Complicated spontaneous pneumoparotid mimicking a neck mass in a child with Down's syndrome

Sheree C Gray; Jacobus A Pienaar; Zelia Sofianos; Jacob Varghese

doi:10.4102/sajr.v24i1.1883

Complicated spontaneous pneumoparotid mimicking a neck mass in a child with Down's syndrome

SA J Radiol. 2020 Jul 13;24(1):1883. doi: 10.4102/sajr.v24i1.1883. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Sheree C Gray¹, Jacobus A Pienaar¹, Zelia Sofianos², Jacob Varghese¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Faculty of Radiology, Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex, Klerksdorp, South Africa.
² Department of Radiology, Faculty of Radiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Spontaneous or self-induced pneumoparotid, which usually manifests as acute unilateral gland enlargement, is caused by insufflation of air from the oral cavity via Stensen's duct. A 9-year-old patient, with known Down's syndrome, presented with a progressively enlarging, painless, spontaneous, left neck mass. Computed tomography showed features consistent with pneumoparotid, without underlying associated pathology. Identification of true cases of spontaneous pneumoparotid is crucial, as these require a holistic management approach to prevent recurrence and complications.

Keywords: Paediatric population; Pneumoparotid; Self-induced pneumoparotid; Spontaneous; Stensen’s duct.

Publication types

Case Reports