Head and Neck

Salivary gland diseases and cervical lymph node enlargement are among the most common complaints in the head and neck region. While acute infection can cause enlargement of the salivary glands, other pathologies such as tumors may follow a more indolent course. These tumors can present late and only become obvious when they cause disfigurement. Painful enlarged glands require immediate surgical consultation, while painless enlarged glands also warrant thorough investigations to exclude tumors. Cervical lymph nodes are often enlarged subsequent to head and neck infection, however, when no obvious source of infection is identified, they require work up, which sometimes includes surgical resection to exclude malignancy.