique with few complications. The sialendoscopy operation has been developed and successfully offered as a minimally invasive and gland-preserving approach for the treatment of chronic obstructive sialadenitis. For many surgeons, entering the duct lumen of the salivary gland is the most difficult and time-consuming step of the sialendoscopy operation. This report introduces a timesaving and straightforward method for entering the duct lumen using an epidural tube, which is a plastic tube with a blunt tip.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University; Stomatology and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Ministry of Education, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University; Stomatology and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Ministry of Education, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Ju-feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University; Stomatology and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Ministry of Education, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address: longxing_china@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004106:Dilatation / Q000295:instrumentation; D019723:Endoscopes; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010305:Parotid Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D018987:Salivary Ducts / Q000473:pathology*; D012793:Sialadenitis / Q000601:surgery; D015607:Stents; D013364:Submandibular Gland Diseases / Q000601:surgery