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Objective: Submandibular gland (SMG) malignancies are exceedingly rare. Lymph node metastasis is one of the most important determinants of outcome in SMG malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the overall rate of occult neck nodal metastasis in SMG malignancies.Study Design: The study design is a meta-analysis of all studies on patients with a primary SMG malignancy, without evidence of neck nodal metastasis, who underwent an elective neck dissection (END). The search strategy identified 158 papers that appeared in print from January 1980 to July 2020. All eligible patients from the Tel-Aviv Medical Center were analyzed and consolidated into a case series. A total of 12 retrospective studies that included 306 suitable patients met inclusion criteria.Results: The risk for occult metastasis in primary SMG malignancies was 0.0% to 50.0%, with a fixed effect model of 19.52% (95% CI, 14.9%-24.5%). The analyzed studies included a wide range of pathologies. The most common malignancies were adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma.Conclusions: The overall rate of occult neck metastasis in SMG malignancies is relatively high, and an END should be the default intervention in these cases. An END is unwarranted in tumors judged clinically to be low stage and low grade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of drainless parotidectomy using fibrin sealant on length of stay, post-operative seroma and related complications. For this purpose, a retrospective matched case-control series was held in a single academic center. All patients who underwent drainless parotidectomies, including deep lobe tumors and revision surgeries, were compared to matched controls in which a suction drain was inserted. Main outcomes were length of hospital stay and post-operative seroma. A total of 123 patients (41 cases and 82 controls) were included in the study. Fibrin sealant group had higher rates of total parotidectomy compared with the control group (25.0% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.054). Length of stay was significantly shorter in the fibrin sealant group (1.0 ± 0.3 days vs. 1.5 ± 0.6 days, p < 0.001, respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between the fibrin sealant group and the control regarding post-operative seromas (9.8% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.574, respectively), aspirations rate (7.3% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.381), and infection rates (0% vs.3.7%, p = 0.550). In conclusion, drainless parotidectomy does not increase post operative seroma rates and related complications, and can also be implemented for revision surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]