Symptomatic Floor-of-Mouth Swelling with Neck Extension in a 14-Year-Old Girl

Case Rep Pediatr. 2014:2014:831923. doi: 10.1155/2014/831923. Epub 2014 Dec 3.

Abstract

A plunging ranula is a soft-tissue mass stemming from a mucous extravasation cyst of the sublingual gland which can herniate through the mylohyoid muscle. We describe a case in which a 14-year-old girl presented with a rapidly expanding mass on the floor of her mouth affecting her ability to swallow and speak and causing tracheal compression. The patient was initially managed conservatively with antibiotics and steroids; however, the mass continued to expand necessitating emergent bedside incision and drainage and subsequent surgical intervention. The pathophysiology and management options for ranulas are also discussed herein.