Medical analysis of the contribution of sialendoscopy in managing non-tumoral main salivary gland pathology in Reunion Island: Observational study following STROBE guidelines.

Goals: To perform a medical analysis of the contribution of sialendoscopy in the treatment of non-tumoral pathologies of the main salivary glands, in Reunion Island, a French overseas territory.

Material And Method: A multicenter retrospective observational study was conducted for an 8-year period, before and after introduction of sialendoscopy (2011-2014 and 2015-2018), following STROBE guidelines.

Objectives: To compare populations treated before (period A) and after (period B) the introduction of sialendoscopy in terms of clinical characteristics, and analyze the characteristics of patients treated by sialendoscopy.

Results: Two hundred and sixty-five patients were included: 74 in 2011-2014 and 191 in 2015-2018; 139 had sialendoscopy. Populations A and B were comparable except for the proportion of parotids treated (9% vs. 31%, respectively; P<0.0001), and smaller stones (11mm vs. 7.4mm, respectively; P=0.003). One hundred and ten pure sialendoscopies and 29 combined routes (20.8%) were performed: 63% submandibular and 37% parotid. Median age was 46 years. The M/F sex ratio was 0.96. Thirty-seven patients presented stenosis. There were 10 cases of papillary catheterization failure (7.1%), and 16 false routes or creation of false channels (11.5%), including 9 during the learning period. The rate of crossover to gland resection decreased: 10.45% for 2015-2016 and 5.56% for 2017-2018.

Conclusion: Although follow-up ranged between 12 and 55months (median, 30months), sialendoscopy appeared to be a useful and reliable technique, with a role in therapeutic strategy for the management of non-tumoral salivary pathologies in Reunion Island.