Cistoadenoma de glándula salival menor en paladar: Reporte de dos casos y revisión de la literatura / Cystadenoma of the minor salivary gland on the palate: Report of two cases and review of the literature

El cistoadenoma es un tumor epitelial benigno de baja frecuencia en glándulas salivales, que habitualmente se presenta como una masa de crecimiento lento. En glándulas salivales menores se localiza habitualmente en labio, paladar y mucosa yugal, cuyo diagnóstico diferencial representa un desafío desde el punto de vista clínico. El propósito de este reporte es presentar 2 casos de cistoadenoma en paladar, con énfasis en sus características clínicas y diagnóstico diferencial.

Cystadenoma is an uncommon benign epithelial tumor of the salivary glands, which usually appears as a slow-growing mass. In minor salivary glands, it is usually located in the lip, palate and buccal mucosa, whose differential diagnosis is a clinical challenge. The purpose of this report is to present 2 cases of palate cystadenoma, with emphasis on their clinical characteristics and differential diagnosis.

Is the buccal compartment a masticatory space extension or an anatomic space in itself? Evidence based on medical images and human cadaver dissection.

OBJECTIVES: According to some authors, the buccal space is incompletely closed with no real anatomical separation from the masticator space, and also has no fascial limit toward the cranial and caudal regions. However, several other authors consider this anatomic area to be a separated space. The goal of this study was to provide a detailed description of the normal anatomy using medical images and human cadaveric head material dissection of this facial anatomic region, to precisely clarify its condition as an extension of the masticator space or an independent space. METHODS: The buccomasseteric area in 25 male and female patients aged 14-68 years, who were referred for various head and neck disorders that did not compromise the masticatory and buccal area, was analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging on the axial and coronal planes. The region was further examined by dissection of the buccomasseteric area in four heads of fresh adult male and female human cadavers aged 30-65 years. RESULTS: The findings demonstrated that the buccal compartment should be considered part of the masticator space, rather than a space in itself. This was mainly because a corridor was positioned medially to the tendon of the masseter muscle that communicated the infratemporal region of the masticator space with the buccal region, with no fascial barrier at this level that could separate it from the masticator space. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the buccal compartment is part of the masticator space, rather than a space in itself.