Sialendoscopy before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The sialendoscopic techniques represent a new paradigm that has essentially changed the management of the obstructive salivary gland disease. The COVID-19 epidemic represents a new challenge for the health system of each particular country and puts numerous particularly elective surgical procedures to the test. The surgical procedures of head and neck, especial - ly the ones of oral cavity, present a high risk for the transmission of COVID-19. During sialendoscopy and sialendoscopically assisted surgery, the surgical and anaesthesiological teams are exposed to the saliva and the products of reflexes of the sen - sitive anatomical regions of the oral cavity and the rest of the upper aerodigestive tract. The level of risk of the surgical pro - cedure according to the phase of surgery, type of anaesthesia, personal protective equipment and current epidemiological situation of COVID-19 remains unknown. At first, the emergent and later also elective sialendoscopic and sialendoscopically assisted procedures were performed during the COVID-19 epidemic in the University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery Ljubljana. We believe that in the period of containable COVID-19 epidemiological situation, taking into account indications and protective measures, the sialendoscopic surgery is safe for the patient and the practitioner.