An Unusual Asymptomatic Case of Unilateral Parotid Gland Agenesis

Abstract

Congenital absence of the major salivary glands, especially of the parotid gland, is a very infrequent condition of poorly understood etiology. This condition may be unilateral or bilateral and may occur alone or in association with the absence of other salivary glands or with other developmental craniofacial deformities of maxillofacial first and second branchial arch. Only 24 cases are documented in the literature. The authors present a case of a 79-year-old female who was referred to the Neurosurgery Department for neurocognitive impairment. The brain computed tomography with contrast enhancement incidentally showed a complete absence of the left parotid gland. The medical history and physical and radiographic examinations were indicative of nonsyndromic and nonfamilial asymptomatic unilateral aplasia of the parotid gland.