Warthin tumor
The parotid gland and Warthin's tumor, what they have in common?This photo shows the resection of a so-called Warthin tumor (or papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum), which is a benign cystic and sharply demarcated tumor of the parotid gland. It typically occurs in elderly and is the 2nd most common (up to 10% of all parotid tumours) benign parotid tumors, after pleomorphic adenoma.It is associated with irradiation and smoking and has the greatest tendency to undergo cystic changes than any other salivary gland tumor. They are benign with extremely low incidence of malignant transformation, thus a surgical excision is the gold treatment. The facial nerve has a relation with the parotid gland as it passes right through the gland (but does not innervate it), so a resection of the tumor should be done with a great caution for the preservation of the nerve along with its branches. Photo credit : @liegegraebin
