Ranula in children: Retrospective study of 25 years and literature review of the plunging variable

Abstract Objective The aim of this article was to conduct a 25-year retrospective study within an oral surgery department, on the incidence of the ranula in children and its ideal treatment, associated with a literature review on the plunging ranula in pediatrics. Methods A retrospective review of the medical records of pediatric patients (0–12 years) from 1995 to 2020 was performed in an oral surgery department in Maringa/Brazil. The examined data included age of the patients, sex, clinical signs, time of evolution and follow-up, complementary exams, type of ranula, diagnostic hypothesis, surgical procedures and accesses, complications and recurrence. In addition, a literature review was carried out on the plunging ranula in children, using the MEDLINE database, from 1995 to 2020, with the search terms: “PLUNGING RANULA” OR “CERVICAL RANULA. A PICOS was established and PRISMA standards were followed. Results In the retrospective study, of the 11 patients found, 10 were with simple ranulas and only 1 with plunging ranula. All patients were approached by intraoral access, and conservative treatments had higher recurrence rates. The case of plunging ranula was treated by intraoral resection of the sublingual gland and saliva drainage, and obtained good results with 15 years of follow-up. In the literature review, 372 articles were found, which 10 were qualitatively selected after inclusion and exclusion criteria. Excision of the sublingual gland was the most prevalent procedure, and intraoral and extraoral accesses had the same incidence, despite the fact that the last one had higher percentages of complications. Conclusion The treatment of ranulas is variable; however, it is proven that conservative methods have higher rates of recurrence. As for the plunging ranula, resection of the sublingual gland through intraoral access, associated with mucus leakage, is considered a safe and effective treatment.