ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Odontogenic cervicofacial infections are still an ongoing problem, requiring immediate hospital admittance and management. The aim of this study is to reflect the number of patients with cervicofacial infections who were admitted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period in a single, point of reference center in Northern Greece as well as analyze the quantitative and qualitative parameters of patient characteristics and management data. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study that included all the patients with cervicofacial infections who were admitted to our unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically between 2020 and 2021. For comparative reasons, patients admitted with cervicofacial infections between 2019 and 2020 (pre-COVID period) were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 341 patients fulfilled the criteria for this study. Specifically, the number of admitted patients was 151 in the pre-COVID era instead of 190 patients in the pandemic. The mean age of the patients was 45.3 years, with a slight male predominance (54.7% males to 45.3%). The mean duration of hospitalization was 2.5 days in the pre-COVID period instead of 3.42 days in the pandemic. Interestingly, in the pandemic, eight times more patients were admitted to the ICU post-operatively, in contrast to the pre-COVID period (23 vs 3 patients). Also in the COVID period, almost 54.9% of the patients presented with fever and 49.6% with trismus. Moreover, the submandibular space involvement was the most common space of infection in both COVID and pre-COVID groups with (58.9% and 49.7%) respectively. In one-third of all cases, a post-extraction infection of a third molar was the main cause of abscess. CONCLUSION: Cervicofacial infections during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared with more severe symptoms and resulted in an increased number of patients who needed admittance to the intensive care unit, in contrast to the pre-COVID era. Also, the mean length of stay was increased for a day at the same period. This study could be used as an example for further research, in case of similar pandemic situations in the future.
ABSTRACT
Rationale: Low-grade intraductal carcinoma (LG-IC), is a rare malignant tumour of the salivary glands which has a very good prognosis and must be differentiated from the other types of salivary gland malignant tumours, which have a totally different behaviour and a worse prognosis. Patient Concerns: A case is presented of a 52-year-old woman who was first diagnosed and treated in another clinic in 2019 for an LG-IC in the left submandibular gland space. Two years later, she was admitted to our department with a new lesion, this time in the upper jaw lip on the left side, which also turned out to be LG-IC. Diagnosis: Magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography were performed in order to diagnose and adequately stage the disease prior to the therapeutic intervention. Outcomes: A 6-month follow-up reveals no sign of recurrence. Takeaway Lessons: Literature on this rare histopathological entity, as well as the differential diagnosis with the other malignant lesions of the salivary glands and the frequency of metastasis, were reviewed.
