Submandibular surgery

Submandibular surgery is required when there is a lump in or adjacent to the submandibular gland.  The aims of surgery are

• to determine the nature of the lump
  
• to  prevent a benign lump from becoming malignant
• because a benign lump will relentlessly grow and become more difficult to remove later
  
  

Submandibular surgery is done under a general anesthetic so that the patient is asleep and unaware during the operation. Generally the operation commences by dissecting between the loose tissues under the skin and the gland itself so that the tiny branch of the facial nerve that supplies the muscles of the lower lip is protected. The submandibular gland and any abnormal lump is then dissected away from the surrounding structures including the jaw and the nerve that supplies sensation to that side of the tongue. Once removed the gland is sent for examination by a pathologist (the report takes one week). A small drain is inserted and the wound closed with a dissolving suture.

The procedure takes about 1 hour but can be longer depending on its complexity.

The hospital stay is 1 day and planned time off work should be 7-10 days.