Background Transcutaneous-endoscopic removal of salivary stones in the parotid gland is a gland-preserving
procedure for the treatment of complicated sialolithiasis.
Material and Methods Between 2006 and 2023, 37 patients underwent this procedure at our institution. Medium-
to long-term follow-up was conducted using sialendoscopy (SE), ultrasound (US), and
questionnaires (FB).
Results Stones were located proximally in 48.6%, hilar to intraparenchymal in 24.3%, in the
middle duct system in 10.8%, and distally in 13.5% of cases. The average stone size
was 8.2 mm. Gland preservation was achieved in 94.6% of patients (35/37). The average
follow-up-time was 100.7 months (SD±64.1 months). None of the 30 patients examined
so far showed signs of recurrence (26 with SE and/or US, 4 with FB). One patient with
de-novo sialolithiasis was treated with ISWL. All patients were symptom-free during
follow-up. Postoperatively, there was an 84.4% reduction in symptoms like swelling
and pain (p<0.001, Wilcoxon test), and average quality of life increased by 73.9%
(p<0.001, Wilcoxon test).
Discussion Transcutaneous-endoscopic removal proved successful in>95% of cases, with no recurrence
observed in the long term. Subjective complaints were significantly lower, and quality
of life was significantly higher.
