Parotid duct
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View Jeremy Jones's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Derek Smith had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Derek Smith's current disclosures- Stensen's duct
- Duct of Stensen
- Stensen duct
- Parotid ducts
The parotid duct, also known as Stensen duct, drains saliva from the parotid gland into the oral cavity.
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Gross anatomy
Following confluence of two main tributaries within the parotid gland, the duct emerges anteriorly from its substance through the adjacent buccal fat, superficial to the masseter muscle over which it passes horizontally 9.
At the anterior border of the masseter muscle, the duct turns medially, making a right-angled turn and pierces the buccopharyngeal fascia (middle layer of the deep cervical fascia) and buccinator muscle. Here it lies in the submucosa of the oral cavity 9.
Within the submucosa, the duct travels a short distance obliquely forwards to open at the papilla, adjacent to the second maxillary molar tooth in the oral vestibule. The oblique submucosal course of the parotid duct acts as a valve, preventing reflux of contents when intraoral pressure increases 8.
Traditionally the parotid duct is described as being approximately 5 cm long and 3 mm wide 9. Studies have suggested varying diameters at different points along its length, ranging between 1.4 mm and 0.5 mm, with a maximum of 2.3 mm and a minimum of 0.1 mm, depending on the site 7.
Relations
Several other structures run alongside the parotid duct:
superiorly: transverse facial artery
inferiorly: buccal nerve
History and etymology
It is named after the Danish anatomist Niels Stensen (1638-1686) 2 (also known as Nicolaus Steno) who was the first to describe it, initially in a sheep, in 1660. His colleague Sylvius (1614-1672) confirmed its presence in the human body and van Horne in Leyden named it after Stensen 6.
Related pathology
Blockage of the parotid duct can occur secondary to salivary duct stones or external compression. Either cause of obstruction can cause pain and parotitis. Stones are more common in the submandibular gland and duct.
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Lang J. Clinical anatomy of the masticatory apparatus peripharyngeal spaces. Thieme Publishing Group. ISBN:3137991013. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Clarke E. Nicolas Stensen and the Brain [Abstract]. (1965) Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 58 (10): 749. Pubmed
- 3. Snell RS. Clinical Anatomy by Regions. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN:160913446X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 5. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 6. PORTER IH. Thomas Bartholin (1616-80) and Niels STEENSEN (1638-86). Master and pupil. (1963) Medical history. 7: 99-125. Pubmed
- 7. Zenk J, Hosemann WG, Iro H. Diameters of the main excretory ducts of the adult human submandibular and parotid gland: a histologic study. (1998) Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics. 85 (5): 576-80. doi:10.1016/s1079-2104(98)90294-3 - Pubmed
- 8. Agni N. Salivary Gland Pathologies. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for the Clinician. 2021;:939-73. doi:10.1007/978-981-15-1346-6_46
- 9. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. (2020) ISBN: 9780702077050 - Google Books
Incoming Links
- Salivary glands (Gray's illustration)
- Parotid duct stone and benign lymphoepithelial lesions
- Pleomorphic adenoma - parotid gland
- Mandible fracture
- Acute sialadenitis
- Pneumoparotid
- Buccal squamous cell carcinoma
- Parotid duct calculus
- Parotid sialolithiasis
- Sialolithiasis - parotid
- Infantile haemangioma
- Parotid duct stone
- Parotid duct alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
- Acute left parotid sialadenitis
- Parotid sialadenitis
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