Biomaterial Database

Treatment of a ranula using an Er,Cr:YSGG laser. 2006

Malcolm Zola, and Dara Rosenberg, and Kwaku Anakwa

Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Dentistry, St. Barnabas Hospital, The Bronx, New York, New York 10457, USA. mbzola@optonline.net

A ranula is an extravasational cyst arising from the sublingual gland. The "cyst" cavity does not have an epithelial lining, and because of this is notoriously difficult to eliminate. Usual treatment requires complete excision of the sublingual gland, exteriorizing the gland through establishment of a secondary ductal structure by placement of a long-term indwelling catheter, or packing, all requiring patient compliance. Unroofing alone is often followed by recurrence via resealing or closure with formation of a new roof. The accompanying scarring and damage to additional ducts may also result in recurrence. Combining unroofing with a technique that would prevent resealing of the remaining portion, scarify the base of the ranula to eliminate residual glandular acini, and be more comfortable and non-interfering with the daily activity of the patient, is an acceptable object of treatment of a ranula. The use of a water-based laser system to accomplish these goals appears to be a desirable and simple method.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011900	Ranula	A form of retention cyst of the floor of the mouth, usually due to obstruction of the ducts of the submaxillary or sublingual glands, presenting a slowly enlarging painless deep burrowing mucocele of one side of the mouth. It is also called sublingual cyst and sublingual ptyalocele.	Ranulas
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014867	Water	A clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that is essential for most animal and plant life and is an excellent solvent for many substances. The chemical formula is hydrogen oxide (H2O). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Hydrogen Oxide
D016896	Treatment Outcome	Evaluation undertaken to assess the results or consequences of management and procedures used in combating disease in order to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and practicability of these interventions in individual cases or series.	Rehabilitation Outcome,Treatment Effectiveness,Clinical Effectiveness,Clinical Efficacy,Patient-Relevant Outcome,Treatment Efficacy,Effectiveness, Clinical,Effectiveness, Treatment,Efficacy, Clinical,Efficacy, Treatment,Outcome, Patient-Relevant,Outcome, Rehabilitation,Outcome, Treatment,Outcomes, Patient-Relevant,Patient Relevant Outcome,Patient-Relevant Outcomes
D053685	Laser Therapy	The use of photothermal effects of LASERS to coagulate, incise, vaporize, resect, dissect, or resurface tissue.	Laser Knife,Laser Scalpel,Surgery, Laser,Vaporization, Laser,Laser Ablation,Laser Knives,Laser Photoablation of Tissue,Laser Surgery,Laser Tissue Ablation,Nonablative Laser Treatment,Pulsed Laser Tissue Ablation,Ablation, Laser,Ablation, Laser Tissue,Knife, Laser,Knifes, Laser,Knive, Laser,Knives, Laser,Laser Knifes,Laser Knive,Laser Scalpels,Laser Surgeries,Laser Therapies,Laser Treatment, Nonablative,Laser Treatments, Nonablative,Laser Vaporization,Nonablative Laser Treatments,Scalpel, Laser,Scalpels, Laser,Surgeries, Laser,Therapies, Laser,Therapy, Laser,Tissue Ablation, Laser
D055502	Secondary Prevention	The prevention of recurrences or exacerbations of a disease or complications of its therapy.	Disease Prevention, Secondary,Early Therapy,Relapse Prevention,Secondary Disease Prevention,Disease Preventions, Secondary,Early Therapies,Prevention, Relapse,Prevention, Secondary,Prevention, Secondary Disease,Preventions, Relapse,Preventions, Secondary,Preventions, Secondary Disease,Relapse Preventions,Secondary Disease Preventions,Secondary Preventions,Therapies, Early,Therapy, Early