Ranula: A retrospective clinicosurgical analysis of 29 cases from a tertiary health institution, Northwest, Nigeria

Background: Ranula may grow into a considerable size as to cause obstructive symptoms, especially in infants when neglected. The aim is to describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome of ranulas. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with ranulas that presented during the periods of January 2000 to December 2019 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Northwest, Nigeria. Results: A total of 29 patients were seen during the review period: twelve (41.4%) males and 17 (58.6%) females. Age ranged from 3 days to 48 years (median 3 years). Most of the patients 19 (65.5%) were below the age of 10 years. Twenty-one (72.4%) patients had simple oral ranulas: 8 (38.1.6%) patients were congenital ranulas characterized by tongue protrusion and dysphagia. Plunging ranulas were seen in 8 (27.5%) patients, and 2 (25%) of these patients were HIV infected. Simple marsupialization was done for 10 (34.5%) patients, and one of these patients had an elective tracheostomy for difficult intubation. Sublingual gland excision and with the evacuation of the cyst were done for 16 (55.2%) patients. One of the patients with plunging ranula opted for conservative management. Only 12 (41.4%) patients came for follow up: a patient had recurrence 2 years after excision of plunging ranula. Conclusion: Ranula, when neglected can cause obstructive symptoms presenting as tongue protrusion in children. Inadequate follow up was seen in the majority of the patients. Adequate follow up to determine the recurrence, especially those who had marsupialization, is most desirable.