What is a ranula cyst?
A ranula is a fluid collection, or cyst, that forms in the mouth under the tongue. It is filled with saliva (spit) that has leaked out of a damaged salivary gland.
What causes a ranula cyst?
If one of the salivary glands, usually the sublingual gland, is injured or diseased the saliva will no longer reach the mouth where it can be swallowed. The saliva leaks out of the injured gland and forms a bubble of fluid in the tissue around the gland which is called a ranula.
Is ranula retention cyst?
The term “ranula” is used to describe a diffuse swelling in the floor of the mouth caused by either a mucous extravasation or, less commonly, a mucous retention cyst derived from the major sublingual or submandibular salivary glands.
What is the difference between a mucocele and a ranula?
A mucocele is a cyst-like lesion in your mouth, most commonly found at the surface of the lower lip. It can also be found on the inner side of the cheek, on the anterior ventral tongue, and on the floor of the mouth. When found on the floor of the mouth, the mucocele is referred to as a ranula.
What disease causes ranula?
Sometimes, there’s no known cause of the ranula formation. The swelling in the mouth could be a random occurrence. In other cases, an injury or trauma to the mouth can cause a ranula to develop. If there’s an injury to the duct carrying saliva to the mouth from the salivary gland, a blockage could occur.
Is ranula a pseudocyst?
Collectively, the mucocele, the oral ranula, and the cervical, or plunging, ranula are clinical terms for a pseudocyst that is associated with mucus extravasation into the surrounding soft tissues.
How common are ranulas?
Ranulas are less common (0.2 cases per 1000 persons) and tend to occur in children and young adults. The lateral aspect of the lower lip is the most common site for mucoceles, but other common sites include the floor of the mouth and ventrum of the tongue. Ranulas typically present in the floor of the mouth.
What is Marsupialization of ranula?
Marsupialization done by removing parts of the cyst wall and connecting it to the oral mucosa. It is a conservative procedure and recommended for children. It has advantages such as maintaining outline of oral tissue and less risk of damaging anatomic structure.
What is Micro marsupialization?
Micro-marsupialization is a procedure carried out to drain the accumulated saliva by passing a suture thread along the largest diameter of the lesion. The introduction of a suture also permits the formation of an epithelial tract to form between the surface and the underlying salivary glandular tissues.
How is marsupialization done?
With marsupialization, your provider cuts a slit into a Bartholin cyst, allowing it to drain. Then, they suture the edges of the cyst to the surrounding tissue to form a tiny pouch. The pouch allows the fluid from your Bartholin gland to drain freely.
What color is ranula?
A ranula usually presents as a translucent, blue, dome-shaped, fluctuant swelling in the tissues of the floor of the mouth. If the lesion is deeper, then there is a greater thickness of tissue separating from the oral cavity and the blue translucent appearance may not be a feature.
What is mucocele excision?
The most common mode of removal is surgical mucocele excision. This involves the removal of the cyst, the mucosa around it, and the glandular tissue until the muscular layer is reached. Just cutting through the top layer to allow drainage is not usually recommended because of the high recurrence rate.
What is marsupialization of Ranula?
Which part of cyst is removed in marsupialization?
How do you treat a ranula?
A simple, small ranula is usually minor and resolves itself without treatment. Larger ranulas can be more complicated, but with treatment the outlook is generally positive. Surgery to remove the cyst and the sublingual gland may produce the best outcome. There are currently no known ways to prevent a ranula.